What do I like most?

Trains! I've been a railfan since I could first remember. There's something about the concept of "fixed-guideway transportation" that connected with me and continues to haunt me. If it moves on rails (or moved, or may someday move—or even left the rails behind), it gives me thrills.

If the method of locomotion is steam (i.e. a steam engine) expect me to be totally engaged. I've ridden on and behind steam locomotives, walked around them, taken pictures of them, studied their mechanics and operation, and made myself a nuisance to my family and friends by explaining them, exploring them and chasing them.

What motivates me?

Being the link between communications and IT, helping them work together to reach their target audiences using online and digital communications. I indulged my passion for writing as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor and content manager. I spent time as a photographer, graphic artist and video producer. I took a dive into technology with HTML, Apache (way back when …), SharePoint, and now responsive user experience.

I understand now that I always wanted to be a storyteller, connecting all the myriad threads together and presenting them with purpose and confidence.

What inspires me?

History was never the dried bones of ancestors. I've been where it happened—walked among the memories and talked to the ghosts. It's a living, breathing dragon, in whose mouth is trapped the present, as the future is captured for realities we may not yet appreciate or recognize, or may wish we had more time to enjoy.

I admire the pioneers who changed life with their efforts—in travel, in vocation, in entertainment. In mettle and steel. In fortitude and courage. In faith. Some found themselves at exactly the right place, some at the right time—with skills that made a significant difference, that changed the flow of history.

As I think about my gallery of life, there are figures whose contributions affect me in ways intellectual or emotional. My pioneers include:

• Modeste Moussorgsky—Destitute, self-doubting, genius romantic composer who "painted" pictures on the piano
• W.H. Jackson—Ground-breaking photographer who envisioned Yellowstone Park one negative at a time
• William J. Palmer—Civil War hero philanthropist and railroad builder whose dream penetrated Colorado
• John Wesley—Anglican priest whose methodological views shape my faith journey and social consciousness
• Nicola Tesla—Without his restless inventive spirit, I wouldn't be typing on a computer in a room with electric lights
• The heroes of the Eighth Air Force—They won a war as they courageously flew an aircraft and created a legend
• My son, Troy—His will to survive brings us together in ways I could never imagine before his cancer

I could go on …