BackStory begins with a clarification of what identity is and a description of its existential impact on organizations. Part One: My life, takes the reader through the beginning development of Durbrow's identity. In his seemingly unrelated experiences existing in the poorest family in wealthy Pebble Beach, learning to be an accomplished horseman, and becoming an all-league tackle who was captain of on an undefeated high school football team. This led to a college football scholarship where he became engaged in college rowing, which led to participating in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His horsemanship then led to a few years as a Hollywood stunt performer, before returning to college where he flunked out of UC Berkeley. He was drafted, as the war in Viet Nam heated up, became an army first lieutenant and was eventually sent to the University of Nebraska to earn his bachelor's degree. While in Nebraska, he was hired as assistant to the president of a Fortune 500 agribusiness. The president gave Durbrow a first-hand look at strategy and sponsored his admission to the Harvard Business School. An insightful finance professor gave Durbrow encouragement to build on his humanistic, intuitive and aesthetic approach to addressing business issues. This sent Durbrow on a search for a place where his unique skills would be useful and valued. It led to a position at a small
branding and design firm, based in San Francisco named Landor Associates. Durbrow thrived at the firm, eventually becoming the vice chairman and managing director of what became the world's largest identity practice at the time. Durbrow became the identity strategy advisor to General Electric, Caterpillar, Boeing, Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM/UA, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, the Nobel Prize Committee and the World Wildlife Fund, among hundreds of other successful organizations. At fifty-nine years of age, Durbrow married for the first time to an extraordinary horse woman with two children. His son,
Brandon is now coaching the crew at UC Berkeley, while his wife, Lisa, and his daughter, Cyd, run a successful equestrian
facility in Novato, California. His marriage and children have completed Durbrow's identity and his reason-for-being.