About Us
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to all things Mac! Users of all ages and abilities are welcome. Get the latest information on the newest technologies. Learn insider tips and tricks. Tame the latest Mac OS and iOS, as well as your Macintosh computer, iPod, iPad, iPhone and other devices. Get to know your fellow Apple device Users. Share a tip or trick of your own. Learn how to "wow" your family friends with your own website and photo galleries! Discover the world of online video chatting.These are just a few of things that we do in PMUG while cultivating some wonderful friendships.
OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS
(use the Contact Us form to send email to any of our board members)
President: John Acquavella
John Acquavella “semi-retired” to Prescott in late 2014. Prior to that, he worked for Amgen Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in California, where he developed and led their clinical epidemiology department and worked on the research and development of pharmaceuticals for chronic kidney disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease. With his retirement from a corporate PC environment, John switched to the Apple ecosystem to facilitate his scientific and personal interests. He joined PMUG in 2015 as part of embarking on a very steep learning curve with Apple devices. John approaches Apple devices from the user perspective, as do most PMUG members. John’s focus as PMUG president will be to orient the clubs activities toward helping the average Apple device user get the most our of their devices.
John completed his PhD in epidemiology 3+ decades ago focusing on cancer research at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York. He works about half-time as a professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Aarhus University in Denmark, as an editor for the journal Annals of Epidemiology, and as a private consultant. In his free time, John enjoys reading (mysteries, scientific fiction and non-fiction), staying fit, gardening, collecting/savoring wines, and bible study/teaching adult Sunday school.
VICE-PRESIDENT: Frank Croft
Frank began his adult life as a pilot in the Air Force, and it wasn’t until he studied for his Ph.D. did he begin to understand and work with computers. He began with punch cards on an IBM mainframe, and graduated to MiniComputers like the DEC PDP and VAX, then into Unix Workstations. At one point in his life, he had 5 different Unix workstations in his home office and a PC to show off his company’s digital image processing software, but since the mid-80s, his daily work was done on a Mac. In 1992 he bought Apple’s first laptop, and has upgraded to a new generation 9 times. He added the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple TV and the Apple Watch to his personal computer environment as they were released.
From 2004 to 2017, Frank began and ran the Mac User Group on a Gulf Island in BC where he lived. During that time, Frank also operated an All Apple Training and Consulting business helping islanders with their Apple environments. He passed on his love of Apple products to his daughter, who stood in line for 8 hours in San Francisco to buy the new iPhone X. He is happy to be living in sunny Prescott where he can continue to help Apple users.
SECRETARY: Jim Romaine
Jim Romaine relocated to Prescott from Phoenix 17 years ago. He has used Apple computers and devices for 12 years. He enjoys exploring the more obscure features of Apple devices in order to teach others about them. He also enjoys Apple Music and plays songs from his devices almost every day. He has been a member of the Prescott Mac Users Group for about six years.
TREASURER, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR and Newsletter Editor
Sharon has two children, a daughter who lives in New York City with her husband, and a son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters who live near Baltimore.
Sharon enjoys traveling, reading, OLLI classes, quilting, hiking, Zumba classes, and spending time with her granddaughters whenever possible.
She bought her first Apple device in December 2013, and joined PMUG in 2014. She has a MacBook Air, an iPhone, and an iPad Air.
Past PRESIDENT and PMUG AMBASSADOR: Sondra Bradshaw
Sondra became a member of PMUG in 2010.
Getting the opportunity to be PMUG’s President for 2 years from 2015-2017 was one of her coolest experiences ever. That’s where the friendships in the club really strengthened and grew.
Planning around PMUG calendar events is a real pleasure. “I do not want to miss anytime we can get together and talk Apple.”
Starting off with my very first computer. A Mac desktop in 2003. It was the half basketball style. It was way before she knew about PMUG and it was a hard beginning to personal computing. Getting answers to computer questions was just not happening. And, finally in January 2010 PMUG was found!
