The author
James Patrick Hutton
James Patrick Hutton has enjoyed two full careers—first as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy and later as a senior administrator in post-secondary education.
He joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1968 as an electronics technician and served aboard several Canadian warships, including HMCS Assiniboine, HMCS Saskatchewan and HMCS Huron. He was later selected for commissioning and earned a Bachelor of Science from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Through the Navy's postgraduate training program, he earned a Master of Science in Applied Physics from the University of Victoria and continued his studies in systems engineering. He rose to the rank of Commander and served in senior engineering and headquarters appointments, including work associated with Canada's naval shipbuilding program.
Following his military career, Jim moved into post-secondary education, eventually serving in senior administrative roles including finance and administration and college services. Across his working life, he developed a deep appreciation for the people who helped him learn, adapt and succeed.
In 2014, after a multifaceted 46-year career, he retired and returned to his hometown of Owen Sound, Ontario. Retirement has been anything but quiet. He continues to write, restore vintage radios through Old Fidelity Restorations, research issues important to veterans and his community, and reflect on the lessons he has gathered throughout his life.
Roadblocks & Relationships brings those experiences together not as a prescription for how young people should live, but as an invitation to think about how they might respond when their own road takes an unexpected turn.