After a degree in physics, a year of graduate school, and two years at Boeing, I was still uncertain about career plans, but had at least become aware of some things that I didn\u2019t<\/em> want to do. In 1981 I quit my job and set out for what was intended to be a months-long cross-country bicycle trip. I rode with a friend from Hutchinson to Yellowstone, then went solo up through Montana and on to Jasper, Alberta, where the trip ended prematurely due to a bad wreck. It was an experience filled with difficulties and triumphs, appreciation of small wonders, and some great people along the way.<\/p>\n<\/div> I returned to Wichita, took some more classes at WSU and began teaching there. I discovered that I not only enjoyed exploring mathematics but also enjoyed teaching and so I thought I\u2019d try to keep doing both for a while. Along the way a friend introduced me to Becky Hartpence, and we married in 1983 and moved to Bloomington, Indiana where I entered the Ph.D. program in mathematics at IU. Becky is an RN and worked there in home health care before becoming a clinic nurse at the student health center, a job she especially enjoyed. In 1988 we moved to Norman, OK where I had landed a job at OU. Our son Adam was born a year later and two years after that I took a job at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX. We lived there for the next 22 years and moved to Northern Kentucky in 2013. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Becky has retired from nursing and although I am not yet retired, I\u2019m aiming in that direction. Adam has had a life full of challenges but has also always had a passion for helping those in need. Perhaps the two are related. He has been at various times a social services worker, a federal officer, a victim\u2019s advocate, a human trafficking and war crimes investigator, and an active participant in Afghan and Ukrainian relocation efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We all live just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and enjoy having easy access to the city while not being in it. I plan to transition to half-time work this fall, with full retirement in another year or two. I then have some home projects to take care of that have been put off for far too long, and we have a lot of interesting places in our region that we hope to explore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [smartslider3 slider=”12″]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After high school I attended Wichita State, first as an engineering major, then switching to physics because the physics folks I knew were more fun to be around than the engineering group. Not the best reason for such a decision, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/halsteadhigh1974.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/RZ5-1024x796.jpg\")
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