I was born in Sandpoint, ID my parents (Albert and Alice Klakken) lived in Noxon, MT. A few years after I was born, my parents moved to Superior, MT where my father worked as a surveyor for the State of Montana and my mother was a homemaker. When I was about 12 years old my father died of a heart attack and my mother, two sisters (Karol and Theresa), and I moved to Dillon, MT. My mother attended Western Montana College and earned a degree in Education. It was during this time my Mother met Dr. Gordon Knorr (a local veterinarian practicing in Dillon and Beaverhead County). My Mother married Dr. Knorr and he became my second Dad. I graduated from Beaverhead County High School in 1974, and I attended Montana State University in Bozeman, MT to train to become a veterinarian. After about a year, I discovered attending college was not for me so I took a couple of years hiatus and started working at Pfizers (now known as Barrett Mineral) to plan my future and save some money for school. During this time, I decided that being a veterinarian was not for me but Physics allowed me to express my enjoyment of science and mathematics. Also during this time I met and married my wife, Renee Hren. She was born and raised on the family farm south of Dillon which was started in the 1930s by her paternal grandparents. Renee and I both attended Montana State University together. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and I earned my Bachelor of Science in Physics.
I enjoyed the field of Physics so much that I decided to go on and earn my Master and Doctorate degrees. I applied and was accepted in the graduate program at Washington State University where I graduated in Physics with both a Masters and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D).
After graduation, I was hired by Hercules (a rocket manufacturing company in Salt Lake City, UT, now known as Alliant Techsystems) where I worked for 12 years studying explosives and the use thereof in a rocket motor. My wife and I decided that we wanted to again live in a smaller community around family so we moved back to Dillon (1998) and started a computer and bookkeeping store named Aces Inc. In 2004, I wanted to serve my community so I ran and won a Council position where I served for four years. In 2009, I signed up and ran to be Mayor of Dillon but after a close race I lost but tried again in 2013 and I won. I went on and served two terms as Mayor (2022). After my second term was over, I decided to semi-retire.
After a brief rest, I decided (with my wife’s agreement) to run for Montana House District #70 to represent Beaverhead County and a smaller region of Butte-Silver Bow County. I believe that I have the practical knowledge of how the Government works (or supposed to work), and the time necessary to effectively represent District #70 in the Montana House of Representatives. Experience makes a Difference.