Val Barry was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1935 and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1999, after thirty-four years, he sold his real estate business which included general brokerage, property development and management, and real estate loan placement. Since 2005, he and his wife Julie have enjoyed semi-retirement mostly in Surprise Arizona and presently in Scottsdale Arizona. Devoted to the notion that people who stay young stay vital, he is active in the stock market, writes, and exercises daily. He interrupted his quest to acquire a college degree in order to author "Reflections