My name is Gregg Ruppel. I lived  in  St. Louis for most of my life, but I retired in 2013 and relocated to Tucson in 2017.  I am married and have a son and two daughters. I am a graduate of St. Louis University (biology), University of Chicago (respiratory therapy) and Washington University (education). I worked as the Director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory at St. Louis University Hospital for 34 years and retired in 2013.  I serve in several professional organizations dealing with respiratory care and lung function testing.  I am an adjunct professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at St. Louis University School of Medicine.
    I have been interested in astronomy since the early sixties (see the Dedication for my observatory). I have several telescopes, including an AstroSystem Austria N10 astrograph, a Celestron C8 and a Takahashi FSQ 106N.  Until moving to Tucson most of my images were made from my backyard observatory.  I began imaging In 1997 when I built a CB245 CCD camera.  I now use an SBIG STL11000M for imaging.  In 2016 I moved my imaging system to a robotic observatory located at Dark Sky New Mexico near Animas, NM. I also do some lunar/planetary imaging from my backyard in Tucson.   I'm a member of the Eureka Observers Club, the St. Louis Astronomical Society,  Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri (ASEM), and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA).
    My other interests include flying radio controlled model aircraft and scuba diving when time permits - as if astronomy wasn't an expensive enough hobby.