Moving to Prescott in 2007 my family upgraded to a new iMac 27” Desktop, and a MacBook Pro laptop. Adding 3 iPods, one of them a shuffle. Soon an iPad Air came along and finally a iPhone 7 Plus. The Apple devices are so synchronized it is a pleasure to go from one device to another.
“Once I found the club, I has missed very few meetings. Finding friends who have the same passion for all the Apple devices has become a focal point in my activities.”
The wonderful people who join and participate in the club feed my soul with their friendship and everyone is so willing to help those of us who come with questions and computing mysteries. Thank you PMUG family with all my heart.”
Member at Large, PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR: Deborah Neff
Deborah spent most of her adult life in Ohio. She started her career in sales after graduating from college. Her last employer was bringing computers to the field sales force. Her company computer was a Kaypro 2000 laptop and a portable dot matrix printer!
She was then hooked on computers. She left her sales career and went back to college to obtain a computer science degree. Her first personal desktop computer was a Gateway. Her first job was help desk and later she was promoted to network administrator. She stayed in that field until health issues required her to leave the workforce in 2009. She has been retired since then.
She was weary of all the issues with Windows and Android electronics, when. a friend introduced her to the Apple world and she switched out her equipment for an iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro in 2010. For traveling, she purchased a MacBook Air. After several trips to the southwest, she discovered how much better she felt in the desert climate and in 2017 came out on a house hunting trip to Prescott. The cross country move west was in January of 2018. She joined PMUG in November of 2018. She has since added a HomePod, Apple TV and Apple watch.
Member at Large: Bobbie Pastor
Bobbie Pastor was introduced to computers in 1998, when Kimberly Clark put in the first terminals on the production line. Bobbie retired from Kimberly-Clark, Fullerton California, after thirty-three years of making Kleenex, paper towels, toilet tissue, diapers, napkins, and Kotex. She even worked in the shipping department, loading railcars and truck trailers with paper goods well into the wee hours of the morning. She was ready for a new life!
When, in 2003, Bobbie was still working all three shifts in any given week, she decided it was time to bid Kimberly-Clark adieu. She visited Prescott back in 1991 and remembered the quaint town square and how she would like to live in that town.
Bobbie’s first computer was a Gateway in 1999. Her Washington friend urged her to buy an Apple. But, she was afraid she couldn’t find anyone locally, that could help her with an Apple product. As it turned out, no one knew anything about a PC either.
After a couple of agonizing years of dealing with Microsoft, she bought herself an iMac for a retirement gift in 2003. That was the one that had half a basket ball with the tensor light coming out of the top. She moved to Arizona, to the town she once remembered visiting, and found the Prescott Mac User Group.
At the second meeting of the group, she was “nominated” PMUG Secretary and held that position for 15 years. She has seen the group grow and prosper and is very happy to be a part of a club with so many nice people.
Bobbie enjoys being just a Board member now. She has time for her gardening and sharing her life with her American Staffy – Roscoe. She loves learning how to use all the Apple products and helps people with the basic use of operation with the computer.
Member at Large and WEBMASTER: MARY ANN CLARK
Mary Ann has used Apple computers since 1979 when she and her husband Art bought their first Apple II. Today she owns an Apple laptop, an iPad and an iPhone (or as she says, papa bear, mama bear and baby bear) as well as an Apple Watch. Never having been a programmer, Mary Ann uses her electronics in her work and various volunteer positions.
Early in her career, Mary Ann worked as a technical writer producing computer user manuals for everything from large mainframes to desktop computers. Most of those materials were printed although just as she was leaving the field, embedded help files were beginning to replace dead tree books. Leaving that work she went back to school to earn a PhD in Religious Studies. She claims it took her so long to earn an advanced degree because she had to wait until she could do her research and write her dissertation using her trusty Macintosh. Mary Ann has published several speculative fiction books and has taught in the Religion and Philosophy Department at Yavapai College. She also volunteers at Manzanita Village the local co-housing community, the Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC), and her local church where she often ends up doing computer work because she can. Check out her website at Dr. MaryAnn’s Academy.
Legal Stuff
PMUG Bylaws Updated April 17, 2023
Contact Us
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