I was raised on farms around Dexter, Kansas by a wonderful Mother with a strong Christian faith. She raised my eight brothers and I after my Dad was killed in a farming accident when I was 5 years old. I was the only one with him at the time.

My Mother who went home to the Lord in January of this year raised my eight brother and me by herself without the help of the government. She inspired a strong conservative system of beliefs and values in me. I became interested in politics and the process of our republican form of government while in grade school during the 1964 election. I campaigned for Barry Goldwater in our mock elections.