My Dad was the great non-counselor counselor. He had a way of listening most intensely and then leading the listener to their solution to an issue. He died in 1991 but when confronted with a decision, my first thought is still to talk to Dad about it.

The other personal mentor for me is Gary Williams, my best friend for more than 40 years. No matter what the topic, I know that Gary will quickly come to my aid when I am confronted with a yes/no or now/later decision. We are both from the same neighborhood as kids and have developed complementary approaches to most issues. We are always there for each other.

Two professional mentors stick out. First is Tim Field, the principle force at Elliott & Fitzpatrick publishing. Whenever I have a professional decision that needs to be made, I ask Tim. He has been very beneficial to me along this long road of my career. The other professional resource I have sought when confronted with some issue that requires a concrete answer is Bill Emener. He is not only an advisor, but a role model. It was Bill who inspired me to do the professional writing that I have done.

There is a song called, Stand By Me. The message is that each of us has to help each other, not by getting behind and pushing, nor by getting in front and pulling; rather beside one another to support, guide and encourage others. That has been my goal in my different roles as husband, Dad, and Grandpa. The second accomplishment is the role of full professor, in which I have gotten to play the same kind of role with hundreds of students and clients along the way.ic