About

I was born in June of 1941 in Trenton, New Jersey. Lived most of my early years in Lambertville, New Jersey, and graduated Lambertville High School in 1959. From there on it has been pretty much all down hill….

After high school I attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston and became a musician of sorts, playing guitar with various groups in the NJ/NY/PA area, as well as a brief stint touring with the Glenn Miller orchestra. In 1964 the military draft came along and I spent two years in the US Army, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina…the first six months in a howitzer battalion, the last eighteen in the 440th Army band playing guitar and bass.

My prior life (Gibson Guitar Newsletter)

After my discharge I returned to New Jersey and resumed my music livelihood. It was during this time that I met my wife Fay. It was love at first sight and six months later we were married.  We soon welcomed two daughters into the world, Molly and Missy.

Besides my interest in music I was a coin collector of sorts which led to my fascination with metal detectors. I haven’t been right in the head since. I detected every chance I got and eventually started writing articles for the various treasure hunting magazines. As I continued to write I became more involved in the pastime and eventually started the Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs, Inc. (more in clubs link above)

The FMDAC was an organization I was very proud of. We made a difference for treasure hunters all across the country by helping them start clubs, form search and recovery teams, getting local restrictions lifted and speaking on their behalf at congressional committee hearings in Washington, D.C.. It wasn’t too long before the manufacturers started helping with financial contributions and merchandise.

In 1987 I accepted an offer from Garrett Electronics to become their director of marketing and moved my family from New Jersey to Texas.  A major life altering decision but one I thought held promise.  I was wrong. Two years later I was downsized, relieved of my duties, let go, fired, whatever you care to call it.  Having purchased a home in Texas and having sold our home in New Jersey it was a tough pill to swallow.

I eventually found work in the North Texas area and my family (we Yankees) somehow settled here in the Lone Star state. Today I yearn for all the old haunts back east where it seemed I could always find old coins but with my home, my children and grandchildren here I must work hard to find that new lead, that new tip, that tempting old home site on the road to wherever I may be going.

Way back when, I never realized that my life would be so dictated by a pastime.  Never thought that it would take me the places it has.  Never thought it would have such an impact on my life and family, but it did and all things considered it hasn’t been that bad a road.  Just a bumpy one with a pothole here and there.

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The Joys of Living in Texas

The day after Christmas 2015, at 7 pm, Fay and I lost our house to an F4 tornado. We are extremely lucky to be alive and very grateful to all the many treasure hunters who helped us start our lives over. Thank you all so very much…

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