Chad

About me:

Born in the mid-60's, the young Davies spent his first month in glare of the spotlight and thus became accustomed to living with a fame few in the small burg of Portland, Oregon had yet known. Rescued by his new parents, Hank and Toni Davies, and taken to the bustling metropolis of Ashland, the place as far away from Portland as possible while still be able to claim the God-given privilege of being called a native Oregonian, he spent an idyllic year and a half roaming the green fields of Lithia park and setting infant and toddler world swimming records. Shortly thereafter, the now obscure youth retired to sleepy Medford, Oregon to take up life on Easy Street.

Davies would remain on Easy Street for the next 16 years of his life. He attended Wilson Elementary School where he majored in "Locomotive Rendering and Design" as well as recess. During this time, the child prodigy would begin consulting publishing firms on the United States Space Program as well as begin his quest along the scouting trail. Upon completing six grueling years of study, Davies now found himself preparing to face the gauntlet that was Hedrick Junior High School. While here, he would wore bell bottoms no man had worn before. He would also join Boy Scout troop 14 and rediscover his lost love of the scientific pursuit of knowledge after a brief flirtation with the idea of accepting a position on the United States Supreme Court (much to the disappointment of soon to be President Ronald Reagan). After completing Jr. High with honors, Davies entered the hell known as "The Prison", Medford Mid-High. The school, built shortly after the inception of the dark ages, proved a testing ground for Davies' grit and determination. Finding a shining light in his mentor Richard McReynolds, he began his first studies of physics in the fields of electromagnetism and biology. During this time, Davies found solace in the outdoors, spending every available weekend camping with his troop. In due time, Chad earned the rank of Eagle Scout, was elected to the Order of the Arrow (which he considers to this day one of the greatest honors bestowed upon him), became friends with a truly great man, James A. Savard, his scoutmaster and lifelong associate and gave his life to Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. It was also at this time that he began to be a part of the Medford playtest group for the role-playing game Champions under the direction of the visionary gamer, Jim Landes. Assuming the guise of Flechette, fighter of tyranny and injustice, Chad battled evil in every imaginable form, even if it was only around Jim's kitchen table or down at "Name of the Game". For his last two years of pre-college education, Davies moved to Medford Senior High School, now known as North Medford High. It was here in the rarefied air of the college-like campus that he smelled the winds of revolutionary fervor and demonstrated for the rights of aeronautical engineers worldwide and lobbied for legislation protecting chemistry teachers from goldfish. In addition, Davies' goals in life finally crystallized. He know knew that he wished to teach Physics and Astronomy to the public. In this goal he was inspired by the great popularizer of astronomy, Dr. Carl Sagan. With this in mind, he graduated with honors from Medford Sr. High and embarked upon the first of his two summers as a lifeguard at Low Echo Girl Scout Camp.

Davies began the first steps along the way to his goal at Southern Oregon State College (now Southern Oregon University). Thrilled at being able to return to Ashland where, like Camelot, it snowed only in the mountains and all things were young and new, Davies embarked on a standard course of study that would lead him to earn Bachelors of Science in Physics and Computer Science. In his spare time, Chad fenced for the tourists and measured radon levels in and around 100 homes in the region as part of an Oregon Lung Association Study. Additionally, he served as Student Government Executive Vice-President and Night Manager for SOSC's Student Union thus earning the identities of "Night Man" and the "Demi-God of Stuff". Chad's greatest achievements, however, came under the direction of the physics faculty at SOSC, most notably, Dr. Gordon Wolfe who both molded Davies' mind and introduced him to the joy of microbrewed beer.

Lured to the University of Florida, Davies left the cool mountain air of Ashland for the brutal heat and humidity of Gainesville. Here he became known as "Axion" Davies for his work in the "Temple of Gloom". Escaping its frigid environs, Davies enlisted in the corps of Field Marshall James H. Hunter Jr. as a mere private in the numerical computation division. Under Hunter's expert tutelage, Davies' work eventually was rewarded with the conferring of the coveted Ph.D. in Physics for work in Numerical Modeling of Galactic Disk Systems and a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant. During this time, Davies also recommitted himself to serving the Lord and embarked on a study of scripture that has lead him down a path of love and service. Also, on the Vernal Equinox of 1994, he married his beautiful and talented wife, Kathy.

