Originally I was a student with a handicap of being unable to hear and understand spoken words, and it was through encouragement of my grandmother who taught me how to draw pictures and spell words, inspiration from the church where she took me to attend worship services, that I overcame these obstacles. I learned to read about the history of buildings, like churches, and study how they were designed, why the spaces within them served special purposes for their occupants, and, the use of...
Originally I was a student with a handicap of being unable to hear and understand spoken words, and it was through encouragement of my grandmother who taught me how to draw pictures and spell words, inspiration from the church where she took me to attend worship services, that I overcame these obstacles. I learned to read about the history of buildings, like churches, and study how they were designed, why the spaces within them served special purposes for their occupants, and, the use of materials and methods to have them last. My dad and uncles encouraged me to learn math and the chemistry and makeup of materials. Despite my handicap, I learned to read lips, listen carefully, and I took every opportunity I could to get in front of people to use words, pronounce the words correctly, and inform my listeners in a useful way.
Subsequently, in high school, I attended military leadership classes, the technologies of the US Armed Forces of the US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard, to learn how to design and build their facilities for air, land, and sea missions. I learned also, to accomplish work on a daily basis, to complete projects in measurable progress every day, and fulfill the needs of those I was asked to serve. I worked at different types of jobs while attending college, and because of my good grades for my subjects, I received scholarships for all of my college expenses, and I graduated from college with national honors.
I took every opportunity I could to teach others, including persons from ordinary labor trades, to my professional associates, how to do their jobs well during my professions as an architect and construction manager, and as a result, I never wanted for a job. I was always in demand for the types of work I studied and trained to do. The meaning of "service" to others, paid off handsomely throughout my career, and because of my interests to always be flexible, I was able to travel throughout the United States to design and build all types of projects.
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