Family: My wife Connie and I have three girls, Heather, Carolyn, and Julie. Heather is a second grade teacher at Sul Ross Elementary school in Waco, Texas. Carolyn is an assistant elementary school principal in Fort Worth, Texas. Julie is a nurse in the new baby nursery at St. David’s Hospital in Austin, Texas. We have seven grandchildren (Kayla, Caleb, Hannah, Nissa, Brynn, Parker, and Madison.

Education: Graduated from Newton Sr. High School in Newton, Iowa (1967) where I debated competitively for four years under the direction of Frank Kruse. Graduated from the University of Iowa in 1971 with a joint major in speech communication and political science. Debated competitively for four years at the University of Iowa under the direction of Bob Kemp. Received Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Iowa in 1976.

Publications: Most recent book is Competitive Debate: The Official Guide (2008). Author of the topic introduction issue of the Forensic Quarterly annually since 1972.

Awards: Was inducted into the National Federation of High Schools “Hall of Fame” in 2006 in recognition of contributions to high school speech and debate activities.