A view from the Northside looking towards town

My Background

I was born in the "early" 50's, grew up with my Italian heritage providing me a strong family background and graduated from high school in the late 60's.  I worked at a Texaco gas station in the 60's where my fondness for cars began. Hunting with my dad and grandfather kindled my love of the firearms, a love that I still have!  From there I went on to college at NMU, Northern Michigan University, where I meet a lot of people from a lot of varied backgrounds.  I majored in Industrial Education with a minor in Power and Transportation.  I graduated in the early 70's and began my teaching career at Bonduel, Wisconsin.   After a year there I moved back home was married to my present wife, Cheryl and landed a job at a newly built vocational complex at Florence High School in Florence, Wisconsin. My son Mark and daughter Angela were born a few years later and I became a real family man.  In the mid 80's I went back to school along with my wife. We moved "below da bridge" for a year with the kids and furthered our education at Ferris State University.  My wife received her R.N. degree and I obtained a Masters degree in Occupational Education. Our puppy, Precious, stayed with my parents in the U.P. I finished out my teaching career after nearly 30 years at Florence with having the privilege to know and teach many fine young men and women.  Retirement............Ah, it is definitely the life.  I now devote my time to my family, friends and hobbies.

I started collecting back in the early 1980's after being introduced into the hobby by my late best friend "Mike".  He got me hooked big time and we had many, many good times together collecting and shooting firearms from around the world.  I always had a love of firearms and their history from when I was a little kid.  The first gun I shot was with my dad behind the house, it was a Stevens 14 1/2 Little Scout.  From the first deer I shot with the old .35 Remington Model 8 to the clay birds I "try" to break with my Beretta, guns have become a part of me.

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YooperJ
Started in 1999 by [Yooper John's]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 04 Mar 2016 12:54:25 -0600 .