Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Saint Martin's Alumnus: CG 1981

Family: Wife, Kelly A. Spence M.D.; Children, Kristin and Jacqueline

Education: Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 1991; Residency in Anesthesiology, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 1990; Doctor of Osteopathy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, 1986; BS in Biology and BA in Psychology, Saint Martin's College; AS in Health Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, 1977.

Professional Background: Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, OK. In 1997 helped found STAR Anesthesia PA in San Antonio, Texas after retiring from the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Certified consultant with the American Board of Anesthesiology on anesthesiology, critical care medicine and anesthesia pain management. Prior Assistant Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and the Uniformed Services University of the health sciences, Bethesda, Md.

Boards/Volunteer Activities: Air Life Line of Texas; Bexar County Texas Sheriffs Mounted Posse Drill Team.

Passion in Life: Teaching young doctors how to be physicians by approaching each patient as if they were a close family member and enjoying the execution phase of advanced systems of planning. Assisting two wonderful children to become productive members of American society.

Hobbies: Aviation (aircraft restoration and building), horse back riding and small cattle ranch operations.

Why Saint Martin's?: When I returned to the United States in March, 1980 from an extended military tour in Europe, I enrolled in a Comparative Religion course offered by the Saint Martin's College extension program at Fort Lewis, WA, and was charmed by the individual attention given to each student. I was then introduced to Fr. Placidus Reischmann by Mr. Phil Carbaugh, who recognized a diamond in the rough. Father Placidus immediately agreed to accept me as a non-traditional student at the Lacey campus and tailored a program for me that would allow me to enter medical school in 1982.

Favorite Saint Martin's Program or Personality: Father Placidus, who is responsible for my success as a physician. He was academically demanding, patient in working both with and around me, and compassionate in accepting me as his student. Father Placidus was an avid fisherman who spent many Saturdays with me collecting marine specimens from Puget Sound in the gunwales of my Bayliner. I miss him very much.

Leadership Groups