Everything Else (for Michael G. Lander)
Brief Biography:
I was born in Bangor, Maine and I am from a family who, over generations dating back to the American Revolution, have served our country. I am the oldest of three children and the son of a retired Chief Master Sergeant who served on many remote tours to include Vietnam. While growing up, we moved every couple of years and lived in places like Incirlik AB in Turkey, West Lebanon, N.H., McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas, England AFB in Alexandria, Louisiana, Homestead AFB in Homestead, Florida, Andersen AFB on Guam, Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, and Bolling AFB in Washington, D.C. While living in Washington, D.C., I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and I enlisted in the United States Air Force too. I served four years of active duty at Blytheville AFB in Arkansas from 1982 to 1986. After that, I joined the Tennessee Air National Guard in Memphis where I was a traditional Guardsmen for one year and 9 months and I then served 22 years of active duty until my retirement on 30 September 2010. I graduated from Bellevue West High School in Bellevue in Nebraska and I have completed nearly four years of college. I am currently a senior at the University of Memphis and, after this semester, I will only have two (2) classes remaining before I receive my bachelors degree in journalism. I am a member of the Pinnacle National Honor Society. In addition to the University of Memphis, I have received college credits from the Community College of the Air Force, Mississippi County Community College, (now Arkansas Northeastern College), and Tallahassee Community College in Florida. |
I have a large, extended family and I maintain a strong connection with my family’s New England roots. I am a life-long, die-hard Boston Red Sox fan and, in football, I only care about one team, and that is the New England Patriots.
I have many interests and hobbies, but I am most passionate about writing, photography and cycling. I created the website, http://memphiscyclist.com/index.html, and I have two blogs: Memphis Cyclist and My Memphis Matters. Some of my photographs have been used in various publications and websites that include the Cooper-Young's Lamplighter and PBS.
Even though I am not really drawn to the political arena myself, from March - May 2013, my wife and I helped her brother, Steve Dodd, with his political campaign. He ran for an Alderman-At-Large position in Southaven, Mississippi and here is a link that chronicles the events, from our perspective, and describes our participation and involvement in his campaign: https://storify.com/mglander/southaven-alderman-at-large-campaign-efforts.
I have many interests and hobbies, but I am most passionate about writing, photography and cycling. I created the website, http://memphiscyclist.com/index.html, and I have two blogs: Memphis Cyclist and My Memphis Matters. Some of my photographs have been used in various publications and websites that include the Cooper-Young's Lamplighter and PBS.
Even though I am not really drawn to the political arena myself, from March - May 2013, my wife and I helped her brother, Steve Dodd, with his political campaign. He ran for an Alderman-At-Large position in Southaven, Mississippi and here is a link that chronicles the events, from our perspective, and describes our participation and involvement in his campaign: https://storify.com/mglander/southaven-alderman-at-large-campaign-efforts.