Bio: Rocky Phelps

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Bio: Rocky Phelps
25-Feb-2003 -- Susan Pichotta
 
A Clarionite in the Pacific Northwest, he's been an expert witness for F. Lee Bailey and won both tennis and photographic competitions. He says about technology:
"It marches to a different drummer than I do, I think. Technology marches in double time, and I'm marching behind the horses and have to watch my step." Gotta love him! Be sure not to miss the photos at the end. (What a peacock!)
 

Very rare photo of me wearing a tie.

Who do you work for?
I have my own company, Professional Computer Services, and am its only employee. Of course, that merely means I can't find and/or hold a real job.
 
I began working for IBM (in Portland, Oregon) back in its heyday - 1968 - before the term "personal computer" was coined. After a few years with Big Blue, they asked me to relocate to Los Angeles and teach there. By then, I was the father of three small girls and had no desire to move them to LA, so I told IBM "No, thanks". Those were the days when "IBM" meant "I've Been Moved", and telling them "no" was not a career-enhancing step. So we split up. After working for a couple of small companies as "DP Manager" (remember that title?), I decided in 1976 to try my hand at consulting and teaching and programming using those new little toy computers.
 
During the few years I actually worked for a company, I saw that most companies' biggest problems were employee problems, so I decided to never have any. Employees, that is, I still have problems! This August, then, will mark my 27th year as a freelance independent. Most of those years have been spent still in the IBM mid-range world of System/3, 32, 34, 36, and now AS/400, with enough PC/Windows stuff to require me to learn something besides RPG. Hence Clarion...
 
What do you like best about what you do now?
I only wish I understood half of what I know. I get lost so quickly in the alphabet soup of computing - ASP, ADO, PHP, PDF, SQL, DNS, DSN, etc., etc., etc. I enjoy the variety of challenges I face daily - pretending to be a programmer one day, a systems administrator

My office after our recent earthquake. It actually doesn't look much worse than normal!

another, and even a consultant once in a while.
 
One of the benefits of freelancing is the wide variety of businesses and individuals I meet. My past and present clients include lumber companies, logistics/ warehousing, a distillery, unmanned card-lock service stations, a channeler (yep, really), a small independent phone company, a delinquent parking ticket collection company, and others. Probably one of the most interesting things that happened to me was when one of my clients became involved in a lawsuit, and I became an expert witness for F. Lee Bailey. Now there's an interesting guy! He carries more electronic gadgets than The Sharper Image.
 

What has been one of your biggest challenges in using Clarion?
My biggest problem is that I keep believing that I am a Clarion programmer. The awful truth is that I can count all the programs I've written in the last two years, Clarion or RPG, on the fingers of one hand - and I mean fairly simple ones. I love to hang out in the news groups, and I feel like many of you are my friends, even though I have only met a few of you. Listening to (or reading, actually), all of the threads keeps me abreast of Clarion enough that I think I could develop a program if the opportunity should arise. And I buy a lot of third party tools just in case I might need to actually use one someday...
 
What has been one of your biggest challenges in business?
1) Clients. That is of course the major worry of most independents. My business is not based on getting a lot of programming contracts, but rather on long term relationships

My favorite sport

involving programming, network management, consulting, or whatever they'll pay me for. I have basically two clients, one since 1994 (AS/400 and small W2000 network) and one since 1996 (S/36 migrated to mid-sized W2000 network), which take almost all of my time. I actually serve as a part-time MIS Director for the two of them (note the nifty new title for "DP Manager"), and spend most of my time keeping their systems running. And I have two smaller clients (one I have had since I started 27 years ago) to fill in the spare moments. It seems nice and secure, but I'd hate to lose any of them.
 
2) Technology. It marches to a different drummer than I do, I think. Technology marches in double time, and I'm marching behind the horses and have to watch my step. Keeping abreast of the changes in this industry is a full-time job. One of the things I liked best about working for IBM was working around a bunch of bright folks who were always available to answer questions or offer suggestions. The newsgroups serve this function for me today.
 
Do you use any computer languages besides Clarion?
Just Clarion and RPG... It's the "old dog new tricks" problem. I can't even spell C++, much less understand it.
 
When did you start using Clarion?
I first bought Clarion in the early 80's (version 2 for DOS, which I never used - my first Clarion app was written in CW2003). I was using Clipper, generating apps with Zachary. I've always liked the template-based languages so the mundane stuff is handled automatically and the user interface remains somewhat consistent. Clipper with Zachary (for DOS) and Clarion (for Windows) are relatively easy to use to build a basic system which then can be tweaked and customized to produce a finished product.
 
What's the coolest project(s) you've worked on using Clarion?
Nothing especially cool, just the plain old "help me keep track of data and report it" kind of stuff.
 
Have you done anything for a living other than software development?
Nope.
 
What are your hobbies/what do you like to do when you're not using Clarion?
Photography - I had an uncle in the portrait studio business in small-town Nebraska. As a child, I was fascinated by his work, so he gave me a folding 35mm camera when I was 9. I've been hooked ever since. I won a blue ribbon (best in class) in an international photo exhibition a few years back (see the zebra shot), and sold some photos in an art gallery before I decided that it was a much better hobby than profession.
 
Tennis - I started playing at age 9, and it has maintained its place as my favorite form of fun and exercise.. I play rather seriously, competing in my age group (gawd, am I really 57?) at the regional and national levels. My greatest accomplishment was a third place finish in the national 50's (50-54 years old) grasscourt championships in Philadelphia in 1999. My second greatest win was over Bob Campbell - a squeaker at the 1999 DevCon in Florida. He wants a rematch - I'm avoiding it! He's good!!
 
