The witty responses of all the characters throughout his life planted a hidden seed that would take years to break ground. As the shy child to his father, the neighborhood singing entertainer and his mother, a member of Avon’s elite Presidents Club, he acquired an ability to observe and take note of the attributes of those in his surroundings. His career as an army soldier, including two combat tours, exposed many parts of the world, adding to his encyclopedia of human behavior. Each predicament etched in memory became inspiring material to express in his poetry.