Mike joined the RPC staff in the Fall 1997.

He is from a small country town in Southwest Wa. He lived by the woods and grew up fishing, target shooting, exploring the forests, working summers as a strawberry picker, and had bicycle paper routes. After turning sixteen he planted trees on weekends for Weyerhauser, worked three summers as a forest fire fighter living in a forestry camp, and his HS senior year worked after school as a gas station attendant.

After HS he joined the Navy. When Honorably Discharged after 4 years of service, he was an Interior Communications Electrician, Petty Officer 3rd Class. His ship was the USS Sperry a submarine tender in San Diego, CA.

Mike has a Bachelor of Music, Major In Pipe Organ Performance, from the U. of Puget Sound School of Music 1979. After graduating he toured England and Ireland for a month as organist and tenor for a concert choir. Followed by 3 years in Paris, France working as a ballet accompanist and assistant organist.

He also has a Bachelor’s Degree equivalent “Diplôme” in Language and Culture and Business French 1982. From the “École Internationale de Langue et de Civilisation Françaises” at the “Alliance Française de Paris.”

In addition he earned a Bachelor of Arts Foreign Languages: French (With Honors) from Portland State U. 1986. Mike had a quite large family when growing up. His musical life started in the third grade when his parents asked if he wanted to take piano lessons. Mike will always be grateful to his parents for that. Mike is single with no children.