My Dad. I started out in 1972 with a real old Practiflex that my Dad used in the 1950's and 60's. The camera body had a habit of breaking down on a regular basis, so I saved some cash and bought a new Kowa SET-R2 (which, BTW, turned out to be another less than reliable camera body). I wound up getting a Pentax Spotmatic soon after and used that and other various Pentax cameras until 1982 when I got my first Nikon F.
From the start, Dad taught me B&W darkroom work. On a visit with family in Milwaukee in 1973, one of his brothers got us both into doing all of our own color.
By the time I got out of high school, I was shooting weddings and portraits with a Yashica Mat 124G and a 4X5 Crown Graphic (using a 6X9 roll film back). Looking back, if I knew then how much I really DIDN'T know... I'd have been absolutely terrified!
I joined the Army after a year of college and continued to freelance (weddings and portraits mostly) during my ten years on active duty. When I got out of the service, I got a gig working in video/television production for the Army, still doing a lot of freelance work on the side. Being on an ENG/EFP crew was a lot of fun, but after ten years of lugging TV gear, my knees and back decided that I would be better off staying with still photography. Considering I regularly haul an 8X10 Calumet "Green Monster" around, there hasn't been THAT much back and knee relief! My current day gig is very cool, I'm the staff photographer at an Army Project Manager office, plus I handle all of the electronic graphics and administer the video teleconference network for the PM. The downside is the base where I work is slated to close in a couple of years...