“Thomas Russell Figel, born in Chicago in 1946, is the firstborn of Don and Marge Figels' eleven children. After three years in seminaries of The Maryknoll Fathers, he graduated from Assumption High School, Davenport, Iowa and then from the University of Notre Dame, where his fortunate life came to include Nancy Carlin, who would join him as parent of four. A US Army draftee coaxed into becoming a paratrooper, he completed stateside service in Massachusetts. During a public relations career begun in Florida and concluded in Chicago, he used the GI Bill for an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School. With Nancy, he moved from Chicago to Long Beach, CA during 2021. A favorite activity is to fill a minivan with grandchildren and head to the East Coast or Canada for parasitic stays with friends. He regrets the end of a time when young people could hitchhike. He is glad he caught the Sixties. During the mid-70s, he co-founded The Palm Beach County Algonquins. Tom Figel is at work on a new novel.