Several interesting things I have done:

  Co-owned and operated a mail order company which sold jazz CDs and videos (no longer in business)
  Co-hosted a gay-oriented public access television show called Gay Fairfax (also edited and produced segments)
  Belonged to the Ohio State University Marching Band for five seasons; performed in the Rose, Orange, Sugar, Gator, and Liberty Bowls, two pro football games and one baseball World Series game
  Participated in Gay Games II (San Francisco, 1986) as a band member, then 20 years later participated in Gay Games VII (Chicago, 2006) as an athlete (swimming).
  Performed at Hollywood Bowl, Davies Symphony Hall (SF), and Constitution Hall (DC) with Lesbian & Gay Bands of America
  Ran in a marathon (time: 3:28:57)
  "Conducted" the cannons in an outdoor performance of the "1812 Overture"

If you'd like to send me an e-mail, please feel free to do so. My address is davehughes@nospam@cox.net
(Remove the "@nospam" from the address before sending your message).

If you are someone I have known from some earlier time in my life, I'd be particularly delighted to hear from you.

A somewhat lengthier auto-biography...

I was born a middle-class white child on February 24, 1957, in Springfield, Ohio. Except for a six-year stint in nearby Xenia (the town is most notable for being struck by one of the most massive, destructive tornadoes in history in 1974 - 2 1/2 years after we left), I stayed in Springfield until I graduated from high school. Springfield is a typical, mid-size, blue-collar, tranquil (alright, boring!) mid-western city. It's a nice place to be FROM, if you know what I mean. My main interests during various phases of my youth were competitive swimming, HO slot car racing, and music. My passion for music continues to this day, as you'll see.

While I was in third and fourth grade, my mother forced me to take piano lessons. I hated it. Actually, I enjoyed the music itself, but I hated being forced to do something, and practicing my piano lessons while the other boys in the neighborhood were outside playing ball did nothing for my macho-cool quotient, which was definately below par. But when the school band program began in fifth grade, I chose to play the trombone, and I was immediately glad I had the piano experience. While many of the other students had to learn to read music and count rhythms, I knew that already and could concentrate on excelling at trombone. In sixth and seventh grade, motivated by dreams of becoming a rock star, I took guitar lessions, which I paid for with my own money. In high school, my guitar training enabled me to pick up the electric bass, which my high school jazz ensemble needed. I have stayed with trombone and bass ever since.

In junior high, I began to develop a passion for jazz. Charles Johnston, my junior high band director, and Tom Billing, one of my high school band directors, formed jazz ensembles which met after school and devoted a lot of time and commitment to these groups. I started buying jazz-rock and then jazz albums, and starting in high school I led and arranged music for my own bands and began playing in weekend dance bands. I continued playing in jazz combos and big bands until 1995. I have also amassed an extensive collection of about 1300 records, 3500 CDs, and several hundred cassettes, and at least 100 videos (VHS and DVD), mostly jazz. My love of jazz also spawned a business venture, a jazz CD and video mail order company called Shipped Discs. It lasted four years and we did make money at it, but my partner and I ultimately closed it because it took up too much time for the money it was making.

Playing (and listening to) music has brought a great deal of pleasure, self-confidence, wonderful friends and wonderful events into my life.

I attended the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in Computer & Information Science and Accounting. Actually, though, I majored in Marching Band. I was in the famed OSU Marching Band (also known as TBDBITL: The Best Damn Band In The Land) for five years, which I count as one of the highest points of my life. In addition to playing in five college bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Gator, Liberty, and Rose), two pro football games, and a world series baseball game, I made many wonderful friends. Perhaps most important, I learned the value of very intense, goal-driven hard work and commitment, and savored the resulting fulfillment and success. I belong to the TBDBITL Alumni Club, and returned for the annual alumni band reunion three times. We actually get out on the field and perform part of the pre-game and halftime shows, including the Script Ohio!

It was during my college years that I slowly recognized and came to terms with a significant part of my personality. While I had dated several very nice, lovable girls during high school and into college, something wasn't quite right. After having a succession of crushes on male schoolmates, bandmates and roommates (starting back in ninth grade, really), I finally, at the age of 21, acknowledged to myself that I am gay. I didn't really begin to act on this knowledge until I was 24. My coming out process was very slow, safe, and was for the most part not too traumatic. My parents, siblings, and most of my straight friends (only a few notable exceptions) have responded to my gayness very positively.

Following graduation, I worked for a year and a half in Columbus, then two years in Dayton. In the spring of 1984, I sought a transfer to the Washington, DC, area, where I lived very happily for 11 1/2 years. During this time, my career took many interesting turns, including being a programmer/analyst, a customer support representative, and a software instructor/course developer (my forté).

During my years in the Washington area, I enjoyed an exciting social life which included, at various times, DC's Different Drummers (a lesbian and gay marching and concert band), the Lesbian and Gay Chorus of Washington (I even directed it for half a year), MCC Rockville (a lesbian and gay Christian church), Take Note! (an a cappella jazz/pop ensemble - not gay-oriented, if it matters), Gay Fairfax (a public access TV show on which I co-hosted, produced, and edited), and the Capital City Big Band (in which I played trombone, occasionally subbing on electric bass).

In April, 1987, I began a relationship with a wonderful man named David.  We bought a house together in Annandale, VA.  In the fall of 1995, we quit our jobs, sold our house, left a wealth of wonderful friends behind, and moved west to sunny Phoenix, Arizona.  We had grown tired of winter, heavy traffic, and high real estate prices of the DC area and were drawn to Phoenix's warmer climate, lower prices, and natural desert beauty.  To this day, I love living here, and regard the decision to move here as one of the best decisions of my life.  Unfortunately, in August of 1999, David and I broke up after 12 1/2 years.

In June, 1996, I accepted a job at Intel Corporation, and have been there ever since.  For the first 2 1/2 years I was a trainer, but I have been a software engineer for the past eight years.  For the past three years, I've been a first-level manager and have enjoyed the challenge of adding management competencies to my skill set.  Since the day I started with Intel, I have been active in Intel Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Or Transgender Employees (IGLOBE), as well as being involved in various diversity teams at Intel.  I've become quite passionate about GLBT workplace issues as well as workplace diversity in general.

In the spring of 2004, I met a wonderful man named Jeff.  It was an interesting spring, and the journey of building our friendship and that turning into officially dating is an interesting and bizarre story (way too much to go into here), but we became engaged on July 18, 2004!  We got married twice!  We had a ceremonial wedding for all of our friends and relatives in Mesa, AZ, on August 13.  Then we flew to Vancouver and got legally married on August 18.  Following five delightful days in Vancouver, we took an all-gay Alaska cruise for our honeymoon.  Visit www.daveandjeff.com for the full story and lots of pictures.

In January, 2006, Jeff and I bought a house together in Chandler, and we moved in March.  We've had a lot of fun unpacking, buying stuff, and making the place our own.

Still with me? Wow - either I spin a fascinating story of an intriguing life, or you are incredibly bored, but either way, thanks for allowing me to share my life with you for a few minutes.

If you would like to read my annual "year in review" webletters, please visit:  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006
(I'll fix the broken picture links and upload 2004 soon!)

(c) 2007 David R. Hughes. Last modified 01/07/07.