I serve on the Board of Directors for the Savannah Adult Baseball League and am a member of the Men's Senior Baseball League, a national organization of amateur baseball players.  I am a dedicated father of a daughter in grade school and I have a stepson who is a young adult.  My father was a first generation American.  I still have strong ties to my father's extended family in Germany.  My mother's family is also descended from German-speaking immigrants from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  My father was a forester employed in the paper industry for nearly 40 years, with many national and international contacts, so I learned a fair amount about forest practices and the paper industry from my father.  Although my parents originally hailed from Cincinnati, Ohio, I was born in South Georgia and raised in Georgia and Alabama. 

My other hobbies include model railroading and collecting militaria.  I have held a life-long interest in world history, but particularly American and European history.

My work history prior to my legal career included work in the construction field, contributing newspaper correspondent, groundskeeping, mailroom gofer, restaurant dishwasher, and delivery truck driver.  I was very active in multiple sports as a youth.  One little known fact about me is that I was a collegiate cheerleader.