Alex was trained as an industrial engineer at Oregon State University. A short career in engineering led to a position in sales engineering selling equipment, which led to Alex starting his own equipment sales business. This was followed by a career as a real estate developer which culminated in the development of several retirement residences in Oregon. Alex and Laura still own and operate one facility, Beaverton Lodge Retirement Residence. An early interest in poetry and writing blossomed into a writing career. Suicide Wall, a novel about Vietnam veterans and suicide was published in 1996. A middle grade young adult action adventure novel series called Arken Freeth and the Adventure of the Neanderthals is coming out in 2012. In addition, Alex assembled the book They’re Mine and I’m Keeping Them by editing Laura’s journal, providing his own insights into the ordeal Laura endured and interviewed and assisted Dr. Littrup in writing his portions of the book. Alex maintains websites for his writing work, suicidewall.com provides a place for veterans and their families to record their experiences with veteran suicide, arkenfreeth.com is about the Arken Freeth series.
Alex and Laura have been married since 1970 and have three children. Alex is an avid outdoorsman, fishing the ocean for salmon in the summer off the mouth of the Columbia River, surfing year round in Oregon and California, skiing in Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah and Canada and hunting elk in Oregon and New Mexico. He also plays blues bass in clubs in Portland with the group, Skeleton Crew.
