The oldest of seven children, Ron Landa was born in Chicago in 1940 and raised as a Cubs fan in the western suburb of Maywood. He attended several universities, eventually earning a Ph.D. in history from Georgetown University. Since 1973 he has worked as a historian at the U.S. Department of State and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Besides writing poetry, which he began in 2002, he enjoys golf, ballroom dancing, and lawn bowling. Ron and his wife Barb have three children and three grandchildren.