Robert Angel was born and raised in small-town Western New York State. After eight years of international travel and military service, he spent a decade in New York City, earning several degrees at Columbia University. Then on to Washington D.C. to work in international relations. Mainly on Japan's political economy and U.S.-Japan relations. He joined the University of South Carolina as an entry-level faculty member in 1986, retiring at the end of 2008. He's lived quietly since with his wife, writing and RV camping when he can at South Carolina's beautiful state parks.