Steven Inman:  

Sorry this is so long... but I'm not on Facebook, Twitter (or X or whatever it's called this week) or any other social media sites (and I don't plan to be), so this is the place I've chosen to put my life story for posterity's sake (lucky you, eh?). After all, except for family, the people I've known the longest are those I knew as kids at Walnut Grove (the 1-room schoolhouse north of Harrisonville where I attended 1st - 3rd grades), and at Pleasant Hill (4th - 12th). Basically, I think my life turned out pretty okay... not perfect... but pretty okay. Despite the aches and pains of old age, I can't complain - wouldn't help if I did. (How can we be this old? Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that we met up in Gerbes' parking lot to discuss whether to drive up to Hollywood Cross to buy another buck's-worth of gas, or take Cedar St. downtown to make the loop around the bank again? Maybe drop by Chambers & Buckner's drugstore and get a cherry phosphate or a chocolate root beer?) I have been happily married to the former Miss Kathryn Bjorklun since 2012. Kathy is a retired attorney who graduated at the top of her high school, college and law school classes. And she's a terrific cook! I'm very proud of her and her accomplishments, including her volunteer work at animal shelters in the Kansas City area where she's known as one of KC's top "cat whisperers." In fact, Kathy's so persuasive, she convinced me that it was MY idea not to shave or trim my beard for two years so I could play Santa for KC Pet Project's cat adoption program in late 2019. In return, she helped me clean and photograph my Norwegian-American ancestors' headstones in Minnesota, so I don't mind not shaving for a couple of years. I kinda miss that beard, actually. It kept my face warm while cutting firewood and shoveling snow. But it was counter-productive to wearing a mask, so in 2020 it had to go. (a little rhyme there) Seriously though, Kathy and I have had 12(!) friends & family members die of COVID, and several of our friends have had debilitating strokes because of it so, due to our age and health issues, we try to avoid exposure as much as possible. My daughter Michelle is an elementary school teacher, my son Sean is a finish carpenter, and my son Seth is an HVAC technician. I'm very proud of them and the paths they've chosen in life. They have all married and had children, making me a grandpa 11 times over. In 2012, I became a great-grandpa. I received my Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from Ottawa University, Kansas, and I spent my entire career as a computer specialist for the U.S. government. Between 1973 and 2011, I wrote programs for the U.S. Marine Corps, the General Services Administration, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the IRS. It gives me satisfaction knowing that the work I did during my career affects the lives of virtually all Americans in a very positive way. If you file your Federal income tax return online, served in the USMC or have dealings with a USDA agency (FSA, etc.), I probably wrote some of the computer programs you've used. But please don't blame me for policy issues - I only wrote computer code, not the Internal Revenue Code! When Paul Miller and I saw "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 1968, it inspired me to go into the computer field, and it's still my favorite movie. Other films I enjoy include those with a plot twist that makes a person say "wow!" when it's over... movies like "The Game," "The Sixth Sense,"...Expand for more