Welcome to the Rollie in DC website!
Wait... just who is "Rollie"?
Well, that's me. The guy typing behind the screen with the really cute dog sitting next to me - who I often use as a photographic model. She's wagging her tail, waiting for a snack. Her name is "Torri." She's a Blue Merle Welsh Cardigan Corgi with two blue eyes, and an American Kennel Club (AKC) registered name of "Debonair's Vermeers Triumph." But saying her name takes too long for her to get that snack, hence "Torri."
(And yes, she got a snack. She always gets snacks.)
I, on the other hand, am known as "Dad" - or sometimes called by my given name - Peter. But I am perhaps better known in many circles by the nickname of "Rollie." This is my favorite nickname and a sort of Navy type of "Callsign" - bestowed on me by Rear Admiral Matthew Lewis Klunder (USN, Retired) - while we were both working at the Office of Naval Research (ONR.) In fact, I've had the pleasure of working under multiple flag officers and various positions for the Navy and Department of Defense, in the Executive Branch of the United States Government. So, at the end of a presentation I made one day, Admiral Klunder shakes my hand looks at me in the eye and says:
"You'll now be known as 'Rollie' in this office."
For me, I knew immediately where the nickname of "Rollie" was coming from- The famous Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher, Roland "Rollie" Fingers, who played from 1968 to 1985, for the San Diego Padres, the Oakland A's, and the Milwaukee Brewers. Rollie Fingers led major league baseball with 35 saves in 1977 before tying the National League (NL) single-season record with 37 saves the following year. His effectiveness as a pitcher helped to redefine the value of relief pitchers in baseball. A seven-time All-Star, he was named Relief Pitcher of the Year four times.
But Rollie Fingers first really gained recognition by baseball fans of the Oakland Athletics in the early 1970s, when his handlebar mustache made him perhaps the most identifiable member in baseball, helping form "The Mustache Gang" - which both helped baseball get out of an attendance slump - and help led the A's to win three consecutive World Series titles. Rollie was also named the Most Valuable Player in the 1974 World Series after pitching to win in the opener of the seven-game series, and continued with "saves" in the last three games, securing the Championship title. So, of course I understood the compliment.
And truth be told, I've had a lots of nicknames given to me, including "Doc", Einstein, and even the mysterious "Peter No. 7." But this favored nickname is mainly for a handlebar mustache that I wear, and for technical efforts I pitch to leadership & technical teams that I lead.
For me, my interest to wear a mustache started after graduating college and grew out of the respect I have for my much-loved late father, John Morrison. My own Dad was also an engineer, but his real passion was as a weekend magician: "Morrison (the) Magician
." His mustache came later in life - and became part of his storytelling or "patter" given when he performed his avocational magic tricks for audiences of all ages. I was always in awe of how well my father could spin a story, perform, and command an audience while doing complex, but well practiced, tricks. Also, his creativity, skills, and abilities as an engineer were just as exciting to me. He was, without a doubt, the main reason why I chose engineering in college.
And he is also why I drove myself further and deeper into #SCIENCE and to obtain a US Patent. Sadly, after many years in happy retirement with my mother - my father succumbed to what is now a completely curable form of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma or leukemia. Out of a feeling of deep love and respect for him, before he passed, I grew my own mustache. And now, every morning, when I wake up and shave - I am reminded and recall him being both a friend and a great father to me. Reminding myself that I, too, need to live up to the responsibility of being a father, a husband, a leader, a good scientist/engineer, and perhaps most of all - "a really nice guy."
And just to be "that guy" -please donate to the American Cancer Society
-as they are "really nice people" - helping others with their own form of magic! ACS is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization with goals of saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer -while earning a "GOOD" rating at Charity Navigator.
And being a really nice guy is somewhat unusual in Washington DC, the Capitol of the United States of America. Where being a "really nice guy" doesn't always land you in the best places or in the best positions. But, it seems to work out occasionally, and I can still be known as "Rollie in DC," - where ever I travel. Considering that I do like to travel and do things - like horseback riding, photography, drawing, cooking, hiking & camping, taking college classes, or just being a tourist - I decided to build this website ("Rolle in DC") and fill it with the stories that capture these thoughts, memories, opinions, recipes & photographs - which I've managed to collect - and can now share with you. I hope you enjoy your visit - Cheers!
Signed,
