IAm Clyde Haggard

When I was 31, I wanted to be different, but tattoos were out, so I grew a black handlebar moustache. It was useful because it kept my audit clients a little off-balance until we got to know each other.

My wife and I have always been interested in meeting people from around the world. Since retiring 11 years ago, we have traveled an average of 30,000 miles a year. Before we could afford to travel, we hosted travelers through U.S. Servas, a nonprofit, nonpolitical system of hosts and travelers whose goal is to promote understanding among cultures. Over nearly 40 years, we housed about 300 travelers from 28 countries.

I’ve also always loved pyrotechnics. So, when I was 51, I became a senior pyrotechnician. For 15 years, on July 4th, I produced fireworks displays with large, hand-lit fireworks — no computers involved. You’d be surprised how fast your adrenaline flows when you’re only a few feet away from a thousand explosions. 

I’ve worked as a computer scientist, software engineer, and accountant, but internal auditing was always the most fulfilling. The skills I learned have followed me throughout my career and personal life.