About Us

Oregon MacPioneers User Group (OMUG)

The Oregon MacPioneers User Group (OMUG) is a long-running, nationally-recognized statewide, all-volunteers-run community Apple Users Group which, among supporting its own members, specializes in helping other Apple Users Groups. Like all registered Apple Users Groups, we are an independent organization, separate of Apple, Inc. We are also known as a Macintosh Users Group, or MUG (this was the official acronym before Apple Computer became Apple Inc. and expanded its product base beyond computers).

OMUG is based in Corvallis, Oregon, home of the Oregon State University Beavers. Although we do have in-person meetings and individual members, OMUG’s main purpose is to help other Oregon MUGs, and other Apple User Groups — and we do the latter primarily online (sometimes referred to as a virtual group).

Our collaborative-community-minded motto?

“Great minds think differently alike.”

We welcome feedback from other Apple User Groups. You can add your feedback in any Comments posting to any of our blogs here. If you are not a member of an Apple Users Group and would like to find the one nearest you, please visit Apple’s worldwide Apple Users Group site and use the Locator to find one in your state (or other country). You’ll discover that MUGs are made up of folk just like you — friendly, sharing, curious and loyal Apple users.

Tell ’em OMUG sent you.

Officers & Directors

Steve

Founder, President, Events Coordinator

OMUG’s founder and president. Steve has been a dedicated and active Apple Users Group leader for over 3 decades. He’s been a MUG webmaster, editor and magazine creator, writer of all things Apple, and reviews writer before creating the statewide OMUG in 1999. Steve specializes in web-print design, speech technology, communications, ergonomics, creative concepts and photography. Steve served the first 2 terms of Apple’s worldwide User Group Program as UG Liaison (serving 6 states in the NW), taught digital photography online to educators around the globe in Apple’s Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT), and has been an Apple Products Professional and Apple Consultant for many years. He created what is believed to be the first statewide MUG event “MUGshot ’88” in Oregon, which was the inspiration for creating the nationally recognized “You Don’t Know Mac!” statewide annual Users Group celebration and trivia event years later. His first Mac? The original Macintosh (128k). Steve is blessed to be a father of a son who loves the great outdoors, and to live in God’s Country, the beautiful Great Northwest.

Charles

(Technology) Curmudgeon

Charles is OMUG’s official (and lovable) Curmudgeon and Technology Specialist, often providing a major hand in our statewide YDKM Event Day. He and his wife, Janet, are Apple specialists who have been for many years — and continue to be — active leaders in the Portland Macintosh Users Group (PMUG), Oregon’s largest community Apple Users Group in Oregon’s largest city. Charles has been an Apple Users Group leader and Apple Consultant since the late 1980s, is an avid SCSI Terminator collector, and is one of the central figures in establishing PMUG’s famous 3-day weekend for MUG members, MacCamp (previously held in the beautiful state park, Silver Falls Park), a tradition held twice a year since 1985.

Robin

Photographer, Designer, Web Specialist

Robin was a professional web designer/specialist. He is now an accomplished photographer, environmentalist, and chef and coffee connoisseur who loves to take his high-end camera equipment on hikes into the beautiful outdoors of the Great Northwest or when he is shredding the powder on the mountains during winter. Robin has been using Apple technology since childhood; he currently copy edits for OMUG and provides design and photography advice. Robin has been a MUG member for more than 17 years.

Mark

Video Specialist

Mark is OMUG’s video specialist. Mark’s tools include a custom 2017 iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch in addition to his professional video/camera and production equipment. Mark and his wife, Laura, have 3 sons (all 3 sons enjoy shooting professional quality video, too). Mark and Laura are life-long swimmers and instructors. Daniel, their oldest son, uses a high-def camera and underwater housing to shoot while scuba diving, and also swam 4 years for the University of Hawai’i. Nathan graduated from Chapman University with a degree in cinematography and has also evolved into a top-notch wedding photographer. Joshua, the youngest, is a graduate of Oregon State University, and now play by play announcer for the Richfield Raptors, as well as the OSU women’s volleyball team and OSU men’s and women’s soccer teams. Before launching his own business, Mark was an Aquatics evangelist and director for over 36 years (5 at Pepperdine, 28 at the Osborn Aquatic Center in Corvallis, Oregon and 3 at Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea).