“I was born an Army Brat—a term to describe the children of military parents who relocate every four years for work. It meant making new friends quickly and seeing the world from a global perspective. Growing up in Japan and Greece, the ocean was my home. My favorite beach was complete with manta rays I could ride on and Portuguese man-of-war that almost killed me.
My family retired to Gainesville, Florida. My father created an insurance company. I went from high school to the University of Florida. My grades were bad, but my job for the Independent Florida Alligator was spectacular. I photographed the Presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, all the football and basketball games, and the launch of the first space shuttle for United Press International. I won lots of awards, graduated with a degree in Political Science, and decided I wanted to either become Jacque Cousteau, or a photographer for National Geographic.
I had applied for the internship program at National Geographic, and out of 6,000 applications, I still thought I had a chance. The letter arrived and it read, “Thank you for your application. You placed third in our search, unfortunately, this year due to budget cuts, we are only able to have two interns.” I was heartbroken being it was my senior year; I didn’t have a second chance.
Fortunately, my two other choices Minnesota Tribune, and The Miami Herald both made offers. Accepting the Miami Herald lead to a fifteen-year career, the first day of which was photographing the McDuffie Riots in Overtown. The last days were being a part of the Pulitzer Prize winning team, covering Hurricane Andrew. I even dove with Mel Fischer the day he found the Atocha, worth billions of dollars, and located the first chest of silver coins on the wreck…”
Full story available in the book Postcards to the Universe or follow the live readings on IG or Tiktok.
“National Geographic Dreams” ~ Rick