I was born in a Mississippi River town (Quincy, IL) where I was raised in the 1950s and 1960s. There were fields and creeks to explore, almost no crime, and the Catholic Elementary and High Schools provided solid foundations in reading, writing, grammar, diagramming sentences (rarely done currently), mathematics, history, chemistry, physics, and religion. I was a Boy Scout and loved camping. I majored in Biology at the U. of Illinois, Urbana, then attended one of the best medical schools in the world: Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. During further training I became an internist, endocrinologist, biochemist, and medical researcher. I had an academic career, then a career in the pharmaceutical industry. I believe it is important to be highly competent so one can make a contribution to better the lives of people around us. But in addition to having a solid scientific view of the world, one must maintain a sense of awe and retain a mature spirituality.