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School Years
I left Los Altos for college in Los Angeles. I landed at Occidental College and started my academic studies as a Bio-PreMed major. What I really wanted to do was become a pilot, but the advice I received suggested I signup for the Air Force. Since Viet Nam was where AF pilots were sent, I decided to sit out the war (and was lucky to pull a high number in the draft lottery).
By the time I hit Organic Chemistry, my passion for medicine was waning. I was going to movies everyday and hanging out in the Drama Department, which was a lot more fun than studying. So I graduated as a Drama major and went off to find my way in the movie business with my brother Ken.
Hollywood
We spent close to thirty years producing, writing, and directing movies and TV movies, many with Roman numerals in the titles. Some were hits, many were not, but we stuck with it until it stopped being fun and became just another job. Having made a name as The Wheat Brothers, I decided not to continue in Hollywood when Ken and I ended our movie biz partnership.
Fundraising
I had a second career helping raise money to for nonprofits. I worked for a Family Law organization that helped under served communities, Occidental College where I ran the parent program raising money for scholarships, and ended up working for the Alzheimer’s Association to honor my mom who died of this terrible disease.
Family
Married in ’79, started a family in ’84, managed to get two daughters out into the world (one living in San Francisco with her husband, both members of the tech industry, and our younger daughter following us north with her husband to settle in Marin County. Younger daughter gave us our first grandson, quickly followed by older sister who also had a son. Can't wait to build the boys a tree house in the oaks on our property.
Retirement
Val and I hung up our work clothes a few years ago, packed up and sold our home of 32 years, and moved back to Northern California. I had spent many summers of my youth on a farm in Sonoma County, but as we searched for a home in West Sonoma, we eventually found what we were looking for in the hills of Napa Valley wine country. They always said to stop and smell the rosés, so that’s what we’re doing.
