Bruce Weaver:  

I am indebted to Ms. Poplin for inspiring the drive to excel. My real learning began after grad school when I launched an open ended journey of discovery. Bending decades of business travel into off hours learning opportunities, I researched at archives and university libraries, browsed used bookstores and museums, toured scenic areas and historical sites. It was my privilege to scale Mt. Sinai, enter medieval Norwegian stave churches and marvel that the voices of my ancestors reverberated within the same spaces in prior centuries, walk across Abbey Road, repeatedly traverse and savor the Blue Ridge Parkway and behold the majestic splendor of dark night skies to peer into the eternal. I collected meaningful Sixties relics such as Beatles memorabilia and recordings, jingles from favorite AM radio stations and items on space exploration. I attended several Paul McCartney concerts & saw Ringo once. Studying magic, I built a library on effects, mentalism, and 19th century spiritualism. Later on, I realized these latter interests instilled a valuable set of skills for detecting deception in a variety of circumstances and contexts. Spirituality continues to be a unifying thread in my life. The works of the late mythologist Joseph Campbell granted insight and perspective that continue to unlock the essence of practical religion for me. For ten years I have taught a class on contemporary issues in spirituality at the church I attend. From time to time, I perform my introspective musical compositions on piano for the worship service. Photograph...Expand for more