James B. Battles is a native of Ohio. He did is undergraduate work at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio majoring in history and political science. He was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy upon graduation. He served four years on active duty during the Viet Nam War. After completing active duty, he pursued graduate studies obtaining a Ph.D. at The Ohio State University. Dr. Battles pursued a career in medical education and was a professor of Biomedical Communications and medical education at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas Texas. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve obtaining the rank of Captain before retiring. His reserve unit was recalled during Desert Strom, in Gulf War I. While at UT Southwestern, Dr. Battles began to specialize in patient safety research worked for the federal government at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland before retiring. He is the author of a number of professional journal articles book chapters and monographs in the area of medical education and patient safety. Since his retirement he has been devoting time to publishing family history and genealogy works. Captain Battles continues his love of the sea from his Navy days by sailing on the Chesapeake Bay as often as he can. He has also chartered sailboats in the Caribbean where he served as skipper. It is this connection to sailing sloops that makes the maritime heritage of his Bogardus ancestors so interesting to him given his Navy background.