Bio

Hometown:	Hot Springs, AR (now) Avinger, TX (childhood years)
School:	University of North Texas
Employer:	Retired Realtor

I grew up in East Texas and the little Country Church we attended was called Mims Chapel. The greatest joy of my young life was listening to or singing with quartets who came to Mims Chapel on the last Sunday in May for an
all day singing. The ladies of the community would prepare a feast and serve it on long tables in the church yard.
One year a memorable addition to the feast was ice cream provided by the landman for Mobil Oil Co. That summer he was visiting every royalty owner within a 640 acre tract of land to encourage them to place their royalty with
Mobil.

Can you imagine a better way to get people to feel as if he were a good friend than to stand in the hot sun
dipping ice cream for an hour or so. Surely he had blisters on his hands when the day was over, but he also
had the good will of the people of the area and was welcomed into their homes the following week to discuss business. That was my first lesson in marketing.

In Hot Springs we have many of the famous quartets stop over on Thursday nights for a concert enroute to a much
larger venue. Hearing this music today is still the greatest joy of my life. I am so happy to see so many
young men and women have chosen this music as a career.
It is comforting to know that the next generation of
Americans will be able to hear these wonderful songs.