I grew up on the Connecticut shoreline, and was always fascintated with the weather. I decided to study meteorology at the University of Wisconsin where I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1967 and a Master's degree in 1968.
In 1969 I enjoyed a rare opportunity to serve as a U. S. exchange scientist at New Zealand's Vanda Station, Antarctica, where I spent the winter with four New Zealanders. We spent the year taking weather observations and obtaining geophysical measurements as the first winter-over party in the Dry Valleys of Victoria Land. We all enjoyed cooking, cleaning, keeping the station operating, and telling the same jokes over and over.
From 1970 to 1974, I worked at the U. S. Army Natick Labs in Natick, Massachusetts, where I analyzed data from a 32-meter tower from Plateau Station, Antarctica. For part of this period, the project was housed in Innsbruck, Austria.
After retuning to the University of Wisconsin and obtaining a Ph. D in 1977, I came to North Carolina State University where I have enjoyed teaching and research. One very memorable research experience involved studying winter storms on the R/V Cape Hatteras during the GALE experiment in 1986.