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Who am I? Do you really know me? Here are 20 random facts about me. Please do not tell anyone as these may be “top secret”. 

1. I was born in a log cabin (dogtrot style cabin) on a small farm in the hills of northwest Alabama in August of 1947. About the only thing that would grow on that small Alabama farm was rocks. My dad bought a farm and moved our family to Bertrand, Missouri in December of 1947.
2. I am an expert of sorts on 60’s music. I have won the ‘60’s music trivia contest on three different cruises and two cruise lines – Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  Marlene Morrow, however, has put her foot down. We have no room to display any more cruise liners on-a-stick (the usual prize) in either of our homes. That probably means no more music trivia contests for Glen!
3. I accepted Christ in the summer of 1956 (8 years old) and was baptized (as a Baptist, I was immersed) one week or so afterwards in Wolf Hole. In the ‘50’s, Wolf Hole was a quaint, popular rural swimming site. This site was a stream (ditch or canal) that flowed under a country road bridge located in the Bement community – east of Sikeston, Missouri.
4. My hero was not a super athlete or a movie star. He was a friend and roommate at the U.S. NCO Infantry Academy who lost his life in Vietnam. We left for Vietnam, via Oakland, California, together from the Memphis Airport in April of 1970. Sadly, he was killed in action after only 30 days in country. Gerald lived his life for Christ and was a great Christian example for all of us.
5. I have little respect for politicians. I cannot identify with either of the two major political parties. I was a Democrat, or at least identified as one, for the first 30 years of my life.  Anti-capitalistic and socialist-leaning economics professors in graduate school at the University of Illinois unintentionally convinced me that I should re-evaluate my allegiance. Actually, by that time, the Democratic Party had already left me. (My late father and paternal grandfather were life-long blue-dog Dems; however, I am certain that they would not have supported the abortion or illegal immigration policies or radical socialist agenda of their present-day party).  On the other hand, I also cannot identify as an establishment or Chamber of Commerce Republican. Just note some of the so-called Republicans or what I refer to as Democrat-lites of that ilk (John McCain, Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, John Kasich, Bob Corker, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, etc.).  Simply stated, I am a fiscal and social conservative. I suppose some folks would consider me one of those white privileged, uneducated, gun and Bible-toting, hopeless, despicable, undesirable, racist, and dangerous veterans from the fly-over country that was dumped from the “basket of deplorables” that Hillary Clinton and Senator Dick Durbin spoke so eloquently about! So be it! I do strongly support the second amendment; however, due to my combat experience, I cannot say that I love guns! More importantly, we need less partisanship and more meditation and prayer on bent knees in worship of our Creator!
6. I never attended kindergarten. Is that the real reason that I was so untalented in art class? I never, however, felt like I started the first grade at a disadvantage or that it significantly affected my educational development in any way. (other than possibly in my artwork)   LoL
7. I am a geek. One of my favorite pastimes is learning new software. My newest passion is building virtual machines with Oracle’s Virtual Box software. Currently, my PC has eight old operating systems (versions of dos, windows, android, and linux) installed that coexist with my host, Windows 10. (Why? No reason, except that I am nostalgic and a geek!) I also have become the go-to guy for family and close friends for Windows PCs.  I do not, however, have a clue about using or fixing Apple computers.
8. This one will not come as a surprise. I like to write. I spent my entire 32 year career as a researcher, statistical analyst, and writer.  I authored more than 200 statistical and financial research studies in my 32 years with the State of Illinois. I have published research in three diverse fields – law enforcement, social services, and insurance and have had two of my studies published in academic journals. I was fortunate enough to be able to apply my education and training (in my degree programs in mathematics, statistics, and research methodologies) in my life’s work. The writing style that I employed in that work life would be considered extremely boring by 96% plus or minus 3% of my facebook friends at the 95% confidence level (mean =.96, SE=.03, and n=145).  LoL  There is a rule of thumb for the written word which is “know your audience and write accordingly”. (This is a rule that I purposely have just broken in the sentence above while trying to be “silly” and make this point.) Write for your audience!  I have made a conscious effort to depart from my old academic writing style. 
9. I received my military draft notice in January or February of 1969. I attended the NCO Academy at Fort Benning Georgia. I deployed to Vietnam as a shake and bake (NCO Academy) sergeant and Airborne Ranger in April of 1970. I was in the Army less than two years.
10. I am very much a homebody and lead a very adventurous life – not!  LoL (Homebody, ‘yes’, but exciting, ‘no’.)
11. I am deaf. One must get my attention before talking to me. Ask my wife.  I have welts on the top of my head to prove it. I left a large part of my hearing in Vietnam.
