While a youth, he was the first in his troop to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.  As a Seaman 1st Class, his final duty during WWII was serving aboard a yard minesweeper off the coast of Japan, clearing the shipping lanes of minefields.  Returning from service in the Navy during World War II, he attended the University of Richmond and subsequently received a Bachelor's degree from the Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William & Mary.

In 1950 he accepted an accounting position with a large corporation in Richmond.  He later entered the college bookstore business in 1952, serving in managerial positions at R. P. I. (now Va. Commonwealth U.), St. Louis University and finally at William & Mary where he retired.  Under his direction at William & Mary, the bookstore grew from 800 to 15,000 square feet.

A member of the National Association of College Stores in Oberlin, Ohio, an organization of over 2,200 college stores, in 1981, he was nominated by his peers and named Manager of The Year of this association.  He was elected to various offices in the Virginia College Stores Association, and served as its president.  He served on various college store committees at the national and state levels.  Other activities included Boy Scouts, Association for Retarded Citizens, Tidewater and Virginia Genealogical Societies. 

His hobby is genealogy and as this is being written, he has produced six books on the obituaries of Henry County, Virginia and is working on volume 7 of this series.