In the words of E. B. White "Learning is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting."

I am a relocated Yankee. You might say I was an evacuee from the snow and traffic of Pittsburgh, PA. I was born, raised, and received my college and graduate education there. My original college major was mathematics, but when I realized that the answers to the problems were in the back of the book, I decided to switch to a major where the answers were not so readily available. I received my B. A. degree in Philosophy from Carlow College. I earned my first teaching licensure [K-8] there also. Later I earned a second licensure in Special Education for the Emotionally Disturbed at the University of California in Pennsylvania. I earned my Masters and my Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. I originally moved to Memphis to write my doctoral dissertation which was a study of "Program Policy, Identification and Change in a Treatment Oriented Correctional Institution" at Memphis Correctional Center.

I have always been interested in studying social movements, problems, and policies. I have done a lot of consulting with companies and organizations related to identifying and defining problems in their operations. I have been actively involved in peace and justice issues in the community. I am an associate member of the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy.

I teach Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of Addiction, Sociology of Religion, and Educational Psychology in the undergraduate program, Child Development and Learning in the Graduate Education Program, and Social Aspects of Engineering Management in the Masters in Engineering Management Program.

I have two children, Cristy who is 17 and Ian who is 13. They have taught me more than I have ever learned or taught in school. We have a foster child, Calvin, who is 4. We enjoy lots of good times together, especially when we discuss current social issues. Their life philosophies enrich me.