The stories in I've Never Lived in a Chicken House are real. They contain many of the lessons I learned from my adventures and travels in Oklahoma, Alaska, Washington, Missouri, and Arkansas (A few names have been changed to avoid embarrassment).

Mama was my greatest inspiration. Her life was a model of Christian living. She didn't carry religion on her shoulder nor did she push her beliefs on others. She just lived a life of love and compassion. Her life was a picture of how life should be lived.

I was fortunate to live in a time when as a poor country boy, I was privileged to attend an elementary school that started each day with a reading from the Bible and prayer led by our teacher, Lila Standefer. The teachers were blessed with wisdom and the ability to create in us a will to do better. Mr. Brownie Howze was the greatest of all my teachers. He seemed to have a saying for almost everything such as "Your nose ends where the other fellow's begins" and "Smile when you say that."

Coach Roy Gammons, my freshman basketball coach, inspired me to get a degree and become a teacher and basketball coach. My life would not have been the same without the joys I experienced while working with boys and girls during my forty-four years in education.

Take this trip with me as you read about these many adventures. You will laugh and you will cry, but you will be inspired.