Growing Up In Flower Gap

Born in Winston-Salem, NC, my family moved back to the mountains when my Dad entered the navy in WWII. I grew up in the rural, mountainous area of Flower Gap and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I attended a one-room school for five years before moving to Lambsburg High School with grades 1-12. This school burned in 1959, and I went to Hillsville High School from which I graduated. I was the first in my family to attend college or get a Master's Degree. I became an elementary school principal at the age of twenty-four. I was married after graduating from college, and we had one child. I became principal of two schools at the age of twenty-six. After fifteen years as a principal and enduring an unsuccessful marriage, I changed professions and left my wife to explore other avenues and career paths. I remarried, bought a general store, and settled in a new career with my second wife. We sold the business after twenty-two years. I was elected to the school board in 2004, and we were partners in a tax preparation service; I began selling life insurance and Medicare Supplements in 2008. This book is a collection of stories to depict different times and situations I have encountered throughout my life as I grew up in Flower Gap, and how this impacted my life right up to this day. Growing up on a farm and apple orchard taught me responsibility, good work habits, and a closeness to God which served me well all the days of my life.