Dr. Stan Kegel

Dr. Stan Kegel didn't invent the Kegel exercises, but he does exercise his readers' laugh muscles while splitting their ribs and their funnybones with his daily humerus e-mailings on punny and funny subjects. Stan, who is returning for his 10th year as a Pun-Off judge, was honored as Punster of the Year in 2000 by the International Save the Pun Foundation and is a well-loved member of the PUNY Yahoo Group. Autographed copies of "The Ants are my Friends" a book of musical groaners co-authored with former judge, Richard Lederer, are available during at the event.

Jim Ertner

Jim Ertner will be retiring in September after 41 years in the Navy shipbuilding business. He figures that, like the NASCAR driver whose wheels wore out, it's finally time to reTIRE. Given today's economic climate, Jim thought about doing some part-time work in retirement as a bankruptcy agent: but it's a fate worse than DEBT, and it requires MONTH-to-MONTH resuscitation. His wife suggested he could always just work in the backyard and grow a flower garden: but he doesn't want to be a PETAL pusher, and he doesn't think he can forget the past and rely on the FUCHSIA.

Jim has competed in the Punniest of Show seven times, winning three of them (one first place and two second place medals). All of the winning
topics were animal-related. Coincidentally, Jim is the author of SUPER SILLY ANIMAL RIDDLES (out of print) and the co-author (with Richard
Lederer) of THE GIANT BOOK OF ANIMAL JOKES (available for sale at the O.Henry Museum, on http://www.amazon.com/, and from the publisher
http://www.stoneandscott.com/

Alan Combs

For the less relevant professional material, Alan Combs has taught in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas since forever, or 1970 - take your pick. The difference becomes smaller each year. Always exhibiting a lot of heart, he teaches cardiovascular pharmacology and toxicology. His current interests include the use of educational technology for teaching toxicology. In the virtuous world, Second Life, he is known as PunGently Writer.

In the Realm of Punsmanship, a kingdom inhabited by shaggy canids and related varmints, Alan and his son Brian maintain a website devoted to the genera, "Tarzan's Tripes Forever" http://www.awpi.com/Combs/Shaggy/.    It contains over 2,000 entries and a Google search engine to peruse the cumulation.  In honor of this collection, Alan was named Punster of the Year (P.O.T.Y.) for 2004 by the International Save the Pun Foundation. Few academic activities have given him the pleasure of this award and he continues to be thankful.

Jim Gramon

Surely you aren't gullible enough to believe the biography of a professional liar, but here goes.  Jim Gramon is an author and liar. 
Two of his best friends are Kinky Friedman and John Kelso.  That should tell you all you need to know ... and some of this bio is even true!  
Jim is a first-time judge but has been in our audience as long as we can remember.  http://www.jimgramon.com/    

David Arnsberger