I grew up in Wawa, PA and attended Kenyon College In Gambier, Ohio. I learned to climb trees on a line clearing crew with Davey Tree Surgery in the Bay Area. I managed Davey private tree care offices in San Jose, San Francisco and Hilo, HI. Mid career I received a fellowship from Longwood Gardens to study public horticulture at the University of Delaware. Upon receiving my MS, I went back to Davey, first to manage the Mid Atlantic Environmental Services office and then to open a tree care office in the Brandywine Valley. I retired after 33 years service with Davey and returned to UD to study for a Ph.D.. My research topic was the psychological effect trees have on human stress in inner city Wilmington, DE. I graduated 12/19/14. Since that time I have worked to deepen the understanding of how trees and canopy effect humans by writing and speaking.