Professional

Architect / project manager and contractor

Rotary

Joined Norman Rotary on March 16, 2017
Previous Member of the Sunrise St. Thomas Rotary Club in the Virgin Islands

 

Background

 
Joseph first came to Norman in 1963 from Long Branch NJ to procure a degree in architecture at the University of Oklahoma.  He completed his studies in 1970 after taking time off from school to join the US Marine Corp reserve unit at North Base.  Kaye, his wife of 30 years, grew up in Norman and graduated from OU with a degree in modern dance. They have two children Kali 32 and Patrick 24 both where born in Norman. Kali is a Special Ed teacher in Willington NC and Patrick received his masters of mechanical engineering from UC Berkley and works at Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque NM. He has a second daughter from a previous marriage, Lisa Parfitt who is an Occupational Therapist in STT and he is pleased to have three wonderful grandchildren.
 
Joseph operated his own private architectural practice in Norman from1975 to 1986. During this time he was active in city government servicing on the Community Block Grant Committee, was a member and V Pres. of Norman Housing Authority and worked on the Norman Energy Code.  As a result of the hard economic times in Oklahoma in 1986 and together some severe health problems they moved from Norman in 1986 and moved to St. Thomas in the USVI.
 
Over the past 30 years in St Thomas he has worked as both an architect,a project manager and contractor completing projects not only in STT but also St John , St Croix and Anguilla in the BWI.  Joseph has traveled over 2 million miles to such places as Machu Picchu, Peru, sailed in the Greek Islands, for two weeks, completed a 10 days rafting down the Colorado river, traveling 90 miles over 3 days on a dog sled at the Continental Dive, in Wy and finally spending 2 weeks on Safari  in Africa after first stopping at Victory Falls  After all that traveling he is glad to be back home.