Somehow, growing older makes one appreciate more the old adage of "patience is a virtue". I have had eight (8) Corvettes over a span of almost 45 years.

This story really begins some 63 years ago. Family members have told me, repeatedly, that even at age 2, I was a "car nut". What I clearly remember are the experiences of my teen years. In 1956 my dad purchased a new 1957 Austin-Healey 100-6 2+2 roadster. After years of practice shifting the 4-speed in a "parked" Healey and a few trial-driving experiences on private roads, I had my 16th birthday and, finally, got my license. I bought the first car that I could afford: a '51 Nash convertible. It was better transportation than a bicycle, and the first thing I did was to take it to the drag strip. I remember that the entire exhaust fell off when I shifted into second gear. A new lesson learned: if you drive it, learn to fix it!

Time passed. I traded the Nash for a '48 Chrysler town car. It was mine but I loved borrowing my aunt's T-Bird, or driving mom's new Plymouth station wagon. That car had a big 4-bbl, 318 c.i. motor and a column shifter. I lost 2nd, 3rd and reverse gears one night on a flat out power shift and remember telling dad (under duress) that I simply shifted gears and heard everything crunch - all true except the 'simply'. As time passed, I inherited my grandfather's '53 Buick Roadmaster and I was off to college. When the Buick's suspension needed replacement, the cost was more than I could afford, and I became a pedestrian. I, foolishly, purchased a Harley Davidson without my parent's knowledge. Then, a traffic accident, in which I was injured, became a cue to my parents to help provide me with safer transportation.

In 1961, mom gave me her Corvair Monza. I installed a camber compensator, a Hurst shifter, gas shocks, and a set of headers. Ultimately, I put a Paxton blower and four carbs on the car and in the summers went drag racing at the local 1/8-mile strip. I could jump three car lengths on the Chevy V8's with the Monza's rear engine launching capabilities and usually led to the 1/8 finish. The Corvair served me well through my third year in college.

In September of 1963, the beginning of my senior year in college, I celebrated my 21st birthday. My grandfather, aware of my passion for cars, (he had taken me to the 1953 Motorama in NY, where I was awestruck by the '53 Corvette - and he promised me one when I graduated from college) offered to buy me the car of my dreams. Without a reminder, he actually asked me what I wanted. Testing him, I jokingly suggested a Ferrari. He said, "No!". I had actually considered a '64 E-Jag (still one of the most gorgeous cars ever made) but I knew that the repairs would be expensive. In addition, after the Austin Healey experience, I knew that the English knew a great deal about fine leather and nothing about electrical systems. We used to joke that the English loved warm beer…. because they had Lucas refrigerators.

I chose a new Corvette. After looking over the spec. sheet, I felt guilty about spending too much of my grandfather's money and felt that the $538 price difference between the 360 hp fuelie and the 340 hp carbureted car was an extravagance (this was September and orders were placed using the '63 specs). I ordered a Sebring silver roadster with hardtop, a blue interior, a 340 hp motor, 4.11 posi-rear, off-road service exhaust, sintered metallic brakes, and close-ratio gearbox. Three weeks later, the dealer called and told me that the 340 was no longer available and that the carbureted engine had been re-rated at 365 hp (the infamous 30-30 Duntov cam). I was elated! When the car arrived, no one at the dealership had yet heard the off-road service exhaust (I think the mufflers were fake). I remember starting the car and hearing an exhaust bark that was pure MUSIC! After the customary 500-mile break-in at 3500 RPM or less, I took a fraternity brother for a real ride. We could not believe how easily that engine revved, especially from 4000 to 6500. Awesome! Once the heads were worked, my '64 pulled strongly to 6800 rpm and, with ice on the manifold and slicks on the ground, turned 12.80 quarters at 110 mph (I remember that 365 every time I revved my ZR-1 or Z06). I drove that car for 5 years, and was seldom beaten in a drag race, the envy of those who really knew how well it ran (including an engineering student friend named Lingenfelter).

