At the end of the summer of '69, my parents and I moved to Rancho Mirage, California. I went to college out there, fell head over heels for the Golden State and its outdoorsy ways, and vowed never to live "back East" again. But then came six years of graduate school in Boston -- and now 14 years of living near and working in Washington, DC. Go figure!

My wife, Mary, and I have been married 15 years. We have one child, Parker, age six. He is the delight of our lives, affectionate yet independent, tough yet eager to please. We are determined to give him a sibling, and hope to complete an adoption by 2001.

In the meantime, Parker, Mary, and I enjoy the company of 7 parrots and 2 siberian huskies. As Harry Truman once said, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. Also, and you'll have to take my word about this if you don't know it from experience, living with birds transforms a house into place of magic.

I now work for Congressman David McIntosh, a leader among conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives, as staff director for the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs. The Subcommittee's job is to root out hidden agendas, the misuse of taxpayer dollars, and the abuse of power in federal regulatory agencies. We operate in a target rich environment, and it has been quite a lot of fun. Mary is chief of staff to Alan Keyes, the presidential candidate, author, and peerless orator.

Aside from family, pets, and work, my passions are exercise and guitar. Arnold inspired me to pump iron, I've always loved to swim, and lately, thanks to the encouragement of Elgin ("Tony") Hyler, I have taken up T'ai Chi.

I was not very good at guitar in high school (just ask Shmerl*), but around age 40 I decided to get

serious, took lessons for a few years, and now teach myself with the aid of instructional videos and books. We even named our blue and gold maccaw after "Jorma" of Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane fame.

Well, that's probably enough for now. Many thanks to Louise, Bob, and Steven for their time, care, and creativity in making this reunion happen.

marlolewis@earthlink.net

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[*Editor's Note: Today, Marlo Rocks! Proving that you can teach old dogs (and birds, apparently) new tricks...]

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