Ralph is a native of Chicago, IL. He attended Knox(Lombard) College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he majored in Philosophy and Religion. He did graduate studies in the History of Religions and Ministry at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He has a Master's degree in Elementary Education and pursued doctoral studies (ABD) in Curriculum and Philosophy of Education, also at the University of Chicago. He taught at the Baker Demonstration School in Evanston, IL and at the Laboratory School of the University of Chicago. In addition to his elementary teaching experience Ralph has served in professional administrative positions in graduate and post-graduate medical education, (Portland, OR, VA Hospital; Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland); emergency management training and education; (FEMA) and in adult education programming with the National Endowment for the Humanities; (Howard County MD, Library).

Ralph and his wife, Karleen, have three grown children and three grandchildren. They have been a part of the Unitarian Universalist fold for more thirty-five years. (Evanston Unitarian Church, Evanston, IL; First Unitarian, Chicago, IL; and the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church, Lutherville, MD, where Ralph was ordained as a Parish Minister in 1999.)

Ralph has served as interim minister at the First Universalist Church, Orange, MA; the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta, Ohio; and as consulting minister with the Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church, Delafield, WI. He has also been a hospital chaplain at the York Medical Center, York, PA and at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.

Ralph enjoys gardening, photography, fold music and cooking. He and Karleen are avid bicyclists and hikers, and love camping in Wisconsin. They live in Stoughton.