My life is the personification of divine intervention.

I was carried into the coal fields in the womb to be left behind. But I was adopted and cherished and blossomed into a meaningful contributor to the betterment of humankind.

Through it all, I have seen what this country is and is not: The claim to greatness and the failure to achieve it. The promise of opportunity and the bigotry that litters the path to it. The hate and greed that pervade society's institutions and the determination to maintain the status quo, ensure an upward climb to achieve and succeed

It is always good to know from whence one came. Some start ahead of the line, some at the line, and yet others from behind the line. It is only after arrival can one measure the distance traveled and the progress attained. Progress by any measure, we trust.

There are as many stories as there are people who have negotiated the is path. This is mine -- my life and the people who had starring roles, featured appearances, cameos, and bit parts -- and the tale begins in West Virginia, McDowell County, the Village of Bishop...