| Bio | Immediately after graduating from Van Horn, I went to Missouri Western State College (now University) in St. Joseph, MO. My roommate was Chuck Harvey (Van Horn, 1976) and we both participated in the music program there. I graduated with a BS in Education in 1980, earned a Master of Arts in History degree from UMKC in 1988 and have done extensive graduate work in Political Science at the University of Florida. I spent a year as an 8th grade U.S. History teacher in Dickinson, Texas, before moving back to K.C. to work on my MA. I then worked for five years from 1983-88 as a sports reporter with the KC Star & Times before moving to Ocala, FL, in 1988. I worked in a variety of editorial management positions for the next 18 years at the local newspaper, the Star-Banner. I began teaching as an Adjunct Instructor in History at the local community college (the College of Central Florida) in January 1994, and became a full-time professor in August 2006. I am presently an Assistant Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. I married the love of my life, Ginny Yandle Riley, in May 1999. I am on the boards of several volunteer organizations in Marion County including the Public Policy Institute of Marion County, the Friends of the Ocala Public Library, and the Ocala Civic Theatre. I have appeared in more than 30 plays and musicals at the OCT since 1993. |
