Author Biography
Carl Peter Klapper (b. 1958) comes from an ethnically, religiously and politically diverse family whose American roots include Sherman and Delano ancestors. Early exhibiting musical, mathematical and verbal skills, he learned to read before he turned four, skipped kindergarten and was primarily self-taught afterward. With his father's extensive library as an invaluable resource, he graduated ninth in his class at Yorktown High School in New York, earned his BA in Mathematics at Grinnell College and, after four years as an Industry Economist for FERC, returned to school to earn his MA in Mathematics from Carnegie-Mellon University. His professional career has delved into the areas of mathematics, economics and computer science in various combinations. His artistic development has grown from his early reputation as the singer of the family with impromptu singing and dancing performances for his older brothers' elementary school classes and town summer day camp, improvisations on his grandparents' pump organ and any available piano at home or school, frequent recitations of poetry with some of his own, trumpet instruction from J. Harold Gustafson (a family friend), lead and solo French Horn in high school and arranging some hymns for horn duet. Through his college, early professional and graduate school years, he used proofreading skills honed in his first programming job at BOCES during his senior year in editing the Christian newsletter on campus, in getting letters to the editor and poems printed in various local newspapers, including The Washington Post, and in writing several books. During those years and afterward, he also composed several works of music for which, as for his books, he has only recently begun the process of releasing to the larger public beyond family, friends and church. Along the way, he has also submitted urban designs, receiving an honorable mention and a small prize for a redesign of Ithaca's Octopus which included canals, Ponte Vecchio -style bridges and a port on and around Inlet Island. Also, starting shortly after graduate school, Mr. Klapper has been deeply engaged in raising four delightful, brilliant and creative children who have already eclipsed him in many ways.
