Biography

I was born June 22, 1946 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  In 1948 we moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, on the Missouri River.  In the spring of 1951, I remember watching huge helicopters that were used in rescue and other operations associated with a major flood of the Missouri River.  The main landing area was on a high school football field near my home.  During most of that time I was flat on my back, suffering from rheumatic fever.  In 1952 we moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, a farming, tourist, and industrial community of about 50,000 people on the Mississippi River, about half way between Madison, and Minneapolis.

I attended Hogan School from grades 1 through 6, Longfellow Junior High School for grades 7-12, and graduated from Central Senior High School in 1969.  One more class graduated from Central before it was demolished and replaced by South High School.  I was active in the bands, student government, and drama in high school.  Throughout my pre-teen and teenage years I was always interested in crystal and short wave radios and anything electric.  I took classes to study for an amateur radio license, but never quite got around to finishing the studies and taking the tests.

I attended the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse for two years where I majored in pre-engineering and was active in the bands and Young Republicans.  I also worked as a student assistant in the Chemistry and Physics Departments.   This enabled me to have a special relationship with many of the teaching staff and to work with equipment that other students didn't have ready access to.

I then moved on to the University of Wisconsin main campus at Madison, continuing my studies for three more years and graduating with a Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering (major study in computers and bio-engineering) in 1969.  I was an active member of Kappa Eta Kappa electrical engineering fraternity, active in the marching band, and in the College of Engineering student government.  I worked part-time with several groups in the Electrical Engineering Department and again gained access to equipment, teaching staff, and experiences that weren't readily available to many students.  My last year at the UW I lived in a dormitory limited to students in engineering or graduate programs.  Many of these students were from foreign countries as well as all over the United States and brought cultures and thinking that helped to expand my horizons.

After graduation, I took my first job as an electronics engineer at the Naval Medical Research Institute of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.  Most of the research work was associated with decompression sickness ("The Bends").  I took the position because I had received training in many different but related electrical engineering skills and I believed this job would give me the varied practical experiences that would help me to define my specific job goals.  I was not disappointed.  The job was a great opportunity and I made many friendships and business relationships along the way as well as learning a lot.  I have worked in many different companies and positions since then, making the move to full-time self-employment in 1988.

I had one brother whom I never knew.  Douglas Van Akkeren was born in 1943 and died at the age of nine months from a congenital heart condition.  My father died of prostate cancer in 1980.  My mother is still living on her own.  I was married in 1974 and separated in 1996 divorced after 22 years of marriage.  I have a married daughter (25) who is in medical school and my son (21) is a volunteer fireman and safety inspector.

I am living in Rockville, where I work primarily out of my home.  It is a great way to work (love the commute).  I am a member of the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Wheaton, Maryland, where I am a member of the choir (bass).  I am active in organizing activities for the Lutheran Single Adults Committee of the Greater Washington Area, The Singles Dining Group, and the Heavenly Hikers (a hiking/camping/backpacking group centered around my church).  I am the webmaster for these groups.  I am an avid dancer and take part in many dance activities on a regular basis.  I also attend and volunteer at several folk festivals in the Washington area each year.

Besides singing in the church choir, I still have my clarinet that I played from elementary school through college (although I rarely play it anymore).  I took up guitar and taught myself to play chords in the early 70's.  I did it because I was jealous of many of the teenagers in the church youth group that I worked with who could play guitar.  I learned a little drums in junior high school and I took up the tin whistle (pennywhistle) a few years ago.  I play primarily folk and religious music, accompanying children's programs and campfire singing on camping trips.  I play for my own enjoyment and once in a while for friends at home.  I have participated in a drama group at church.

I like to hike whenever I can.  I have hiked about 80 miles of the C&O Canal and hope to hike the remainder in time.  Most of the 80 miles I have hiked several times.  I have hiked and/or biked Rock Creek Park in Montgomery County, Maryland and DC from the northern end at Lake Needwood to the southern end at The Watergate and across the Potomac River and along the Potomac to Mount Vernon, Virginia.  I have also hiked along Sligo Creek Park and several other parks in the Washington, DC suburbs.  I have backpacked about 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail in small sections of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.  I have also hiked along the marshes and rivers near my former homes of La Crosse, Wisconsin and Madison, Wisconsin.

I have researched some of the family genealogy and the major results are shown in the genealogy section of this site.  I follow all of the Star Trek series and movies, although I'm not sure if my level of enthusiasm qualifies as a true "Trekkie."  I like to read mystery novels, particularly those written by Tom Clancy, Dick Francis, J.K. Rowling, and Michael Crichton.  I like the works of John Grisham and C.S. Lewis, also.