T. R. was born in Michigan, but moved to Las Vegas with his parents as a one-year-old child. He grew up in Vegas during its mob heyday in the 1960's and '70's, so headlines about the mafia and mob culture were not unusual. Neither was the presence of celebrities in mundane surroundings like the grocery store or little league games, since many of them kept residences in ordinary neighborhoods-Redd Foxx lived in his. Overall, he has spent forty years of his life living in Vegas. Growing up, he loved all sports, but baseball was T. R.'s game. After high school he played college baseball with fullride scholarships to Arizona Western College and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He played in semi-pro leagues until he was twenty-nine. T. R. has received three college degrees including an MBA from UNLV, and has worked in numerous industries and a multitude of positions in management, sales, and education. He also made a living for five years as a professional poker player and poker dealer. Currently he is a Math Professor at a college in Georgia. At church while a senior at UNLV, T. R. met his wife. They've been married for thirty-seven adventure filled years, and they have three children and three grandchildren.