Biography-(2 of 2)
Sgt. Mac
Life after the Military
His father made a full recovery. Mac flirted with the idea of returning to active duty or signing on with a local reserve unit. His father suggested he go to work for him full time, which he did. During this time, he also used his VA benefits to attend Apprentice Carpentry School, where he earned his Apprentice Carpenter and then Journeyman Carpenter License's.
During the summer of 1971, he took a week off to visit an old military buddy in Pennsylvania. There he met and fell in love with his buddies sister Mary. A year later they were married in Pennsylvania. She moved to Idaho with Mac where they began their family. They have three sons.
By the 1980s, Mac's dad was ready for retirement and was grooming Mac to take over the company. A resulting recession, doomed the take-over and Mac let his dad retire.
In 1985, Mac accepted a large commercial carpenter job in California. Within a month, the company went bankrupt. He decided to look for a smaller contractor-similar to his dad and found a company that did custom homes and remodels.
About a year later, the owner of the company suffered a heart attack. He asked Mac to stick around and complete a project that had been under way which he did. About the same time Mac's wife, Mary was in a severe auto accident which resulted in a disability. Mac decided to attend Contractor’s School as a back-up plan and received his California B-1 General Contractor's License in 1990. He went into business for himself, before moving his family back to Idaho.
Mac ran a remodeling business until 1991, but some family medical concerns, forced him to seek a job with health benefits. He went to work as a Construction Manager, for a non-profit housing company. He left the agency in 1996 re-establishing his remodeling business. Some health issues again raised their head and he went to work as a Warranty Service Technician, for a Manufactured Housing Company. He was laid off in 2000 because of economic conditions and lack of work.
During the same year, he suffered a broken wrist and hand in a construction accident. The injury resulted in 18 months of rehabilitation, which virtually ended his construction career. He remained involved in the business however, by doing small handyman jobs on the side and helping his eldest son John-also a contractor, with bidding and estimating services.
Mac is now semi-retired and has been driving bus for the local school district for the past six years.
Like his dad, Mac was a hunter (Two bad knees, now prevent this), and is a fisherman. Other interests have taken hold since his injury in 2000. Computers, video editing, photography, walking, web design, writing and enjoying four grandkids!