Mentor Biography

2013-2017

I grew up on a pig farm in a small town in New Hampshire in a house that was built in 1791. My parents, two older brothers, and a younger sister still live in Warner or the next town over. Upon graduating from Kearsarge Regional High School I took up hitchhiking across the United States to find bigger mountains, as mountaineering has been a passion since my Dad took me up the Presidential Range in New Hampshire's White Mountains. After getting married to Jenny Salathe in 1984 we moved to Eugene, Oregon. Our daughter McKenzie was born during this time so upon earning my degree in Education from the University of Oregon Jenny, McKenzie, and I moved to Kake, Alaska where we found our first teaching jobs. While in Kake our son Sam was born. After four years in Kake it was time to pursue new opportunities personally and professionally i.e. new teaching opportunities in Homer and East High School, and earning an M. Ed in Special Education from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Ultimately we ended up in Chugiak where I taught at Mirror Lake Middle School and we raised our family. Both of my children went through Chugiak Elementary School, Mirror Lake Middle school, and graduated from Chugiak High School. McKenzie graduated from Alaska Pacific University and is a Kindergarten teacher at Springhill Elementary School. Sam, a Civil Engineer in Fairbanks, married Christina Cummings, a teacher in Fairbanks. I am extremely proud of both. Other semi interesting tidbits are that I designed and built our house, our garage, and our cabin on Bell Lake near Mile #127 off the Parks Highway, I have climbed Denali multiple times, and I have a wonderful grandson who will have a new brother in December. Finally, I have an amazing circle of family and friends who I owe a great deal of gratitude and respect.