I was born on September 30, 1944, in South Carolina as the middle child in a family of three. At the age of four he suffered a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed on his left side. Shortly , thereafter, my parents relationship became turbulent, and eventually he left the family after the birth of my younger brother. Raising three small children alone required a lot of effort from my mother, and she performed this by working two jobs; and until her passing in 2006, her children remained to be one of her top priorities. My adolescent years were spent in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was there I dropped out of the 9th grade and begin a life of petty crime, which landed me a two year term in a federal training school in Washington, DC in 1960 for car theft . It didn't take long to adapt to the customs and lifestyles of the urban youth my age. By the time I was released in 1962, I was so fascinated by their behavior and conduct, and this was the city I had come to love and the one I came to called my home. I was arrested for several crimes and spent time in three prisons in Lorton, VA. Then, drugs invaded the inner city, and that changed everything, especially me. At first I became a drug dealer, and later became addicted in 68, and five years later, I was arrested for murder in the state of Maryland and sentenced to life. Prison can be a living hell, but it can also be what one makes it. Here , I earned my GED and went on to received two college degrees. Until my release in 2013, I was the long-term Director of a youth program broadcast on the A&E Network, Beyond Scared Straight, and over the years had the privilege to talk to more that 10.000 youth and young adults. In addition to my book being published in 1992, I have several published articles to my credit. I am a writer, counselor, youth mentor, and involved in prison ministry. I refused to allow my past to determine my future, and when I was released through the court in 2013, I left better, not bitter.
