File:Jim Heaphy, August, 2020.jpg
My real (short) name is Jim Heaphy, and that is what I call myself on a daily basis, except when signing legal documents. Many editors do not disclose their real names but I do. If you Google my name, you will learn lots about me going back decades, and also lots about my distant and closer relatives named Jim Heaphy who are not me. My name is not as rare as I once thought. Do your due diligence. For example, my son who has a very similar name is not me even though he is a splendid person. Feel free to ask for clarification, if you are not a troll.
I have been contributing to Wikipedia since June 28, 2009. I became an administrator on July 23, 2017. I am committed to the principles of Wikipedia, including the neutral point of view, and try to improve articles in areas where I have some expertise or interest. I always appreciate constructive criticism.
As a child, I spent many pleasurable hours browsing the World Book Encyclopedia but never imagined back then that I would be an encyclopedia editor myself one day. Despite its problems in some areas, I truly think that Wikipedia is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and am proud to make my own small contributions to this worthy project.
I was born and raised in the Detroit, Michigan area and will always consider Detroit my home town. However, I have spent over 2/3 of my life in California, and am now thoroughly a Californian.
I worked my way through college slowly. I attended City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. I then graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982. My major was Human Relations and Organizational Behavior.
I now live in Grass Valley, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. I am 73 years old, and am a married male with two adult sons. I have been self employed as a small business owner in the construction industry for over 31 years, and have been an occasional freelance writer and public speaker for decades. I am now kind of semi-retired and do paying work only an hour or two a day on average, in partnership with one of my sons who is a great craftsman in high demand, and with my wife who handles bookkeeping and paying taxes. I now handle marketing, advertising, customer communication, sales and job scheduling, and I do all of that proudly.