I was born a long time ago in a place far, far away—beautiful Hawaii. My loving parents moved the family to the mainland when I was very young. I grew up in rural southeast Texas, a small town in Hardin County called Sour Lake. I moved to Houston after graduation from Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas) with a BBA degree and began my career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co.
I received a great education at that firm and left after 13 years (the last four as a partner) to become CEO of a NYSE client company. That also was a great education, and I went on to become an entrepreneur and investor in multiple industries, including the recorded music business from 2005-09, when it was converting to digital format, and healthcare.
However, I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. For the past 20 years, I’ve been steadily driven and inspired by a very strong inner, spiritual force to craft this story—The Outskirts of Redemption—and have it published.
Recent photo of Kelley and her dad.
My wife, Virginia, and I met as co-workers at Arthur Andersen in Houston. We’ve been married almost 40 years and have been blessed through it all. We have two young-adult children, Kelley and John, who live in Houston and are both math teachers.
When my daughter was 12, a friend and classmate of hers took his life. The young boy’s sudden demise came as a great shock to everyone who knew him. To help my confused daughter cope with her grief and make sense out of a senseless act, to get her to stop blaming herself for not being a better friend, I had to crawl inside her skin. I went to parent meetings at her school and listened closely to the counselors they brought in, and I tried desperately to understand my daughter’s innermost emotions, to feel her adolescent pain. That process led to this fictional story—The Outskirts of Redemption.
In summary, I am a proud husband and father, proud Texan, an entrepreneur, and author of The Outskirts of Redemption, where I’m seeking not just to tell a rattling good story but also to bring awareness to a crisis in our society: the alarming growth in adolescent and young-adult suicides.
In this novel, I’ve portrayed situations that can lead young people to feelings of hopelessness and suicidal acts, contrasted against the support and inner strength that can be provided by engaged and loving parents and good friends. If reading this story motivates a family member or friend to reach out to a young person they’re concerned for, or if it inspires an at-risk youngster to seek a caring ear or to call the 988 Lifeline (or 800-273-8255), my goal in writing this book will have been fulfilled.