Raised on a farm in the Osgood area northwest of Idaho Falls; graduate of Bonneville High School (Idaho Falls); B.A. in political science and history, with secondary education certification from Brigham Young University; M.Ed. in educational administration from BYU; graduate work at Idaho State University—political science and economics; professional career in education—12 years as a teacher and administrator in the public schools of the Idaho Falls area; faculty member at Ricks College/Brigham Young University-Idaho for 27 years teaching American heritage, history, political science, and teaching methods; served as department and division chair and as the second dean of the College of Education at BYU-Idaho; worked two years at Idaho National Laboratory; still farm 95 acres; spouse: Ramona; seven children; 38 grandchildren.