 He joined the American Navy in 1952 and later graduated with an English degree from the University of Washington.He worked as a journalist for various newspapers, including "Seaside Signal", "Longview Daily News", "Seattle Times", and the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", before starting his own magazine, "Northwest Edition", in 1980.In 1987 he became a full-time freelance writer, penning corporate histories for Alaska Airlines, Crescent Foods, Darigold, and Tillamook Cheese.