Sheri was born in San Jose, CA on December 18, 1963 and lived her whole life there until going away to San Luis Obispo, CA for college. Her parents are Stewart and Marilyn McCarroll who now reside in Athens, Texas running their 70 acre ranch of registered Brangus cattle. Sheri's older brother Mike teaches 6^th grade in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Sheri's older half-sister Tara is recently married and living in Houston, Texas with her husband Carl.

Sheri excelled in school early on and skipped a grade. She was on the student newspaper, played piano and the flute, was an all-star softball player and was on the swim team and tennis team. But her true calling was running which she started when she was only 15. She went on to become a star in high school and ran in college. In college, Sheri majored in Computer Science and was an intern at the IBM Santa Teresa Labs in San Jose, CA.

I met my wife Sheri in 1986. We both worked for IBM in San Jose, CA - it was our first jobs out of college. I first noticed her while watching her play softball. My friend was the coach of her women's team and I was talking with him and watching their game when the opposing team ripped a dying liner down the third base line. The blonde third base woman made a shoestring catch and then immediately fired the ball across to first to double off the runner. "Damn! Who's that?" I asked my friend.

Being shy, I first communicated with her via Email. We passed notes back and forth for a couple of weeks before meeting for some tennis. Sheri is also an accomplished tennis player and it was a standing joke of her roommates that Sheri couldn't date anyone she could beat in tennis. Many guys asked her to play tennis as a non-threatening first date. She walloped them all. But I wasn't a neophyte in tennis. Though not outstanding, I did letter three years in high school and was one of the better players at the IBM plant (10,000 employees). I held my own with her and just edged her out (6-0, 6-1). Hence, I passed my first test.

We ended up being partners in the Watson Trophy Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament. I of course encouraged lots of practice so that we could be together. We won every practice match and then the tournament. We were 20-0. Our first official real date was just before winning the tournament.

We dated for a year and then moved in together. On her birthday in 1992, I proposed. We were married outside in 90-degree heat on June 26^th, 1993. We honeymooned in the Canada Rockies.