>
 |
The First Thirty Years
I guess I shall begin by telling you a bit about myself... It all started back on  VALENTINES DAY on a cold snow covered
morning in 1960.
I was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky (home of the world famous Gold Vault). As a child, I grew up in Vine Grove, KY.
It is a small town offering plenty of wide open spaces for an adventurous kid to roam and explore.
As a child growing up, I led a pretty unremarkable life. My biological
father was a loser and a deadbeat dad. My second father also couldn't
handle the pressure of raising two kids and family life and soon started staying
out after work. It wasn't until I was ten that I got a REAL Dad. His name was
Andrew and I'll always remember my Mom getting his picture out of the car and
showing it to my sister Debbie and me. He was an Army sergeant brave enough to take on
the challenge of raising two kids that weren't his own. I am proud
to say that he is still around today and has been a very supportive
father and a beloved papaw for my children. Soon after Andy and Lucy
married there were to more additions to the family, my sister Sheila and my
brother Troy.
My mother, Lucille, spent most of her time as a homemaker. I remember taking my daily naps with my Mom running her long fingernails down my back as she read me a story. I also remember that she possessed a passion for rearranging the furniture and keeping a spotless house. I give her the credit for making me the dishwasher that I am today. After all the housework and chores were done we would travel to our relatives' houses and spend most of our afternoons at Grandma's and the cousins house. My grandma would send my sister and me out under the shade tree to eat our salted tomatoes and ice cold tea. It was there that we would watch the trains traveling up and down the tracks. Some of my fondest memories are growing up with my cousin Craig. We spent most of our free days discovering life in the woods, playing on the train tracks, wandering in and around the creek beds, running over the cemetery yard, crawling under the town drainage system and climbing on top of the old downtown buildings. As we grew into adolescence the adventures shifted to riding our trail bikes (mine Kawasaki, his Suzuki) over the back roads and farmlands of Hardin County and the Fort Knox Reservation. It was through all these years of competitive challenges that I developed my strong will for competition and outdoor adventure.
My Likes and Dislikes
|
Even though I was born on an Army base and spent much time around the reservation, I was not your typical "Army Brat".
My family chose to stay in one place when my father got his overseas orders.
Therefore it was in 1973 when my father received his orders for Germany, that we moved to Radcliff, KY.
It was there that I would remain until I turned 20. Just in case you haven't heard already,
Radcliff is rumored to be in the record books for the most fast food restaurants per square mile.
A nice place to live if you like fast food!
My life would be considerably more bland today without
the joy of music. I truly wish to thank all the musicians of the
world. My musical interest began with my parental influence of my
parents. Their choice included the likes of Loretta Lynn, George Jones,
Conway Twitty, Dolly Pardon, Johnny Cash , and Mel Tillis. Of
course back then I didn't care much for it but it did have an influence on my
adult life. Granted, country music today is much different than the
music of the sixties and seventies, but I still enjoy country music
stars such as Dwight Yokum, Clint Black, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McIntyre, Alan
Jackson, Faith Hill and an occasional David Allen Coe.
When
asked my favorite time of year the answer is always Summer. The reason
being is I love the water and the opportunity to go boating. My
father -in- law has a seventeen and a half foot Glastron runabout that the
family all enjoys during the warm weather season. It doesn't hurt
that the kids get a real thrill from riding with the wind through their hair
and an occasional splash in their faces. There is hardly
nothing that I would rather be doing than cruising the lake or riding up and
down the Intercoastal Waterway. Even though I don't own a boat
presently, Robin and I have long entertained the idea of obtaining our
very own. We dream of traveling the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterways
during the day and resting the night in our cuddy cabin.
It wasn't until a chance wrestling scuffle that summer in the pool locker room that my fortunes changed. It just so happened that 
Another very important person in my life at that time was my matmaid sponsor and business law teacher, Ms. Bishop. It was from her advice and assistance that I finally got enough courage to enroll in college.
She often times tried to guide me in making the correct life decisions and was a ear that would listen to all my troubles. Plus, she is a warm and kind person. Even today, we have kept the friendship fires burning after twenty two years.
