About The Author
Dale is a seventy-seven-year-old man who has been happily married for forty-five years. Dale and his devoted wife are proud parents to two sons, Andrew, who is forty-three years old, and Eric, who is forty-one years old. They are also blessed with a six-year-old grandson named Jack, who brings them endless joy.
Dale, the only surviving child of his parents, had two older sisters and a brother who was nine years his senior. Throughout his life, he pursued a career in agriculture, graduating from theCornell University College of Agriculture in 1966 and earned the sixth spot in his class. Over the years, he worked as a farmer, farm credit loan officer, international seed company executive, and specialty peony cut flower grower.
Together with his wife, Dale sold their peonycut flowers all across the United States, with some of their most important customers being located in cities such as New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, and Rochester
Their peonies were recognized internationally. They sold some in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of their customers brokered their peonies overseas. Dale owns a beautiful 225-acre farm a few miles west of Geneva, New York. Dale was fortunate enough to call his family’s farm his home for his entire life. The
property boasts some of the best farmland in the state, as well as an impressive historic Greek revival house constructed in 1847 and an equally historic gambrel barn built in 1889. The view from his house spans an impressive 20 miles to the east, and his deep attachment to the farm is a critical part of his
personal alchemy.
Dale’s mother, a Waterloo, New York native, and his father, who grew up on the Peters Farm just a few miles west of Waterloo, both had a significant impact on his upbringing. The Peters Farm is located approximately seven miles to the east of Dale’s family farm, and the two locations remain closely intertwined through their shared familial heritage.
The author’s parents struggled during the time of Great Depression and World War II. Their aim was to own a farm and run a successful farm business. He was greatly influenced by the transcendental power of flowers. During his childhood, his father would take him to the farms where he grew up to see the wildflowers in the woods and wild daffodils in an adjoining field.
Dale is a Renaissance man and a devoted family man. During his career, he was also interested in classical music, baking, French cooking, giving French cooking demonstrations, teaching French cooking classes, landscaping, designing and building furniture, knitting, and designing and managing the complete restoration of his house
