Friday Knight Alumni Spotlight
Tell us about yourself. Where you live now, career, and/or family news. What have you been up to since you left Geneseo?
I am a long-time Social Studies and newly-minted Special Education Teacher (grades 7-12) in New York State, who resides in the beautiful Hudson Valley. I am also a published author and public figure, who has been featured on the SyFy Network (2012), the Travel Channel (2019), and on Coast to Coast AM (2015) as ‘The Ghost Boy of Geneseo.’ I travel most weekends to speak at colleges, conventions, and ghost hunts, sharing the details of the 1985 C2D1 Haunting that took place inside Erie Hall, with a focus on surviving trauma. Married to my lovely wife Rita for thirty-one years, I have two grown children, Susan and Matthew, and an adorable 15-month-old granddaughter named Syvlie.
What is the best thing about your current job?
I am blessed to be able to help my students, many of whom are residential, improve their problem solving, communication and academic skill sets.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Geneseo, NY. There is no place as picturesque, as welcoming, or so full of personal memories for me.
If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
Caution: No ‘off’ switch!
Do you collect anything?
I collect Presidential election magazine issues (Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, etc.); vintage baseball books, magazines and cards; and signed books that I receive at conventions and speaking engagements from other authors.
What is your favorite family tradition?
Role Playing (D & D) on weekends with family members for over 40 years.
What fashion or trend do you hope makes a comeback?
The big hairstyles of the 1980's.
What is your favorite fast food chain?
Five Guys. I love their hamburgers, that you can have all the peanuts that you'd like, that they overload the bag with their fries, that they play classic music, and that they offer a lettuce wrap in place of a bun for your burger if you are on a low carbohydrate diet!
What is your favorite movie and why?
Excalibur, 1985, directed by John Boorman. I love the unique and creative approach to tackling the Arthurian mythos and Holy Grail legends. The soundtrack is epic, and the Charm of Making is enchanting.
What is your favorite Geneseo memory?
Racing swiftly across the autumn-leaved campus as a member of the Geneseo Varsity Cross Country team (1983, 1984, 1985) and listening to the pop music that emanated from the old-fashioned “boom boxes” and washed across the courtyards.