I was born in Karlsruhe, South West Germany in 1949.  My Father was an American soldier based in Germany.  My Mother (shown on the left in photo and her sister on right) was German.  Until the end of the war she had worked in army munitions like many other German women.

I was 11 when my Father brought me, my Mother, and my brother to America.  Things were different here and I spoke very little English.

We arrived in America in 1960, the same year as Elvis Presley returned to America from Germany after completing his military service there; The Beatles travelled from the UK to Hamburg in Germany; NASA was launching rockets into space; and the United States was sending American soldiers to Vietnam. (more)

I learned to speak English using a dictionary, and there was a lot of trial and error learning my second language, no doubt with the odd hilarious consequence.  I was about 13 before I could speak English flawlessly in an American accent - a Southern one that I am proud of.

I graduated from Villa Rica High School, Georgia in 1968, looking forward to a carefree life of fun playing drums in a band named "The Watchmen", but was quickly encouraged by my Father to get a real job.  I had friends who were working as Orderlies at the Tanner Memorial Hospital, but I had to undertake some work experience before I could be considered for employment there. While attending the West Georgia College by day I worked my "apprenticeship" at the Pine Knoll Nursing Home during the evenings, and there met some very interesting characters, many of whom I still remember quite vividly.

My own respite from the drudgery of working came most Friday and Saturday nights when I had fun making music with my band members.  My interest and enjoyment for playing drums and guitar has remained with me to the present.

Drums were not the only thing that I was endeared to at that time.  I had fallen in love with Dondra, my sweetheart.  We married in 1970, just in time for me to be drafted into the US Air Force to do my part in the Vietnam war.  With hindsight that compulsory new vocation was considerably more exciting than being a Hospital Orderly.

Dondra and I have a son, Jason, and two grandchildren, Amber aged 17 and Julian aged 10, all of whom I love and cherish dearly.

Thankfully I emerged physically unscathed from my military service, and my varied career path found me working as an English Teacher, a Radio Talk Show Host, attempting to see my name up in lights as an Actor, and finally as a Respiratory Therapist.

If I am ever referred to as a "Vet", it is not because I was a Veterinary Surgeon, but a reference to Vietnam.

From a very early age I was taught that the animals come first, and I have owned and loved both dogs and cats all my life.  I have always been concerned about the fact that thousands of domestic pets end up in animal rescue centers every year after being abandoned, orphaned, maltreated, and handed in as unwanted pups and kittens.  Unfortunately far less are adopted, and the sad reality is that many animal shelters cannot cope with the numbers and have to euthanize some of the animals.

I decided to try and help my furry friends by combining my main passions in life, and this led to my sponsored cycle ride from Dallas, Texas to Dallas, Georgia in 2008 to raise public awareness of the "Spay, Neuter and Adopt" project and encourage people to be responsible pet owners, and to raise funds for humane animal shelters whose aim is to ensure that no animal is needlessly euthanized.
 

Driven by the success of the 2008 ride I began planning the present Carrollton, Texas to Carrollton, Georgia Ride To Care (C2C-R2C) event back in 2009.

I recently developed symptoms that bear some resemblance to those exhibited during the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, such as some memory loss, but a full and accurate diagnosis can only usually be made if or as symptoms progress.  This discovery has only helped to increase my existing commitment to the C2C-R2C ride this year.  I am uncertain what the future holds and I must do this ride now because it is possible that in a few years I might not be in the position to do so.  I Do Not want to lose the opportunity to do as much good as I can for a cause that is so close to my heart.

Please remember though, this cycle ride is not about me, nor about Alzheimer's Disease. It is about my burning desire to make the USA a better place for animals.

In September 2010, I will take to my bicycle in support of the No-Kill Movement whose aim is to make every animal center and shelter in the USA "No-Kill", and once again for Spay Neuter and Adopt.

The ride will begin in Carrollton, TX in support of Operation Kindness, and will end in Carrollton GA, in support of both the Carroll County Humane Society and West Georgia Spay Neuter Clinic. It will take approximately 11 or 12 days to complete, weather permitting.

If you see me on the highways, please flag me down safely, or join the ride for as long as you are able or wish to.  I would love to inform you of the shelters which Do Not Need to be overcrowded with unwanted animals; how to manage feral cats; the importance of the "Spay, Neuter and Adopt" project, and of course "No Kill USA"!

To all motorists please share the road with us cyclists.

Bill Craig