I was born many years ago in the small ranching and farming center of Sweetwater, Texas. During my childhood my parents, who still live in central Texas, helped run various ranches in the region between San Angelo and Big Spring in west Texas. As children, my two brothers and I learned how to ride a horse, handle a rifle, and hunt and fish, and we had a great time growing up. About the time our fun would have turned into hard work on a ranch, the family moved to Portales, a small university town in eastern New Mexico, and the country life was over.

After graduation from high school in 1956 with a National Merit Scholarship, I attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, receiving my B. A. degree in English linguistics and Religion, and later also completed a year of postgraduate study of the Greek and Hebrew languages. I worked for Dun & Bradstreet for a year, then returned to college to obtain a public school teaching credential. I taught for a few years in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas, took time out to earn my M. A. degree at New Mexico State University, and then began 20 years of teaching in California.

During all these years I had a consuming interest in thoroughbred racing, and spent uncounted hours trying to learn more about the breed. In 1988 I left teaching to join the fledgling Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, which Jack Werk had founded the year before. There I served as senior pedigree analyst, associate editor and monthly columnist for Owner/Breeder Journal, and was an original member of the Owner/Breeder dosage committee. I continued there until 1993, when I left to devote full time to research and writing on Thoroughbred topics.