Ralph Smith:  

After leaving high school, I thought I wanted to enter politics. I like people, enjoy public speaking, like to write and express opinions ("often wrong but never in doubt"). Toward that end, I ended up with a couple of degrees from East Carolina in political science and English. Reality was different than the academic descriptions and, after some exposure to government and the political process, decided politics were not a profession I wanted to become a part of. I have always admired a lifestyle where a person could live anywhere and have the freedom to do just about anything that is productive and enjoyable. We moved from Alexandria, VA in 1980 to Huntsville, Alabama where we lived a number of years where I worked for NASA and then resigned (on my 40th birthday) to start a human resources training/publishing/temporary staffing company as a contractor for the federal government. I liked not working for anyone else and the satisfaction of growing a company outweighed the stress and tension of the headaches that come with a fast-growing small business. The company grew way beyond our original expectations and I sold the business in 2001. I am now living in Destin, Florida--midway between Panama City and Pensacola. The p...Expand for more