Professor JR is a proud native son of the American West, who was born and grew up on the sagebrush prairies of the High Plains in southeastern Wyoming, north of Cheyenne.
His lineage on his mother's side consists of
Quaker and
Amish ancestors, who came to
North America before the
American Revolution. On his father's side, he is a descendant of
Dutch General Godert de Ginkell, 1st Earl of Athlone, who accompanied
William of Orange (later
King William III) to England as his chief lieutenant in the "
Glorious Revolution" that deposed
King James II in 1688. In the 19th Century, Professor JR's branches of the two families settled in the
Nebraska and
Wyoming Territories of the
American West.
His father was a Superintendent of Public Schools in Wyoming, and his mother a performing violinist and music teacher. He has two brothers, one a Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, and the other a retired Regional Administrator of the FAA.
Professor JR earned his
B.A. and
M.A. degrees from the
University of Wyoming in
Laramie, studying on a
Ford Foundation Scholarship; spent two years abroad as a
Fulbright Scholar & Professor; and later in his career, completed a program for
government executives at
Harvard University's
John F. Kennedy School of Government in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Over the course of his career, he has held positions as a University Professor of American History and American Studies; as a theatre and film critic; as a National Park Ranger; as a Legislative Aide in the U.S. Congress; and as a senior Federal Government Official in Washington, DC, where he currently resides.
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Professor JR resides with his wife --- an Emmy-winning television & film producer, and a native of Upstate New York's Mohawk Valley --- and his family, just outside Washington, DC.
He operates a small modern & contemporary art and antiques & collectibles business in Northern Virginia, and enjoys pursuing avocational interests in writing, and in the art of magic and illusion and collecting antique magic apparatus and memorabilia.
He also collects first edition books -- focusing primarily on early to mid-20th Century American fiction, and the works among others of:
Martha Gellhorn,
Ernest Hemingway,
F. Scott &
Zelda Fitzgerald,
Gertrude Stein,
James Joyce,
Dylan Thomas,
Thomas Wolfe,
Tom Wolfe,
Graham Greene, and
Lawrence Durrell.
He shares with his family a love of the outdoors, and of classic films, and a long-standing participation in local animal welfare & rescue work, in addition to playing golf (not very well) and other pursuits --- including painting and photography --- and being, still, an active student of literature.
U.S. states and foreign countries I have resided in and been to are shown - Here.
Professor JR - under the same username, is also an editor and supporter of MagicPedia, the on-line free encyclopedia dedicated to preserving the history and techniques of magic, which provides entries on topics pertaining to the arts of magic and illusion not included in Wikipedia, and entries with more detailed information for topics that are included.
Any Barnstars, "Thank You's", or other such items, received by User:Professor JR can be found Here.