Person Biography:
Chris was born in England and later immigrated to the United States with his family, settling in Massachusetts. In 1956, they relocated to New York City, where he has remained a resident except for a brief period when he lived in Washington, D.C. as a police officer and labor union organizer.
Chris has had a diverse range of careers, including working as a bar manager and bouncer, adjunct lecturer, bodyguard, undercover investigator in the NYC schools, and civilian operative for the FBI. He also spent time as a Senior Investigator for New York State, a position he held until his retirement in 2013.
After dropping out of school as a teenager, Chris returned to education and earned undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice, Physics, and Forensic Psychology. He also completed a Master's degree in Criminology and has pursued further post-graduate work in a Criminology PhD program. Additionally, he is currently pursuing a Forensic Science MS and Film BA.
Chris has also conducted ethnographic research among motorcycle gang members and has been involved in 40 years of law enforcement, having graduated from three state police academies and received specialized training from the FBI and NYPD.
Aside from his professional pursuits, Chris is an experienced caver, having participated in over 40 caving expeditions across the world, including the Former Soviet Union, the Americas, Oceana, Africa, Asia, Arctic, Caribbean, and Europe. He has also been involved in scuba diving and has spent many hours exploring wrecks off the coast of North Carolina.
Chris is perhaps best known for his work on the story of a group of Jews who survived the Holocaust by living in a cave for over a year. He has co-authored a book, "The Secret of Priest's Grotto," and has been involved in the making of a documentary, "No Place On Earth," about their experiences. He is also the founder of the Priest's Grotto Heritage Project, a genocide awareness project that aims to honor the memories of those who lived in the cave during the Holocaust and prevent such genocides from happening again in the future.
