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The Almost Full Story

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The Early Days

My family and I moved to Menifee in September 1995. My wife Mary was working for Armed Forces Radio and Television Service at the time, and her entire organization was transferred from Sun Valley, CA to March AFB in Riverside. At the time I was working for a company in Orange County, and we all know what a drag the 91 Freeway has been. I left my position as CFO and began working for several temporary agencies specializing in accounting. I was able to learn much about many different industries and also about our wonderful extended valley. I was also able to work with several developers during this time, including Beazer Homes, which gave me insight into what was necessary to plan for the future growth of our parks infrastructure.​

​​Prior to 1995, we lived in Los Angeles very near the Rose Bowl. At that time I was working for several different companies, including Walt Disney Productions, where I was Controller of the Record and Music Division, and Director of Participation Accounting. I was also Vice President at Karsten Realty Advisors, a subsidiary of First Interstate Bank that managed real estate pension fund assets and the CFO of a start-up asbestos abatement company that grew from $600K to over $8 million per year during my three year tenure. Prior to that, Mary and I lived in The Netherlands, where I was a Staff Sargent in Finance, stationed at Camp New Amsterdam, a USAF fighter plane base. 

Teaching

Sometime near the turn of the century, I was talking to my good friend Richard Kettner, a great middle school band teacher, who was lamenting how whenever he took a day off, the middle school bands he was teaching would regress. You might remember Menifee schools were on a track system back then, and Rich worked all four tracks, but got like 38 days off to compensate for that. I knew I could at least conduct those bands competently, so I asked him what it would take to become a substitute in his classroom. He responded, "Just a pulse." I was in luck!I obtained my credential, and began subbing one or two days at a time for Rich, and we were both happy. 

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Around that time, another friend of mine, Greg Tortoretti, realized he was going to miss many days due to the fact he was the lead negotiator for the Menifee Teachers Association. He asked if I could cover his Algebra classes, and again, I thought why not?I soon realized I had found my true calling. I was a middle school teacher. I worked both in the Menifee and Murrieta districts, and was assigned somewhere almost every day for the next few years. I remember being at a PTA Convention in Long Beach, and was talking with another friend, Midge James, when I mentioned I really should get my clear credential and make a few more dollars. She responded, "Then just do it!" (I'm pretty sure that's where Nike got the slogan from!) So I did. I completed the coursework I needed and earned a full Math Credential, and began teaching full time shortly after that. My first position was in Hemet, at Rancho Viejo Middle School, and I retired several years later from Dartmouth Middle School. 

Community Involvement
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Throughout my careers I have remained vitally involved with the community.
Here is a list of some of the positions I have held:

  • PTA President at Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary

  • Treasurer of the Menifee Valley Little League

  • Little League Umpire for over four years

  • President and Treasurer of the Menifee Lakes Homeowners Association (1953 homes)

  • Treasurer and Board Member of the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard for over 15 years

  • Treasurer and Board Member of the Arts Council Menifee for over 10 years

  • Founder and member of a successful Toastmasters Club in Menifee for several years

  • ...and then there is the Mary Chris Mess house, hosting up to 19,000 people a year and collecting tons of food for the Community Cupboard. Yes Mary and I are the crazies that have put on that show since 1995.

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