I reside in Kernersville, Forsyth County, North Carolina, with my wife of 17 years, Susan Rogers Apple, who is a Senior Vice-President of Pinnacle Financial Partners (formerly High Point Bank, then Bank of North Caroliina).  I have four children:  Mara Apple O'Neil of Reidsville, NC; the late Lindsay Katharine Apple; Katherine Elizabeth Howell of Champaign, IL; and William Lawson Howell of Greensboro, NC.  Mara is the mother of our three grandchildren, Avery, Ella and Thomas.  I am a retired United States Air Force JAG Lt. Col., having served 3 years of active duty and an additional 23 years as an Air Force Reservist. As a long-time member of Lions International, I have now served 4 terms as a Lions Club President, with 3 of those being in my original hometown of Reidsville, NC, and 1 in our hometown of Kernersville, NC.  I have professionally served as liason between the Family Law Section Council and the Dispute Resolution Council of the NC Bar Association.  As a certified mediator by the NC Dispute Resolution Commission, I perform mediations in District Court family financial settlement (domestic) cases, Superior Court cases, civil matters before the Clerk of Superior Court, and civil matters before the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.  My interests include our beloved Cavichon, Molly, learning to play the guitar, music of all genres (including bluegrass), and time on the Grand Strand of South Carolina (with Molly, of course!).