I asked questions on a LUG list and on
debia...@lists.debian.org .
Suggestions tended to lead to a two pane file manager.
Having followed multiple chains of links caused me to rethink my work
flow simplifying use of my current file manager (Caja).
Long term, I'll pursue a two pane solution.
A chain of links led to 'filerunner'
[
https://sourceforge.net/projects/filerunner/].
I've downloaded it and am closely reading the documentation to chose
which options to initially chose.
Usage appears to be intuitive - at least for my work style.
It is intrinsically highly configurable.
It is written in Tcl/Tk allowing/encouraging further customization.