Contrary to popular belief, it was not the raising of six teenagers that led Don to his love of drama. He and his beautifully befreckled wife Melody live in West Sacramento, California, where the good people of Lighthouse Covenant Church continue to charitably keep him on as pastor.

Once upon a time, a guy by the same name spent 22 years as a sportswriter for The Sacramento Bee, and occasional seasons writing for ESPN’s online magazine. But when a particular San Francisco 49ers road trip became his personal Road to Damascus, that guy found himself in a tractor-beam pull into ministry.

By God’s outrageous favor, part of that ministry has included a gleeful opportunity for Don to write scripts for his dear friends at the former Capstone Theatre Company in Sacramento. And though he insists that his material is not all drawn from his own personality, it’s been noted that he has a particular genius for depicting donkeys, squirrels, and blustery, meat-headed males.