I graduated with a BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois in 1966. Plus, I passed the CPA exam the same year. Worked in the Chicago office for the accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Co from 1966 to 1969. I was a senior on the audit staff.Supervised the audits of major NYSE corporations.

I moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and eventually became CFO of a publicly traded corporation from 1969 to 1976. I handled the financial, regulatory, and administrative responsibilities for the comp...