As a young man, Ron wanted to go to Mars. When that turned out to be unlikely he began exploring the planet of his birth, hiking and climbing the mountains of North America. He never lost his interest in the other worlds of the Solar System however, and in 2000 he discovered that NASA was recruiting enthusiastic volunteers to share the excitement of space exploration with the general public. That led to volunteering and then working for the Museum of Flight in Seattle, hosting astronauts, astronomers and planetary scientists for Public Programs. Currently, Ron teaches classes for the Bellevue College TELOS Retiree Education program, for the new Senior Series at Seattle Central College, for other retiree education venues, as well as volunteering for the Museum of Flight.