In his previous life, Joe was a teacher, a principal, a school system superintendent, a university vice president, and an associate professor.  He has been happily married for over 40 years, and he and his wife, Judy, are the proud parents of 5 adult children, with only one thoroughly spoiled university-age granddaughter.

Since relocating to Alabama, Joe has continued his commitment to daily exercise which includes daily aerobic walking.  He estimates that over the last 10 years he has walked the equivalent distance in miles across the United States from Washington DC to Los Angeles CA not once but twice!  

As a prostate cancer survivor, in his local church he is an associate director of Oakwood University Church's Prostate Cancer Ministries, and because of his activism and involvement he has been directly involved in helping to convince the Alabama State Legislature to pass a bill into law (SB 130) which will eliminate and prohibit out of pocket expenses and cost sharing for prostate cancer screening for Alabama men.  This law, currently working its way through the state legislature, once it is signed by the governor it will help reduce the nearly 600 men's yearly prostate cancer deaths in Alabama.

Joe loves camping and hiking, and it is his goal to visit and hike the nearly 50 hiking and biking trails in and around Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama.  He is a passionate "tree hugger", i.e., a "dendrophile," with, as one of the oldest trees in the world at 1,000s of years in age, the giant California Redwood Tree being his favorite tree.  Joe is very knowledgeable about the Redwood Tree and he has created and loves to present parents, children, and youth talks in schools and churches on the 3 character building lessons he has discovered while camping in Redwood National Park that are symbolized and taught by the Giant CA Redwood Tree's 10 foot deep roots, it's 2 feet thick bark, and its soaring 400 foot high canopy. Joe's hobby is (self-built) raised bed gardening, and this year, for the first time, he's raising all his veggies and flowers inexpensively from winter-sown seed in plastic milk jugs and Ziplock bags.