About

Welcome to Rob’s Genealogy Journey

What is RAL-II?

Welcome to my domain. My name is Robert A. Locke, Jr. and I have used my initials coupled with the roman numeral two, RAL-II, to represent my interactions with technology since 1981, when I wrote my first computer program on a DEC PDP-11/34A running RSTS/E. And, yes, it was a blackjack game.

My Passions

What drives us? What gets us up in the morning to face each and every day? Some might ask, what makes us, or specifically me, tick? Without getting all Freud, Jung, Rand, or Oprah, I think it is about maintaining passion. I have three passions in my life.

My children

First, and foremost, are my children who continue to amaze me each and every day. They always bring a smile to my face, even when I need to scold them. These two are my future and it looks bright. Echoing the song by Montgomery Gentry, I treasure “one more day to be my little kids’ dad, Lord knows I’m a lucky man.” Now considered adults, I am so proud of what each has become.

Technology application

My second passion has been a fierce independence in the application of technology. This recently finds me employed by one of the leaders of Open Source, Red Hat in their Global Learning Services division. To me, Red Hat is one way to represent the next phase of technological freedom. And, as James A. Garfield said on July 12, 1880, “Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.” So I have become the doorman of the old Chinese proverb, “Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.”

Up until my recent “full-time” employment, this site has represented my business presence on the web. This old content identifies some of my earlier exploits. Of course, being self-employed can find its roots in my first business venture with four dear friends and one celebrated mentor in Olde Darien Associates.

Genealogy

My third passion, which I find myself dedicating more and more time to, is genealogy or family history. I must thank two people for setting me on this never-ending journey. My maternal grandmother, whom I called Mimi, opened the door to her and my colonial roots in Southwestern Connecticut with a gift of her father’s original copy of Spencer P. Mead’s “Ye Historie of Ye Towne of Greenwich” from 1911. She taught me to search backwards through time and enjoy yesteryear. My paternal great-aunt, Aunt Fran, whose tireless dedication in recording the goings-on of her large extended family showed me the importance of tracing back down to the present, locating those “distant cousins”, and sharing the information that I have found. In honor of them both, along with all my ancestors and cousins, please feel free to peruse my family tree.

Welcome

So feel free to come back and visit now and again, or drop me an email. I enjoy hearing from past acquaintances and making new ones.