Steve and Francie brought their family to Kansas twice. First when Steve was a student at the Command and General Staff College and later when he was getting ready to retire. They have been Kansas residents for over almost thirty years and their children have attended local public, Lutheran, and Catholic schools. Steve is shown here reading to his grandchildren.
After the Army Steve started his own business which grew to fifteen employees and worked with corporations nationwide. When the 9/11/01 attacks happened Steve closed his business and went to work as a military analyst and trainer for Northrop Grumman supporting the Army. Two of the children joined the Army and are still serving on active duty and in the reserves.
Politics is an important part of Francie and Steve's life; they have been precinct captains and district and state party delegates as well as strong supporters of conservative candidates. In 2004 Steve began his campaign for the Kansas Senate because it was obvious that local interests were not being properly represented and the Senate had become an obstacle to reform and progress. Despite fierce opposition by entrenched Democrat powers and a large Democrat vote in parts of Wyandotte County, Steve has come very close to winning on two occasions. Redistricting has changed the composition of the district and made it much less Democrat.
Steve did not just run for the Kansas Senate, he helped other candidates, worked as a delegate to the state party, got elected as the treasurer of the state party, and served on the local school board as vice-president. He co-founded and is co-chair of The Leadership Series, which has trained over eighty men in community and political leadership. He has also been active in several church, civic, and veterans' organizations.
