Picture taken in 1983 on a European climbing trip. Matterhorn in the background.
I still look about the same and haven't grown any more hair!

Where It All Started

I was born in Utica, NY (See map in Pages) in the late 20's and have lived in the area all my life except for two periods in the U. S. Navy in 1945-'48 and 1951 when I was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. I now live in a small village called Bridgewater. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Utica. Utica is in central New York in the Mohawk River valley. The Adirondack Mountains are to the north, the Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous United States. Although there are villages located within the park boundaries, the park is a vast wilderness area which provides excellent opportunities for climbing, skiing, canoeing and white water kayaking.

I attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY and studied Metallurgical Engineering. I worked for Special Metals Corporation (SMC) and Homogeneous Metals Incorporated (HMI). I retired from HMI in 1992. It is a division of Pratt & Whitney which is a member company of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC).

My Family

In 1958 I married Natalie Terrill of New Hartford, NY. We have two children, Heather and Curtis. Heather was born in 1963 and manages CENTAUR GRAPHICS a printing brokerage business along with her husband Carl Wurzer. They live near Union Bridge, MD. Curt was born in 1965. He works as a Telecommuter for Sabre Holdings of Dallas, TX as a principle applications architect responsible for architecting components for the next generation of their airline pricing and scheduling system. He is married to the former Shannon Newcomb of Maine and they live in Freeport, ME. Both children attended the Rochester Institute Of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY. Curt has a BS in Computer Engineering and Heather a BS from the Printing Department in Color Printing Management. Natalie has Bachelor and Master degrees in Art Education from Syracuse University (SU). Syracuse, NY. She taught in the public school system.

My Interests

I have many interests and belong to several organizations in which I am very active; Rotary International, National Ski Patrol, The Tri-County Personal Computer User Group (TCPCUG)  and The Masonic Fraternity. I am a member of the Sauquoit Rotary Club which is in Rotary District 7150. I was president of the club in '91-'92. I'm a Paul Harris Fellow and a Rotary Foundation Benefactor. I have been a member of the National Ski Patrol since 1966 and patrol at the Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY and I'm a member of the Snow Ridge Ski Patrol. After 37 years I retired from active patrolling at the end of the 2002-03 season. I was a Ski Mountaineering and Avalanche instructor for the National Ski Patrol. I'm a member of Western Star No.15 Masonic Lodge in Bridgewater, NY. The Lodge was Chartered in 1797 and is the third oldest Masonic Lodge in New York State. Natalie and I are active in The Chamber Music Society of Utica.

My outdoor activities have moderated the past few years except for skiing. My major climbing accomplishments include Mt. McKinley (6/3/81) in Alaska and Mt. Blanc (7/11/83) in France. I am an Adirondack "46er" (#884) and have climbed many of the major peaks in the US. I am a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and a charter member of the Iroquois Chapter. I still do some white water kayaking at moderate levels. My wife and I still go on canoe camping trips.

Francis A. Combar, 15 Mill St., PO Box 97, Bridgewater, NY 13313
Voice & Fax: 315-822-4392, Cell: 315-723-8855
To send me Email, click Mail Box 

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Site updated November, 2006.