Hamilton, John M.: - John Hamilton was born in 1951 in Millbury, Massachusetts. From as early as he can remember, he had an unusual attraction to the wilderness. Even as a boy, most of his free time was spent fishing, hunting, or exploring the woods. He joined the United States Air Force in 1973 and served as an Air Traffic Controller for 18 years until he was honorably discharged. During that time, he served globally but spent most of his time in Northern Maine, where he qualified as a Master Maine Hunting and Fishing Guide. He also became an accomplished long-line backwoods trapper and pilot. It was in Northern Maine that his love and respect for the wilderness and the animals that inhabited the backwoods inspired him to begin telling nurturing stories about magical animals to his three children. Mr. Hamilton earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Aviation Management and taught as an adjunct faculty professor for several universities. In 1994, he researched, designed, built, and patented a remarkable new in-vessel composting unit to enable livestock industries to turn their waste liabilities into a profitable revenue source. After his tenure with the USAF and his time spent in the private sector as a multi-national businessman, Mr. Hamilton returned to Federal Service. He retired from the Department of Homeland Security as an Immigration Officer in 2021. Although his active participation in trapping has primarily given way to nature photography, he remains an avid outdoorsman to this day.