Describe yourself in three words. Catholic, gregarious, introvert.
In what city did you grow up? Greenville, South Carolina.
What book has had the greatest impact on you? Immanuel Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason.”
What is the first movie you ever saw in a theater? “The Love Bug.”
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A brain surgeon or pediatrician.
What is your favorite part of your job? Telling the community about the University of Saint Francis’ mission, accomplishments and plans.
What do you love most about Fort Wayne? The commitment everyone has to our community’s success and the team spirit that animates our local politics.
What was your first job? I was a dish washer.
What is your greatest accomplishment? My marriage of 31 years to my wife Carol.
Do you have a motto you live by? If so, what is it? Mother Teresa said, “God did not call me to be successful, He called me to be faithful.” I try to live by that.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to cast as you? I would like Brad Pitt, but they would likely pick Steve Buscemi.
What would you choose as your last meal? A double cheeseburger, fries and a shake.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party (living, dead, famous, real or fictional)? Three people: Saint Francis of Assisi, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and bandleader Lawrence Welk.
If you had a time machine, where and to what time period would you travel? Italy in the Middle Ages.
What does your workout regimen consist of? I exercise patience every day.
If you could solve one major problem, what would it be? Do universals exist outside the mind or are there only particulars?
What’s your biggest fear? Spiders. I suffer from arachnophobia.
What is one important skill you think everyone should have? Doing basic arithmetic in your head.
What skill would you like to master? Playing the accordion.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you win a medal in? Trivial Pursuit.
What fad do you wish would come back or stay gone forever? If I never again see someone with big hair from the 1980s, I’ll be ok.
Who was your first celebrity crush? Farrah Fawcett, of course.
What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Brains and eggs – a southern delicacy I tried exactly one time.
If you had to teach someone one thing, what would you teach? To take life more seriously and oneself less seriously.
What gets you excited and driven to achieve? The hope that my actions improve the lives of people I don’t know in ways I will never know.
What do you collect? Books, books and more books.
What trait or habit in yourself do you deplore? I am easily distracted and spread myself too thin.
Do you have any guilty pleasures? What are they? Reality home improvement shows – I can’t get enough of them.
What is something that never fails to make you laugh? Human folly, especially my own.
Who is your hero? Saint Francis of Assisi.
What is your dream job? I am doing it right now.
What is your biggest pet peeve? Self-importance.
What three items would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island (other than food and water)? A Bible, an accordion and a copy of “The Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoyevsky.
What profession would you never try? I would never be a singer.
What’s one thing you can’t live without? Chocolate milk.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you win a medal in? Trivial Pursuit.
What age do you wish you could permanently be and why? None. Change, growth and decay are the human condition – I try to be happy with the journey.
What was the last gift you gave someone? I gifted books to my wife for her birthday.
What is the most productive time of day for you? Between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. while drinking coffee.
If you received enough money to never need to work again, what would you spend your time doing? I would read history, philosophy and theology books.
What moment in your life would you most like to go back and relive? None. The best is yet to come.
When were you happiest? Right now.
