Born in Louisiana, raised in Northern California (Hayward, CA and Fortuna, CA). Graduated from Fortuna Union High School. Served in the United States Army Special Forces including in Vietnam as part of the SOG program leading reconnaissance patrols into Laos first from Khe Sanh and then other bases. Awarded BA Degree in Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. Phd degree in Genetics, Purdue University. Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Author and Co-author of 200 scientific publications on molecular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics. Lives in the Blue Ridge country of Virginia with wife Kathleen.