I was born in Camden, New Jersey (a few years ago), former hometown of poet Walt Whitman, and graduated from nearby Collingswood High School. Among my fellow graduates was the late Eugene Orowitz (Michael Landon). I did my undergraduate work at Drexel Institute of Technology (now University), in Philadelphia, PA, and received my Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1965. After two years of postdoctoral research in Biochemistry , also at the U. of M., I accepted a position at Denison University in the fall of 1967 and have been here ever since. My current teaching responsibilities are mainly in the Organic area with occasional forays into General Chemistry. I have twice served as department chairman.

My family consists of my wife, Judy, a Mt. Holyoke graduate whom I met in graduate school in 1962 and married in 1963, and two daughters-Annemarie(32) and Anita(29). Judy teaches physics at nearby Newark High School. Annemarie graduated from Kalamazoo College (Michigan) in 1989 , was married August 11, 1990 to classmate Mark Fischer, who recently received his Ph.D. in biophysics from the U. of M., and got her MBA from Michigan. On April 29th 1997, she gave birth to our first grandson, Adam Christopher Fischer. They are now living in Cincinnati where Mark teaches physics at the College of Mt. St. Joseph. Anita graduated from Gustavus-Adolphus College (Minnesota) as a math major in 1992, was a star gymnast, earned a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in Environmental Engineering and now works for the Minnesota Department of Health. She was married to Keith Anderson on Sept. 3rd, 1995 in Duluth, MN. They now live on Fish Lake near Duluth. We used to have two cats but they both died last year. Now we have lots of deer in our backyard!

My research interests include mushroom chemistry and amino acid synthesis. Outside interests include mushroom collecting, sailing, and ballroom dancing. For exercise I enjoy walking and swimming.