Bill_Z

Woodturner
furniture maker
carver
instructor
I was born and raised in Michigan. Started woodworking with my dad, doing balsa and tissue paper airplanes. Went to Michigan Tech University 1975-1980. Received two AAS in electronics and Electromechanics. Worked for Texas Instruments 1980-1982. RIF'ed by Ti and hired by Philips Semiconductors in 1982. Discovered I had a genetic kidney diesease in November of 1983 when I ended up in the hospital. Met and my bride Ann at a bible study in 1983. We started dating the day my kidneys quit for the first time. We married in 1984. My kidneys finally quit for good in April of 1986. Gal bladder/apendix surgery/kidney inspection happened in July of 1986. Got on a transplant list at a budding transplant program here in Albuquerque. Transplanted in September of 1986 (I was the second cadaver transplant in the hospital). My lovely bride bought me a lathe as I was not allowed outside for more than an hour a day. (I think it was self defense, I was driving her nutty). 5 minutes after turning the lathe on I stopped being a cabinet maker and became a woodturner. Had a hip replacement in 1987 (transplant meds destroyed it). Cataract surgery in 1988 (same reason). Heart attack in 1989 (from the kidney diesease). Our son Benjamin was born in November of 1989. A daughter Rachel, born in June of 1991. Ann came down with leukemia in 1998. Thought we were going to lose her there for awhile. Got layed off in August of 2002 when Philips shut down the plant. Started turning full-time in late July of 2003. Managed the Woodcraft from 2006 til 2009. Another heart attack last spring put me into retirement. Life is a grand adventure! Some days you're on the mountain-top and other days you're slogging it down in a swamp. There have been times of sheer joy and times of sheer fright. But I'm still here and kicking. I'll be late to my own funeral (its a "Z" thing), doing what, you ask. Why turning of course!!!

-- Bill Zerby