Born 1941 in Harnett County, NC
Served in Vietnam, Marine Corps, 1st and 3rd Divisions
Quang Nam Province, I Corps, Danang, Chu Lai, Marble Mountain
Combat Engineer, Squad Leader, Provisional Reaction Platoon

From the artist:

I returned from Vietnam in October of ‘66 and started art school in the fall of ‘67. From the time of my discharge in February, ‘67 until school started, I struggled with adjusting to civilian life. I avoided the old hangouts and friends I knew from childhood. I found solace in quiet walks along the river and the woods near my home. I probably drank too much and drove a little too reckless that summer, but managed to keep it together.

Art school for me was like a new birth. The feelings I had been unable to talk about with others now expressed themselves through a creative process. I was amazed at the anguish the poured from the depths of my being. The emancipated figures that took form as I worked in wax or clay seemed to draw out and absorb the bitterness and sadness I was feeling. With each piece of work, I felt as if a heavy burden was being lifted from me. By the time I graduated, my sculpture evolved to  more non-objective imagery, but those early works served to exorcise deep feelings that had been counter-productive to getting on with my life.