Ham Radio - Currently inactive due to lack of time, but maybe when I retire... I have held the call sign K7KDC since 1959.
 
Married, children, grandchildren, other close family you want to mention?
Married once - for 25 years. We're still good friends. I've been "living with" a very special Mexican lady, Leonor, since 1988.

Leonor and I downing our favorite fruit juice.

I have three daughters and Leonor has three children. We have lots of grandchildren, eight I think.... One of Leonor's grandsons is living with us. His life started out with big problems, and about four years ago, it became obvious that he would have no chance growing up in his current situation. The situation has improved, but we continue raising him. He is now almost 13 and I love him as my own. I didn't expect to be raising an adolescent as I neared retirement age, but I wouldn't trade the last four years for anything. The rewards of seeing that you can really make a difference - actually save a young life, I believe - are beyond description.  
My oldest daughter is married to a Frenchman and lives just south of Paris, which gives me an excuse to visit Europe regularly. (In fact, I'm writing this bio on an SAS flight - more comments later.) The rest of our children and grandchildren live in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
 
Where were you born?
In the small town of Pendleton, Oregon, in the Eastern Oregon desert, famous for its annual Pendleton Roundup. I grew up in the smaller town of Hermiston, Oregon, famous for its watermelons. I still like small towns. And watermelons.
 

Getting some lovin' from my youngest granddaughter, Carly.

Where do you live now?
Tacoma, Washington, (the "other" Washington) near Seattle.
 
What's interesting about where you live?
I hate it! Well, maybe it isn't quite that bad. I love the Pacific Northwest in spite of the rain. I have a view of Puget Sound from my deck; the mountains - skiing, hiking, photography - are very close, as is the Pacific Ocean. I can drive an hour and a half to the ocean, or an hour and a half to skiing, or 45 minutes to downtown Seattle and all that a city has to offer. Although if I had to live in a city, Portland, Oregon, would be my choice. If I really had my choice, I'd live in a much smaller city.
 
Have you lived any other interesting places?
Nope, just Oregon and Washington.
 
Which person, from past or present, do you most admire and why?
My parents. Their values and the way they lived their lives was so wonderful. They shaped my life like no one else could, taught me to be proud of being a "good" person, and gave me an appreciation of the value of family. They grew up in Southwestern Nebraska, and their solid Midwestern family values have shaped everything I have done and everything I am (except maybe the "living with" thing - they had a little trouble with that!). Sadly, they are gone now...
 

Barbequing my famous salmon

What is your favorite food?
I'll eat anything. And do. I am now adhering to a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Sometimes I miss the potatoes, the pasta, fresh breads... But I have trimmed about 25 pounds off my body, my blood pressure has dropped into the green band on the scale, and my cholesterol, though never particularly high, has fallen dramatically. And I love the ham, bacon and sausage with eggs for breakfast and the huge portions of good ol' red meat or fowl or salmon (damn! I do barbeque a fine salmon!) for dinner.
 
What is your favorite drink?
Margarita (not exactly on the diet). Gin & tonic (diet tonic, of course!). Good red wine, like a Shiraz or Cabernet or a good French red. Fine Scotch, on the rocks... A cold beer in the hot summer... Excuse me for a minute while I go to the bar...
 
What is your favorite type of music?
I am a music barbarian. I only listen to music twice a year - Mexican music during Cinco de Mayo and Christmas music in December (traditional, please, none of that stylized stuff!).
 
What is your favorite book? Movie?
Book. Hmmm. I haven't read a book in years, except Clarion Companion and Bruce's Programming in ABC. I have recently discovered audible.com, though, and now listen to a couple of books a month while I commute to my clients' offices. (If you should happen to go to audible.com and join, give me, rockyp, credit!).
 
Movie. I liked Harry Potter, hated Lord of the Rings. Go figure. My favorites are light, humorous, and entertaining (Roxanne, Dragnet, Groundhog Day come to mind). Oldies, sci-fi, musicals, and Disney fare also are high on my list. I don't want to be scared, offended by language or violence, or taken into a depressive or black mood.
 
If Clarion never existed, what do you think you would be doing at this time?
Same stuff, different dialect. In my next life, I'd like to do something that makes people feel good - massage therapy or chiropractic would be nice.
 

A lake near our house

 
Aren't you the notorious Dictionary Man? Tell us about that.
I thought you'd never ask! Yes, I am. Dictionary Man (aka DM) was born when I saw some spelling and word usage errors popping up repeatedly in the news groups. I know that a potential client or employer's first impression of a new employee or contractor often comes from a written document (resume or proposal). I thought a light-hearted reminder would serve to clarify the correct spelling (grammer/grammar - seperate/separate - alot/a lot) or choice of words (their/there - were/where - lose/loose - moot/mute).
 
My intention was to help members of our community put forward the best impression of themselves, not to embarrass or belittle anyone. I tried to be particularly sensitive and forgiving of those whose first language is not English. The private and public response to DM was overwhelmingly positive. Alas, a few folks took exception to DM's efforts, so, he now only visits the news groups by special invitation.
 
Anything else you want to mention?
Yes. I am thinking of Arnor and Sue right now. I am approaching Reykjavik as I write this - at 37000 feet and 551 mph in an SAS Airbus 340. I don't think we expect to stop there, at least I hope not. My oldest daughter lives just south of Paris, and I am returning from delivering Christmas gifts to my French grandkids. In past years, I have shipped their presents to the tune of $100-120, and decided this year that it wouldn't cost much more to just carry them over! So I did. You can see my family and me at www.rockyp.com.
 

Another photograph prize winner.