About Me

I have always been curious about the world—and willing to see where the road leads.

I was born on June 7, 1948, in Rochester, New York, the son of Howard Elmer Hendee and Virginia Phelps Hendee. I married Joanne Jarvis on September 4, 1971, and we have shared more than five decades of life, family, travel, and adventure.

My adventurous nature appeared early. When I was four years old, a friend and I decided to stay on a city bus rather than get off at school. We wanted to see where it went. We ended up downtown Rochester, fascinated by the buildings and people—and completely lost. Fortunately, one of my mother’s friends recognized us and helped get us safely home.

Looking back, that little adventure may have been a preview of my life:

Get on the bus, see where it goes, and figure things out along the way.

I was never particularly interested in traditional schooling, but I loved learning by doing. I became an Eagle Scout at 15 and later a Quartermaster Sea Explorer. I learned navigation, earned my FCC license, and developed a love for the water and travel. In 1966, I sailed from Brooklyn to Bremerhaven, Germany, aboard the USS Rose as part of the American Sea Explorers.

After graduating from R. L. Thomas High School in 1967, I joined the United States Navy. My service took me to Vietnam and to many other parts of the world, including Japan, Thailand, Australia, Alaska, and the United States. Those experiences taught me that seeing the world is about much more than visiting places—it is about meeting people and understanding different cultures.

After returning home, I reconnected with Joanne, the girl who had lived across the street from me years earlier. We married in 1971 and built our family together.

My career eventually led me into the printing, graphic arts, and computer industries. I worked for Eastman Kodak and several Rochester printing companies before discovering the Apple computer. That interest became a career during the early personal-computer revolution. I worked with Apple II and Macintosh systems, electronic publishing, and graphic arts technology for companies including TRANSCAT and Case-Hoyt. Eventually, my career brought me from Rochester to Miami.

Today, Joanne and I are retired and enjoying our family, travel, and life together. We are proud parents and grandparents, and our family continues to grow.

These days, much of my time is devoted to Hendee family history and genealogy. I am fascinated by where our name came from, the many ways it has been spelled throughout history, and the people who carried it before us.

This website is part of that continuing adventure. It is a place to preserve family history, share what I discover, explore technology, and perhaps leave something meaningful for future generations.

I am also still playing bass guitar—and I still enjoy technology.

After all these years, I guess I am still on that bus.

I am still seeing where it goes.