12. I do not drink, smoke, or swear.  I have never ever tasted of beer or tried marijuana and do not intend to.  I watched a few people in college and many in Vietnam totally destroy their lives by abusing these substances. I just never considered it. 
13. In 1971, an old man that I did not know, who I had observed earlier driving an old, beat-up, red pickup in our store parking lot, requested the presence of all employees (one at a time) in the employee’s lounge at my first workplace in Sikeston, Missouri. Once inside that room, the old man introduced himself to me (he was the “big kahuna” of our company). He, then, offered me the opportunity to buy some of the company’s stocks at a reduced price through payroll deduction. Of course, I could not afford to buy any stocks from the old man as I was a college student and was just returning from Vietnam. I was earning only $1.65 hour in this part-time job.  A few years later, I learned that this old man had become the richest man in the world. I sure wish that I could have afforded a few shares of his stocks. (Wow! I have actually shook hands and spent about ten minutes with Mr. Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. He was a gentile, very nice man!)
14. I served as a drill sergeant for a nine week Infantry AIT cycle at Fort Polk, Louisiana in early 1970.  I really enjoyed calling cadence.  Aaah— tench—-hunn! Forrr—werrrred   harch! You get a line and I’ll get a pole and we‘ll go down to the crawdad hole. Jody stole you gal when you left! You’re Right! Left! Right! Left!  I do know that while in the military and for a short time after my departure, I immediately disliked any guy named Jody. (For the record, I was not the stereotypical, nasty drill sergeant!)
15. Marlene and I lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) for two months in 2011.  It was a nice city (by Mexico standards) and an interesting experience.  I really enjoyed taking on the persona of Professor Diego Moro in a very popular daily Mexican travel and history blog that Marlene and I produced while we lived there.
16. In my 32 years with the State of Illinois, I worked under six governors and four of them ended up in prison – not all my fault. (Richard Ogilvie, Dan Walker, George Ryan, and Rod Blagojevich).
17. I served as the in-house statistician for the Illinois Department of Public Aid and taught a statistics class in the late ‘70’s. I have a pretty good understanding of inferential statistics, sampling theory, regression analysis, and analysis of variance.
18. The most unusual research study request that I ever received was from a Senator from Decatur, Illinois (mid-1970’s). I was asked to construct a cost-benefit analysis model to measure the savings that the State of Illinois could realize if the State would make a one-time payment up to $10,000 dollars to each welfare family that would agree to leave Illinois for five years.  I developed a model and gave a report to him which suggested a substantial savings to the State. Just as I had expected, his proposed legislation never got out of committee. (I surmised that it was unconstitutional). Another study (only noteworthy because of the participants) related to insurance “redlining”. There was a disagreement between the Illinois Department of Insurance and a neighborhood group in Chicago named ACORN whose spokesman was a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama. This group threatened a lawsuit against our Department claiming that we were allowing insurers to racially discriminate in Chicago. The problem with their charge was that the “study” that they touted was unscientific and solely based on anecdotal evidence rather than real data and conclusions that could be backed by statistical methods! I was unable to validate their conclusion that Illinois insurance companies, as a whole, were practicing racial discrimination (redlining) in their underwriting practices in Chicago.  ACORN was very unhappy with us and continually blasted the Illinois Department of Insurance in the Chicago newspapers. They were very successful in the sense that they received the publicity that they were craving. This group, in my humble opinion, was extremely naïve, incredibly unsophisticated, and clearly unscientific.  Enough said!
19. My dream was to play for the Cardinals. Also, I wanted to be a rock and roll singer. I was a decent baseball player and had a decent voice, but for some reason I never made it to the ‘big show’ in either endeavor. (Surely, it was not for a lack of talent?)  With the echo effect, my singing was pretty good in the grain bin compartment of my dad’s combine and in the bathroom shower. My wife cannot understand how one that loves music, as much as I do, has no rhythm and cannot dance. I explained to her that “most white guys can’t dance”!  Sure, there are a many exceptions, but I will never share that fact with her.  As a shortstop, I had magic feet and agility around second base. As a dancer, my magic feet turned into two left feet that tended to trip over the base! I certainly was no Fred Astaire, and, come to think of it, I was no Ozzie Smith either.
20. My father and mother had only completed the fifth and ninth grade, respectfully, so it was extremely important to them that their three offspring receive a good education. I truly appreciate the fact that they were so vehement about my formal education! After returning from Vietnam, I completed my undergraduate degree in mathematics and landed a statistical research position with the State of Illinois. That was very pleasing to them; however, it was only the first step in my higher formal education, as it continued for decades, thereafter.

These are some facts about me that came immediately to mind. I jotted them down as they popped into my head. There is no order of significance. I trust that you learned something new about me. It is your turn to “fess up”, now that you know some of my “deepest” secrets.