I was born in Hartford Connecticut on September 10^th, 1939, to Josiah and Sidney Swett. We lived at Gun Mill Farm in Bloomfield Connecticut. My Father was a dairy farmer and raised cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens. He planted and harvested crops, mostly to feed his own animals.
 
When I was six he moved the family to Chester, Vermont where he had bought a farm. I have a brother two years older and a sister five years younger than me. I had farm chores from the time I was old enough to hold a shovel, I cleaned barns and fed cows and the horses, weaned calves and was the general flunky. I am old enough to have handled teams of horse, farming, I know how to run a horse drawn dump rake and mow hay. I also know how to plant crops, fertilize fields, irrigate and in general to be a farmer.
 
When I was sixteen Father was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gerig’s Disease).  Then for the better part of two years my Brother and I ran the dairy farm and tried to go to school at least one day a week...
 
Father decided that I was capable of continuing the family venture. He suggested that I take over the whole operation and I told him to stuff it. I know this sounds cruel, but I had my whole life ahead of me. I was not ready to be a farmer. They auctioned off his dream and moved back to Connecticut.  Father died in 1958.
 
I went on to Tabor Academy and graduated in 1958, (they made me take my junior year over again to get up to speed). Tabor was a Naval Honor school and I needed the regimentation. I liked Marion, Massachusetts, it was on the sea and they had a 92 schooner, on which I was crew. I learned to love and respect the sea.
 
I had promised my father, before he died, that I would take care of my Military obligation after graduating. Those were the years of the draft. It was a good promise, because I was out of the Army and missed Vietnam.
 
Off to the Army I went, to basic at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then on to Fort Rucker,
Alabama, but because Warrant Officer School was booked, I got trained as a crew
Chief on tandem rotor helicopters, to be stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia for the
sole evacuation of the Pentagon to the Rock in Maryland, (like top secret during the
height of the cold war). That was cool, because Korea was over and I was gone, before
Vietnam. The 9 cylinder radial engines I was trained on were obsolete and so was I.
 
While in the Army, on leave, I visited Wyoming and fell in love with it. I arranged for a job in Dubois at a dude ranch. In June of 1961, I hired on as a maintenance man and driver. I would go to Gardner, Montana to exchange guests once a week going through Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks, feeding the bears and entertaining my tourists. I learned to rodeo and became a wrangler, hunting guide and flunky.
 
That winter I moved to Big Horn, (outside Sheridan) and wintered Teepee Lodge.
My job was to keep the snow of the roofs of 40 buildings, so they wouldn't collapse
from the weight of the snow. I my spare time I cut and treated coral posts and poles.
It was great; I didn't see anyone again until late spring when the roads opened.
I came back down to the main ranch and planted the first sugar beet crop ever planted in that area. I set up a work program for the youth of Sheridan, working the beet rows. I spent time wintering cattle, calving in the spring, putting up hay and all the good ranch type chores. That was the end of my cowboy days.
 
In January of 1963, I moved to Laramie and enrolled at the University of Wyoming,
to major in Range Management. After a year or so of that I switched to Business
Administration. I was working my way through college, so I was the maintenance
man and a delivery guy for the local laundry. I still found time to get involved in other projects and got married in September of 1963 to Alice. It became obvious that I was not cut out to be the professional student and in 1966 I purchased the local Office Supply Store, Wyoming Stationers.
 
After ten years in that business and three children later, Shane 1968, Alice in 1970,
and William in 1974, I sold out. In six months I became bored and started a construction company, erecting Boise factory built homes in rural places, like on ranches, or retirement homes on river bends, single family dwellings and 4 plexes, in Laramie, Medicine Bow, Jelm, Walden, Encampment and Saratoga.
 
The housing economy faltered in 1981 and I took a job in outside sales for the Office
Products Industry, starting with Champion International, who sold out to McKesson Drug, who sold out to Stationers Distributing, who sold out to Boise Cascade. They are now United Stationers. During that time I developed a territory that went from Denver North to Cheyenne, East North Platte, North to Rapid City, West to Bozeman, North to Great Falls, and South to Jackson, then back to Laramie. I covered this by automobile at least four times a year. With the last transition to Boise Cascade and having been sold to three companies three times  I took a medical leave of absence and didn't come back.
 
I found time to become a scuba instructor, and travel around much of the world, diving in Mexico, the Galapagos, Australia, New Guinea and of course the Caymans, the ABC islands and local lakes and streams. I also traveled to Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and while I was deciding to sell the Office Supply Store I toured Columbia, to name a few. When I got back from my visit to Bogata, Medellin, Cartagena and Barranquilla I was told I has landed in four of the most dangerous airports in the world.
 
Prior to leaving and for health reasons I became interested in herbs and alternative
Medicine. In 1994, I started working on my health, and now I help others. I am a Doctor of Naturopathy, a Master Herbalist, a Certified Nutritional Counselor and a Certified Natural Health Professional, with a little shop at the south end of Second Street.
 
My son, Shane and I started and own A-1 Recovery, and A-1 Towing, A-1 Wrecking and A-1 U-Haul Rentals, in conjunction with Herbal Remedies. We manage to keep this south end of Second Street very busy.  My other son William (Willy) is being groomed to take over my business if I ever retire and or drop dead. I was divorced January of 1998 and am at last free.
 
That is the story of me. It’s really not very exciting. I am not retired and doubt that I ever will be. I call myself semi-retired. I get up at 5 AM every day. I go to the office before 7 AM and leave sometime after 6 PM, Monday - Saturday.  Sundays are mine, but I usually come in for part of the day, to keep caught up on all the paper work.