Born in Memphis,[3] he entered the University of Chicago in 1971 and tested out of so many requirements that he was awarded Junior status.
He also competed for the university at the NCAA national contract bridge tournament.
In 1978, he left university without a degree and joined Banker's Life and Casualty as a computer programmer.
At the TDM division of Rand McNally he enjoyed a reputation as one of the best CICS programmers in the world.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he established 911 systems for police and fire dispatchers.