I researched several universities, looking for an excellent MFA program in Sculpture. After visiting five of them, I selected Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, directed by Tom Walsh. Even from the beginning, the level of sculpture produced there, the facilities, equipment, and individual studios that were provided were the most professional I had found. This, however, only set the stage for the students Tom accepted into his program. I loved it. It was a sculpture boot camp. The challenge was exhilarating and hard. Tom liked it that way.  Tom pushed his students to be the best, to think beyond where we were in our personal work, take it seriously. It was a journey that formed me.

I had a studio at the Glove Factory.  I arrived and left, primarily as a fabricator.  I learned the casting process.  The foundry served as a facility for casting work of established sculptors from outside the school.  The assistantships that were provided for the MFA students were jobs as well as a valuable teaching opportunity for learning the many aspects of the casting process.