I was born in a shanty of a house, on a cot, in front of an oil heat stove that supplied the small house with its only heat source. We owned around 150 acres, outside the little town of Gainsville, New York. My father was in residential construction, so we moved around a lot. I spent my pre-teen years in Auburn, New York, and my teen years in Chittenango, New York. I got married young at the age of 18 in 1969. I am still married to the same beautiful lady, and we have two great sons and six gorgeous granddaughters. Before I finished school, I started a public tax accounting service, which I sold off in 1998. I still practice accounting today, after 35 years, in a semi-retired capacity.