I just looked up Lee David Zlotoff in Wikipedia and found this interesting little bit of info.

Now I realize that its an uncitated comment, meaning the poster hasn't provided any reference of proof, but it's interesting non-the-less.

Interesting. A real life MacGyver! (maybe)

Reminds me of the origin of Sherlock Holmes- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based him on the meticulous powers of observation that his superior, Dr. Joseph Bell, practiced and instilled in his students.

Hey, that is kind of cool to know...even if it's unreferenced.

Yeah would be interesting to hear what the student philosophy actually was.. and how Zlotoff turned it into MacGyver.