JOE BRISSON

Explorer • Athlete • Loved One

CHILDHOOD

C

Joe grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan surrounded by lakes. From the time he was mobile, he was fascinated with balls, cars, bikes, trucks, building forts (in the snow and in the living room) and roaming around the neighborhood. When he was 6, he wanted to hang out at a swimming pool. He brokered a deal with his parents: He could go to the pool daily if he would agree to join the swimming team. Reluctantly he became a swimmer

competing in summer leagues, YMCA leagues and AAU competition. He continually tried to beat his sister, Lynn, at swimming, but that never did happen. He also played golf, Little League baseball, biked, built snow forts, ice skated at Eton Park and spent days hanging out with his friends. This continued until he moved to Traverse City at the end of 6th grade. During his early Traverse City days, he took up skiing, soccer and continued to play baseball.

HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE

H

Joe attended Traverse City Senior High School. He graduated in 1984. He headed straight to California but after a few months returned home to attend Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. After trying out a couple different colleges, he saw a picture of the University of Montana in Missoula, MT. At his first opportunity, he headed West and never looked back. Missoula had everything he was looking for—mountains, skiing, a laid back, adventure seeking population along with

a curriculum that he found interesting. He graduated with a liberal arts degree with an emphasis on geography, philosophy and Asian studies. Missoula and the friends he met there allowed him to develop his adventurous spirit. It was in high school that his love of soccer took hold. Later at the University of Montana, his passion for ultimate frisbee unfolded. He carried these skills around the world with him, playing soccer and ultimate frisbee in Taiwan.

FRIENDS & TRAVEL

A

Montana gave Joe the opportunity to explore new territory and adventures, mountain hiking, rock climbing, and camping, in the West that he loved so much. But China opened the doors to worldwide travel, exploring new cultures and meeting new friends from around the world. Joe and Tyson (the closest person to a brother for Joe) started their China travels as students at the Hangzhou University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, PRC in September of 1992.

While there, they managed to bike around China seeing and experiencing the many wonderful sights of China. For the next several years, Joe worked the school year in Taichung, Taiwan teaching English. He spent summers working for Gourmet Girls Catering in Montana with Tyson. Occasionally Joe would return to Santa Cruz for a brief visit between jobs. That signaled party time for the family. We all cherish those memories.