Don , a.k.a. "Bigsky Rat", was born and raised in north Seattle, Washington, graduated with a Bachelor's degree (Physics/Math. - 1968) and a Master's degree (Math. - 1972) from The University of Washington.

During his graduate studies he worked as a purchasing agent for a small medical supply company in Seattle. That "temporary" job lasted nearly fifteen years. When well into his 30's, the "itch to massage my logical skills propelled me back into the world of night school" learning computers and computer languages.

In 1986, he sought the "greener pastures" of Boeing as a buyer. Sometimes, however, greener pastures just aren't. After 3+ years, he moved to Boeing Computer Services to design software. He left Boeing during the hi-tech bubble of the 90's to hire on as a contractor at Microsoft, working as a lab rat on Office 97 and Windows 98.

In 1999, Don moved with his wife to the Flathead Valley of Montana, near Glacier National Park, after she accepted a teaching position at the high school in Kalispell. He has lived in the valley ever since. Though no longer married, he and Catherine remain fast friends.

During the creation of TurboCrib, Don's background in mathematics and computer antics brought a logical framework to the game. Many ideas were tested as the game expanded and he oversaw the field testing to see what ideas logically worked and were thus worthy of inclusion. Additionally, he prototyped the board and peg sets in his home woodshop (garage, actually) and those efforts came to define today's TurboCrib package. He still makes specialty items when the mood hits.

Don's other passions include music, reading, the outdoors, and 34+ years of rabid racquetball (less rabid now than before), many of those years in league with "The Rats" of West Seattle. He shares his world with four cats on 10+ semi-wooded acres just beyond Kila in the heart of southwest Flathead Valley. (2011)