Upon graduation, Chad answered the call to the incredibly alliterative Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas (you have to say it out loud for the best effect) where he taught Physics, Astronomy, Meteorology, Physical Science, Computer Science, Mathematics and Pool Cue Management. He was creator and Director of the Earl Bane Public Observatory, faculty sponsor for the Cloud Christian Fellowship and Assistant General Manager of "The Thunder behind the Cloud", KVCO. During his time at Cloud, Davies' Engineering Physics class developed the college's first Interdepartmental Ballistic Missile system (IDBM) thereby sparking an arms race that ended only with the signing of the Tactical Arms Reduction Treaty (TART) with the combined departments of the Humanities Division. He was also honored by being selected to Marquis' Who's Who in Science and Engineering and nominated for inclusion in Marquis' Who's Who in America.

Missing the friendly atmosphere of the south and its warmer climate, Davies recently decided to pursue his fortunes in Barnesville, Georgia. Accepting a position as Assistant Professor of Physics at Gordon College, he has joined its highly energetic and professional faculty at the beginning of the new millennium (actually at the end of the last one to be perfectly correct). Now teaching only physics and astronomy, Davies seeks to make the subject interesting and relevant to the students who come to him from a myriad range of disciplines. He has been selected to the Who's Who list of Outstanding Teachers three times. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Davies also advises one of the College's student organizations, Gordon Christian Fellowship, serves on the Faculty Senate as its Chair-Elect, continues his work on bottle rocketry and studies student attitudes about physics and an interesting variety of other topics. When not wearing the hat of an educator, Davies is most often found spinning his wheels on the country roads and dirt trails of north and middle Georgia. Occasionally given over to going fast, Chad has decided to dip his toe into the waters of bicycle racing. Enjoying the sufferfest that is time trialing, Davies has earned gold medals in a number of regional championships as well as competed in the USCF Masters Time Trial National Championship.

If you've managed to make it through to this point I congratulate you. There are a lot of people who helped me get to where I am today, only a few of which I have mentioned in the above tongue-in-cheek narrative. I could not have accomplished anything without God and His unique Son, Jesus Christ, dwelling in me through the Holy Spirit. To all those who read this that are lost and alone in this world, look to Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Light of the World that will guide you from the darkness. Beyond that, I credit the fact that I am still sane and happy to the love of my truly wonderful and talented wife Kathy who has stood beside me though much of Graduate School and my professional career.

Cycling
How long have you been riding for? racing for?	Riding since 2000; Racing since 2002
Ever hit a dog, pedestrian, animal or some other animal?	Nope
Do you shave your legs?	Oh Yeah
Crashed in a race?	Yep
Raced out of the country?	Nope
Won a race?	Yes
Whats your favorite type of race?	Time Trial
Most interesting thing you won from a race or prime.	Kalahari Tea
What do you listen to to get pumped up before a race?	Anything with a rhythm of 100 bpm
What type of rider are you? (sprinter, climber)	Rolleur
Where do you dream of going to ride?	Northern Italy
Do you work at a Bike Shop or in the cycling industry?	Nope
Lance Armstorng or Mario Cipollini?	Ooooo...that's hard...Cipo by a hair
For the roadies, Do you follow traffic laws or no?	Mostly
Group rides or solo?	Solo
How many bikes do you own?	Six
What types of bikes are they (MTN, Road, DH, Track, Beater etc)	2 MTB, 2 Road, 1 TT, 1 Urban Assualt Bike
Favorite part on a bike?	The front triangle
Favorite part on a rider?	The calf
Are tan lines sexy?	It depends on your distance from the bike
What bike magazines do you read?	VeloNews, CyclineNews
Your most interesting ride... describe it...	6 Gap Century...long, hard, steady rhythm climbs
What was your worst moment on a bike?	Getting hit by the semi
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