Background Information:

I wouldn't exist without my parents, and neither would this webpage, so my background page starts with them.

My father is Harold Aryai Siegel.	My mother is Corrine Consuelo Merritt.

I was born on November 16, 1963 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.

I grew up at 16 Maplewood Court in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The house where I grew up was actually still being built while I was in the womb. One corner of the concrete where the carport is has the initials: B S M P K ? inscribed into the cement because my parents knew I was on the way, but they hadn't decided on a name for me yet.

The house at 16 Maplewood Court overlooks Greenbelt Lake

I recall spending many hours fishing for our housecats during summer months and playing ice hockey with neighborhood kids during the winter months on that lake.

Did I mention there are two sets of twins in my family?


Here's all my older siblings and another picture of Brandy & Sandra (circa: 1970) when I was seven-years old.

When we weren't playing down at the lake, we were busy playing touch football in the court in front of our house, playing "Cops&Robbers" (a form of Hide&Seek) during the warm months and riding sleds through the snow down the path at the top of Maplewood court during the winter months.

All in all, despite being an asthmatic child, it was a happy time playing with the other kids.

I attended the old Greenbelt Elementary school located on Crescent road (which was later closed, then restored and converted into the town community center) for my primary education; then I was bused to a majority African-American school called Mary McLeod Bethune Jr. High School, located near the Washington, DC line just because a Federal judge ordered PG County to start busing.


I attended high school at

Eleanor Roosevelt Sr. High School

located in Greenbelt, Maryland.

I graduated from ERHS in 1981.

After high school, I enlisted in the United States Armed Forces. My MOS (Military Occupational Skill) was 24M10 - Vulcan System Mechanic. I didn't last long in the military. I developed acute bronchitis and received an honorable discharge in 1982.

I decided that I needed a change of pace and made up my mind to go West.

I drove my cool blue 1966 Plymouth Barracuda westward... eventually, I ended up in Santa Cruz, California.

As fate would have it, I ended up living in California for seven years.
In 1989, there was a 7.1 earthquake that devastated the city of Santa Cruz.

The house where I was living was condemned as a result of the earthquake.
I took that as a sign to return to the East Coast, feeling that I had overstayed my welcome!



In 1987, I earned an Associates Degree in Journalism from

Cabrillo College

Cabrillo College is located in Aptos, California.
and
In 1989, I earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the

University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC).

UCSC is located in Santa Cruz, California.



My son, Jovah West Siegel, was born in Santa Cruz, California in 1985.

Jovah was on active duty as a soldier in the U.S. Armed Forces and stationed at


Schofield Barracks, Hawaii



Jovah on Military Leave in 2002.


Jovah returned to civilian life in August, 2003 and attended college in Missoula, Montana for a time.

After that, his last known whereabouts was a phone call from somewhere in Idaho.

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