I'm related to Caroline's husband Moïse. Moïse's great grandchildren are my 8th cousins. They descend via Moïse from Nicolas Marcot, who arrived in New France in 1667 with his brother Jacques who is my direct ancestor. Former PM Chrétien is actually much more closely related. he is my 4th cousin, once-removed. His great great grandmother was Louise Marcotte, the sister of my great great grandfathers Antoine Marcotte and Benjamin Marcotte. My great grandparents Archille and Caroline were both Marcotte (2nd cousins).

I'm 52, live in Oklahoma with my wife of 19 years, and two children (ages 8 and 5). My grandfather was born in Kansas to a French Canadian family who had traveled with others from Quebec to an area called "Little France" in and around Bourbonnais, Illinois. My great grandparents, lived briefly in Bourbonnais before moving to Kansas. My grandparents came to Okalahoma (then Indian territory) at the time when the land was being given away in land runs (as depicted in the Tom Cruise\Nicole Kidman movie "Far and Away"). My grandmother was also French Canadian - Lena Moisant (a descendant of pioneers Daniel Moisan and Louis Hebert). My father (Leonard) died in 1999, but my mother Helen is also 78.

I grew up in Oklahoma, studied at the University of Oklahoma and received dual degrees in French and Economics. I left to perform my military service from 1973-1976 (in Germany), then returned to Oklahoma and completed a Master's degree in Business Administration. I then worked for Andersen Consulting (now = Accenture) for five years in the Washington D.C. area, before once again returning to Oklahoma to marry, and to become Information Systems Director at the University of Oklahoma Foundation, where I have worked for the past 19 years.

My wife and I travel outside the U.S. extensively - mostly on vacations - and have been to over 30 countries.

Four years ago I wrote and published my first novel, a sideline which I hope to resume once my children are a bit older.

Michael