At my 60th birthday party I spoke about the key influences in my life so far. I covered them in chronological order, but promised to offer them in priority order. Here is the prioritized list, showing the most important first. Item 2 is not #1 only because without #1, item 2 would never have happened.

Each of these people or events had an effect on my life that makes my life, values and attitudes what it is today. I am profoundly grateful to all of them.

    and the Alpha progression
  1. An e-mail March 11 1998 from Laurie-Ann that led to our marriage
  2. Luis Palau: Jesus recognized as my friend, and not boring.
  3. Annmarie: move to Sheringham, and later, Canada
  4. Lonnie Donegan, Beatles, music, all types
  5. My Father, who selected the Navy, and my mother, who loves me despite my strange ways
  6. The A/C D/C train problem: meccano, physics, maths, engineering
  7. Derek Lawless, Kevin Ogilvie, Mike Braganza who got me interested in the Internet
  8. Carrie Gagne, who sold Annmarie a bottle of Nu Skin cleansing lotion
  9. Penny - her faith brought me back from total denial of God
  10. An unnamed headhunter, about 1986 who suggested the insurance industry
  11. Rick Wilson & Bob Tibbo, Data General Ottawa, who showed me a new attitude to business
  12. Steve Gobel and Investors
Birthday page