Hi John,

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures in our lives. Of course, my thoughts are with my father John, who passed away two years ago. My mother’s recent passing makes this the first year that I’ll celebrate Father’s Day without either of my parents.

It’s hard, but my parents’ memory is truly a blessing for me. My father was my role model: as an engineer and defense contractor for over thirty years, he worked on things as varied as the first airbag and components of the space shuttle.

I first learned to love and be fascinated by the idea of building things by tinkering around in the garage with him. He also instilled a strong sense of public service in me, showing me how to use science and technology to serve our country.

Here we are together: