Skynyrd, Nelson, Seger…They’ve all claimed to be “the” travelin’ man. Nelson even claimed, “I’m a travelin’ man. I’ve made a lot of stops all over the world. And in every port I own the heart of at least one lovely girl.” Ummm, jerk? But seriously, we at Answers.com have the true travelin’ man – GRALISTAIR. This worldly contributor and Supervisor of complete awesomeness has visited and slept overnight in every state of the USA and hopes to set foot on every continent in the world. You might think this is a lofty, indulgent goal. But considering that GRALISTAIR has traveled in and out of more than 120 airports worldwide, it’s just a matter of time before this goal is realized. Watch and see! In the meantime, learn more about this trekker…read on!
What is your Answers.com user name and the history behind it?
My real name is Graham Alistair Howarth. My father calls me Graham Alistair rather than Graham – so GRALISTAIR is just a “contraction” of that.
What is your age?
53
Would you care to tell us about your family?
Wife is wonderful; three daughters (all English) one married (to a Scotsman) and they live in Ireland; three grandchildren – all Irish.
Do you have any pets?
NO – wife is asthmatic and pets trigger an attack.
Where do you live, how long have you lived there and why do you like the area?
Dalton, Georgia – lived there one year. Mountain View, close to Atlanta but also close to Chattanooga, Tennessee and about two hours from Smokey Mountain National Park. Only five hours to Savannah, Georgia and six hours to Florida. Add to that sexy southern women and great southern food and what is not to like? Before that 10 years in Kansas City, Missouri and before that 42 years in Northwest England.
Where did you grow up and do you have any special memories of your childhood?
Grew up in Preston, Lancashire, Northwest England. All memories are special but waving my father off to work when I was two is good.
What educational information would you like to share?
First degree in Chemistry, 2nd degree in Material Science and Engineering with Mathematics and Technology, Master of Science with Distinction with prize for student of the year from Imperial College London and Diploma.
What are some of your past or present occupations?
Basically a scientist/chemist some college teaching of Masters students at Imperial and then senior management of chemical companies.
What are your key areas of knowledge, interest or expertise?
Chemistry, Materials Science, Technology, Corrosion Science and Engineering; some physics and mathematics and computing.
Do you have any collections or hobbies?
Reading history books. TRAVEL, TRAVEL AND MORE TRAVEL. Trying to visit every US national park, every state capital and many more plus European and other cities. Traveled in or out of more than 120 airports worldwide.
What do you like to do for recreation?
Travel – mainly by plane but also by car and boat.
What are a few random facts about yourself?
In early 2011, I will have visited and slept overnight in every state of the USA. I absolutely love public speaking with a passion.
What accomplishments are you proud of?
That I am a technical editor of two scientific journals and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. I am also a guest lecturer at Imperial College London, a world class university.
What are your special goals or dreams?
To set foot on every continent and to fly over both the North and South Poles – that won’t be easy.
How would you describe yourself or personality?
Outgoing, quite extrovert – a people person. I like people.
What brought you to Answers.com?
I was doing some research for something at work (chemistry) and I came across the site; sadly a wrong answer, but it was eventually corrected. I answered certain questions and my online demeanor must have attracted the attention of other Supervisors who nominated me.
What keeps you coming back to Answers.com?
I have acquired a huge amount of knowledge across a range of disciplines, and I love sharing this with the community.
What is your favorite Answers.com activity?
It was answering questions but these days I do quite a bit of editing and also deleting obscene and other stupid inflammatory answers as soon as I see them.
