Peter Decker has had a varied careermerchant seaman, army officer, war correspondent for the Associated Press in Vietnam and Laos, college professor, rancher, and government official. After receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia University, he taught American history at Barnard College and Columbia, and public policy and history at Duke University. Since his permanent move to Colorado in 1980, Decker has served on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and as commissioner of agriculture under Governor Roy Romer. He is the author of various articles and two other books, Fortunes and Failures and The Utes Must Go! Currently, Decker is a director of the National Western Stock Show, and he… continues to operate his cattle ranch in Ridgway, Colorado.