My paddling career began over 35 years ago when as a business man in NJ, one of my clients, a boat dealer, had no money to pay his bill, but offered my partner and me some boats as settlement. As I had never been in or near a boat before, it was an unwelcome and inauspicious arrangement. Little did I know that the 13 foot fiberglass craft would materially alter the rest of my life.

For several years I exposed my young sons and their friends to numerous opportunities for unanticipated swimming and potential drowning, until I discovered the Mohawk Canoe Club. Suddenly life took on a new dimension. My first river trip with this club revealed to me both my ignorance in paddling skills and the immense joy to be had in experiencing the wonders of our streams and rivers with a congenial group of skilled and safety-conscious boaters.

Since 1975 I have paddled over 35,000 river miles, mostly with Mohawk CC, although I also belong to 8 other canoe clubs, including Ahwaga. I have paddled over 340 rivers and streams in the eastern US, and have led at least 1000 canoe trips. Over 30 years ago I became an instructor in canoeing with the American Red Cross and shortly thereafter I was certified to teach whitewater canoeing by the American Canoe Association. For many years I taught canoeing to beginners and intermediate paddlers, as well as to all of the National Park Service Rangers on the Upper Delaware. After joining the ACA, I served on the board of the Atlantic Division, co-founded the Delaware Valley Division in the mid '90s, and have served as a member of the ACA National Board of Directors for 14 of the past 16 years, 3 of which were as National Vice-President. I currently chair the National Division Committee of the ACA. I have traveled all over the US to ACA meetings, and have been fortunate to have been among the many legends of paddlers and paddlesports.

In 1977 I founded the National Canoe Safety Patrol, a volunteer organization of skilled paddlers dedicated to actively providing a safety and rescue program to less skilled paddlers. This effort has continued successfully over the years, with many people completing the training we offer, and greatly improving the safety record of paddlers. In 1980 I received the US Coast Guard Safe Boating Award for my efforts, and over the years have received many other awards from the National Park Service and various other paddling groups.

I have served as Commodore of Mohawk Canoe Club for a total of 6 years, and have held many other positions with them as well as with other canoe groups. For 8 years I was Safety Director for the Delaware River Sojourn, and I've provided safety help for about 20 other sojourns I've attended.

My preference is for the responsive solo whitewater canoe that literally dances amidst the splash and foam and turbulence of fast-moving rock-studded streams. But I also paddle the tandem canoe, the solo cruising canoe, and the touring kayak.