It was 1980 when
I signed up for a weeklong summer camp at Southern
Illinois University.
It was a computer camp. Geek Teens. From Marion,
I drove 20 miles to Carbondale
every day by 8 a.m. and Kim, who also lived in Marion rode
with me. We used the mainframe to learn to program in
BASIC. (and play Star Trek)
I finished all my
assignments ahead of everyone else and was assigned a very
special challenge. Wendy's was new in our area and aside
from their square hamburgers, what was special about them
then was that you were encouraged to special order a burger
with any number of items. My programming task for camp was
to write a BASIC program, using for-next loops because that
was the only skill we had, to print out every possible
combination of a Wendy's hamburger. (i.e. cheese; cheese
& pickles; cheese & pickles & onions; etc)
Needless to say, it was a long print out.
Very soon after that I
enrolled in a night class through John
A. Logan College
on the Apple II computer at Pro Computer in Carbondale. It
was taught by Craig Martin. My good buddy "Oz" enrolled
also. Again, I drove each week as he was just 15 and 1/2.
Since we were the only people under 35 in the class we were
quickly labeled the wiz kids. Our own Marion
High School
received three Apple II computers very soon after and Tim
enrolled in the class (and became the instructor for all
practical purposes) while I took physics and choir.
Time passed, and in
1985 I joined a retail store located in University Mall
called Computer Corner. They were becoming the leading local
Apple Dealer. I was the Apple Certified Desktop Publishing
Specialist and the Network Specialist. My certification in
these areas kept us in the good graces of Apple Computer. I
initiated and coordinated a number of third party student
buy programs to go with our new Higher Education Purchase
Plan from Apple Computer. As the outside sales person, I
supervised the conversion to Macintosh of five local
newspapers and two small ad agencies. And I loved the
Kaypro
PC's that we
carried. With an AppleTalk network card installed, they made
awesome peripherals for a Macintosh because their hard disks
were big and cheap! (You can ask me for details on how I did
this!)
I sold six Macintosh II computers to the SIU
Daily Egyptian
and they later ended up employing me full-time to run the
show. Since 1989, the Daily
Egyptian and
School
of Journalism
have grown into a mixed network where I support over 160
microcomputers and file servers. I have lead us into
electronic imaging solutions and we have long had the
capability to do four color separations in-house from our
imagesetter. My recommendation to apply for the a
New
Media Center
grant was accepted by the college, I worked on the technical
specifications, and the original proposal has blossomed into
two
such "crown jewels" on the campus. My recommendation to
provide space to Apple Computer for sales and verification
of student ID provided a lab of computers and a revenue
stream for the College
of Mass Communication and Media Arts.
I created the
first
web version of
the Daily
Egyptian in
1995. We had the first live
web cam in
Southern Illinois. We had the first calendar
of events. My
idea for the Dawg
House housing guide
has been a boon to local property rental agents and students
coming to Carbondale. We now have over 16,000 articles
online, publish unedited-for-length stories daily when
school is in session, deliver over 40,000 banner ad
impressions per month,
The Daily Egyptian web
site was recognized as
one of ten national finalists
for the Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker award
in October of 2000. The award is based on design, ease of
navigation, graphics, writing & editing, and
interactivity. This is like the Pulitzer prize for college
newspapers. There is no higher honor and the competition is
nationwide and very competitive.
I've also worked as an
Apple Authorized Product Representative supporting mass
merchants such as Sears, Circuit City, and the late
Montgomery Ward and Silo. Starting in 1992 as one of the
very first Retail Apple Reps, there are only a couple of people in the
country who can possibly have more time the program than myself.
I met the other two or three at the 1996 MacWorld where we
were presented a small award for four years of service.
I am a founding member
of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Technical Subcommittee
and we were responsible for creating the chamber web site.
http://www.bestsmallcity.com
Rhino
Technologies
is my consulting business and in the past I have worked
for;
Times
Publishing, Peoria, IL- recommending and installing
all new equipment at a group of weekly newspapers.
Cache River Press, Vienna, IL- training and template design for a textbook.
Mariah Boats, Benton, IL - system consultant to the previous
marketing director.
American Publishing, Murphysboro, IL - recommending and
installing new equipment and network.
1st Bank of Illinois, Marion, IL- recommending and installing new
equipment and network.
Rotary Club of Carbondale
Carbondale, IL - Interactive web site creation and design.
Jerkins
Creative Consulting
Benton, IL - web site design, system consultant and
installations of new equipment.
Communications
Express,
Carbondale, IL - web site design
Personal Information - Photo Album
