About Me

My name is Vance Elderkin.  I live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in the United States of America.  I quit keeping track of my birthdays once I hit 39.  (If someone asks my age, I will tell them, "39-95, plus shipping and handling.")  Here is a sampling of some of the life that I have experienced, in no particular order:

I was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania.  I have also lived in Ohio, Colorado, and North Carolina. 

My father was a corporate attorney.  He lived with us for the last five years of his life until his death at age 89.  His presence was a huge blessing to my family, even though he never believed it.

My mother died of cancer.  My brother died of a heart attack at age 38, leaving a wife and three children.  

I have a Bachelor's degree in Speech Communication and a Master's degree in Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures.  (Aren't you impressed?)

My college concert band and jazz band performed some of my music.  It was thrilling.

Some of the jobs I've done: dance club disc jockey, radio personality, TV news anchor, broadcast engineer, amusement park ride operator, retail inventory auditor, door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman, door-to-door fund raiser, standardized test grader, community band conductor, web site designer, college professor.  I have also been a public address announcer for NCAA Division I volleyball, softball and women's basketball, as well as Division III football and aquatics for the World Special Olympic Games.

Currently I am a freelance voice actor and writer.  I am also a communication instructor for a community college. 

I am a self-taught webmaster who is neither an expert computer programmer nor a gifted graphic artist.  I learn what I need to get the job done, and use whatever tools are necessary.  I try to practice the philosophy that the medium is NOT the message -- the web site is a tool to convey information, not an end unto itself.  I have evaluated web sites for awards since April 2000, and was honored to serve for three years as Director of Operations for the Association for Positive Ethical eXchange (APEX).  

I am an electronics engineer.  I hold a General Class Radiotelephone License (with Ship Radar Endorsement) and a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.  Do you need to have radar repaired on your ship?  I'm your man.  Did I mention that I hate boats?

I tried to start a multi-level marketing business.  I failed.

For a time, I had to support my family with Food Stamps because I was sick and couldn't work.

I have been married to the same wonderful woman since 1978.  She works for a commercial real estate broker, and is the smartest, most beautiful woman I have ever met.  A song I wrote for my wife was performed at our wedding.  For our Silver (25th) Anniversary, I wrote another song for her, which I performed and presented to her on a CD.  She cried.

I have two children: my son is 28, and my daughter is 25.  My son (a gothic metal musician) lives at home; my daughter (an office manager for a limousine company) suffers from Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare immune system/nerve disorder which abruptly put her in a wheelchair for six months.  After months of therapy, she can walk again.  Her recovery is still in progress.

I am still dealing with the fact that I am now a grandfather.

My parents-in-law were wonderful people.  My father-in-law suffered a massive stroke, and was in a wheelchair for 17 years before he died.  I never heard him complain.

I am an evangelical Christian, raised as a Methodist.  My beliefs influence the content on this site.  I offer no apologies.  However, I respect your beliefs, whatever they may be.

My favorite television show is Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?  I also enjoy The West Wing and WKRP in Cincinnati, and I am a diehard fan of the Star Trek television shows, in particular The Next Generation.

I enjoy watching many sports (except baseball, which lost me forever during the last players' strike).  In particular I enjoy NASCAR racing.  (For those who don't know, the letters stand for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.)  My favorite driver is Morgan Shepherd, who drives the #89 car in the NASCAR Nationwide series.

My ten favorite movies, in alphabetical order: The Adventures of Don Juan, The Court Jester, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Rocky, Rudy, Singin' in the Rain, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi, The Wizard of Oz.

My ten favorite books, in alphabetical order: Ball Four (Jim Bouton), The Camera Never Blinks (Dan Rather), Have A Nice Day! (Michael "Mick" Foley), The Holy Bible, How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie), The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy), Left Behind (Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins), A Study in Scarlet (Arthur Conan Doyle), Superjock! (Larry Lujack), Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! (Robert Schuller).

I am a cancer survivor.

I am horribly allergic to any animal with fur, especially cats.  Naturally, my daughter has two cats and a dog.

I have had a hurricane pass directly over my house.  (Miraculously, I only lost one tree in my yard and the gutters from my house.)

I have arthritic hands bad enough that I can no longer painlessly write more than a few words with a pen.  (Fortunately, typing doesn't hurt.  I'm not sure why, but I'm not complaining.)

I am diabetic.  I also have chronic lymphedema in my legs, possibly related to one of my cancer surgeries.  Lucky me -- I get to wear pantyhose.  (Actually, they're compression stockings.)  I also spend a few hours every week hooked up to a machine which forcibly squeezes fluid out of my legs.  It feels like a large snake swallowing your legs.  I don't like it.

I have sleep apnea, and have to sleep every night hooked up to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine so I don't stop breathing.  My wife now can't get to sleep unless the machine is turned on.

I believe that my most interesting days are still ahead.

I believe that I am the luckiest man in the world.

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