MY FAMILY

The 2010-11 academic year will be my 25th year at Radford and my 37th year of college-level teaching (professing? that sounds WAY too stuffy and pretentious - I prefer to think that I teach my students). I started in 1974 at Central Connecticut State College in New Britain, Connecticut. This position not only introduced me to faculty life, but it also provided the setting in which I met my wife of 36 years, Dee. A year later Dee and I moved to St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota. It gets cold there, but it also brought a ray of sunshine into our lives, our son Jaime. By 1977 we were ready to move to warmer climes, specifically to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Fayetteville is not only the home of the Razorbacks, it is the birthplace of our daughter, Tara. Several years later it was time to move again, this time west, to California State University - Fresno, located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. No births accompanied this move, thank goodness. Finally, in 1986 we returned to the east coast and Radford University. I was hired at RU as the first chair of the newly-created Department of Accounting and Finance. After several years as the chair, and three years as the Associate Dean, I returned to the classroom on a full-time basis. However, I was lured back into the Chair's position in 2008 and continue to occupy this position.

My wife, Dee, is a high school math teacher, currently teaching at Christiansburg High School in Christiansburg, Virginia. she recently completed her 29th year as a teacher, with the hope of many more to come. Our son, Jaime, is currently the marketing director of the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Our daughter, Tara, is an English teacher at Holmes High School in Covington, Kentucky.

 HOBBIES AND ACTIVITIES

I was an avid softball player for years before finally "retiring" several years ago when my knees let me know that THEY weren't playing any more, regardless of what I decided to do. Since I couldn't play without them and they would no longer play with me, it was time for a change.  Since then I have been more involved in less stressful and less demanding activities. Dee and I both enjoy exercising and weight training (although I avoid squats, leg extensions, etc), and we both read a great deal (about 2 books a week for her and about 1 1/2 a week for me). I have also started practicing photography and we enjoy traveling. Photography and travel combine into a wonderful hobby!

We went to Ireland to trace Dee's roots in 2004, and to Scotland to trace my roots in 2005. (My wife is Irish and French-Canadian, 2nd generation on both sides. My family is Scottish [4th generation] on one side and English and German on the other.) I hope to insert some photos from each of these trips in the near future.) In 2008 we returned to Scotland, this time visiting Dingwall, the ancestral home of Clan Davidson. In 2011 we will visit Dublin, Ireland.   I also enjoy spending time playing with our two dogs, Max (a big, goofy beagle), and T.J. (a hyperactive Jack Russell / Chihuahua mix).

RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS

The academic lifestyle has many advantages, but it also has some burdens. Obviously, time off is an advantage, as is the time spent with young people. One of the burdens is the expectation that one will do some research, preferably leading to the production of articles for presentation and/or publication. While I have never been at a "publish or perish" institution, I have been at three schools that expected professional (read research) contributions, and I have endeavored to do my part in satisfying these expectations. My most recent publications are listed through another link on this site. I hope that these give you a feel for me and also for the scope and the breadth of my research interests and the ever-changing world of the legal environment in which I live and teach.