I was born in New York state and reared-up in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri. My father was the “Norman Rockwell” country doctor, my mother, a devoted housewife and mom.

When I was five my loving sister, Salle Anne, came into our lives. We lived in the neat little farm-to-market village of Russellville, population: 336. I have fond memories of our modest home. We were the quintessential “Ozzie and Harriet” family, typical of that place and time. I remember the seemingly endless barefoot summers…