I am a semi-retired scientist whose career focused on the study of human molecular genetics and gene therapy. As such, I have been involved with and co-authored scientific papers which detailed the identification of human genes for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer’s disease, rickets, and diabetes. I have identified and characterized the mutation found in a spontaneous canine model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and have published papers on therapeutic strategies aimed at treating this disease in the affected dogs. I have also studied development of therapies for diabetes in animal models of that disease. Thus, using animal models to develop strategies for therapy of inherited and spontaneous diseases caused me to develop a broad understanding of the molecular anatomy, molecular biology, microbiology, and biological chemistry of the animals I worked with. I have a BS degree in Zoology from North Carolina State in Raleigh, NC, with extra course study equivalent to a minor in Architectural Design. For my graduate education, I have earned MS and PhD degrees in Molecular Cytology and Molecular Tumor Virology, respectively, from the University of Texas in Houston. With this education, I could claim that I have the ability to make designer genes, and I have!
I have been a Faculty member of the Neurology Depts at Duke University and the University of Miami as well as the Dept of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri. Lastly, I was a Scientific Review Officer at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD for almost 10 years where I was responsible for the review of over 3700 grant applications in biomedical research ranging from cancer, muscular dystrophy, skin diseases, autoimmunity, and skeletal diseases. I have most recently taught Comparative Anatomy, Chemistry and Microbiology at the Chamberlain College of Nursing here in Houston.
I have been married for more than 46 years to my high school sweetheart and girl friend that I met in Physics Class, Marjorie Scott. We returned here to Houston at the end of 2005 because her father passed away suddenly, and we are now living next door to and are taking care of her mother. I have two very talented grown sons. The eldest, Scott, is a hardware engineer/project manager for Google, married and has a beautiful 7 year old daughter named Charlotte. The youngest, William, is an artist who works in metal, fire and wood. Together William and I have developed and have patented the use of wireless video installed in model railroad engines to obtain an Engineer’s view of the model railroad.
I am a survivor of three different cancers. These experiences have led me to enjoy travel, home re-modeling (an endless process!), N Gauge Model Railroad building and inventing (in my office at home), fishing, restoration of early Camaro muscle cars, and playing the electric guitar.