Years passed and having driven a '69 big block for nearly 14 years and a mild-mannered '88 for another 6 years, I found the ZR-1. Finally, I had a car with civility, refinement, mid-range drivability and a screaming top-end. Until a performance enthusiast drove a ZR-1, he or she could not imagine just how well this car had been engineered. It had it all! In comparison to the LT-1: the ZR-1 came on when the LT-1 was shutting down. Published tests had not done this car justice! It screamed! It was nearly perfect! The car has much more top end and more torque than the old 327/365, (although torque was not up to the big block). It had wonderful road manners, was reasonably quiet (with the stock exhaust) at cruising speeds, a Bose CD sound system, got 24+ mpg on a trip, and then, with the speed of a gear change, did a "Jekyll and Hyde".

At Carlisle 1995, I installed a special chip and foam filter with open cover. My midrange performance was now much improved and the relocation of the MAT sensor made a remarkable difference in hot weather. I also heard the Power Effects exhaust and couldn't resist. I took delivery and installed it in September of 1995. Installation took 45 minutes and the sound was awesome - it sounded like it felt. A trip to the drags resulted in a 12.86 at 111 mph on street tires. Using drag radials, adding a 4:09 rear, and with added experience at controlling the power on launch, I have turned 11.98 at 120 mph in the quarter. At the Car Guys, Corvette Experience at Summit Point Raceway, the car was spectacular. With the addition of R1 tires, I was able to achieve 1.26 laps.

In the '90's the ZR-1 was truly a world-class car. It was a wonderful daily driver and was one of the most powerful cars ever built. I now have 77,000 miles on the odo and, even now, I look in awe at the car. It was retired and replaced by a '99 C5 and a '05 C6. After losing my best friend of 39 years, from whom I purchased all my cars, I realized that I was not waiting any longer and bought an '08 Z06. I traded the C6, and took the plates and papers to the NCM to have a Museum Delivery… a wonderful experience.

I've enjoyed every minute of my eight (8) Corvettes over the last 45 years. Until now, the ZR-1 had been the epitome of what a Corvette should be. It probably still is, since they are having a revival in 2009 with the supercharged 620 hp car. It was and is powerful, beautiful and very sexy. For 14 years, it has been an extension of my being. As Jim Schefter described in All Corvettes are Red , "it was a car to wear, not drive". I wore it for years, but do not expect to wear it out. Now I wear and drive the Z06. I am 65 but a kid at heart! What's next, a new ZR-1?

I received both a B.S. degree in Chemistry/Physics and M.S. degree in Microbiology at The Pennsylvania State University before going to the National Institutes of Health to become part of the biomedical research team investigating bacterial cell structure. While working toward my Ph.D. degree, I became interested in electron microscopy and dedicated all of my efforts to that discipline and its specialized photographic applications. My expertise in biomedical photography led to an interest in other aspects of the medium, especially fine-art photography.

I believe that creativity is the basis of both fine art and fine photography, and it is essential that I be not only an expert craftsman, but imaginative and caring. I have specialized in travel, portraiture, and event photography for the past thirty-five years. In 1992, I retired from Federal service to devote my life to the photography that I love.

In 1996, I spent nearly a month photographing landscapes and wildlife in Alaska.

In 2000, Kodak sponsored me in presenting my approach to photography in the new digital age to a body of professional photographers at the National Geographic Society in May of that year. To date, I have photographed over 1000 Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Wedding events, and currently, all my work is captured digitally.

My studio is located in Silver Spring, MD, although I now travel throughout the world with my cameras. My photographic diversity (from scientific to portraiture to purely artistic work) has resulted in a great assortment of my images and articles being published world wide in books and magazines and magazine covers.

I have owned and driven Corvettes (on a daily basis) since November of 1963. My grandfather took me to the 1953 Motorama in NYC where I saw my first Corvette. He promised to buy me one when I graduated from college, and 10 years later, he kept his promise. My first Corvette was a 1964 silver/blue 365hp roadster and my newest is the 2008 silver/gray 505hp Z06. The 1994 ZR1 that I am driving in Motorama II was one of the most prized purchases of my life…a brilliant design and a world-class automobile.