1947

My mother was born in Waco Texas and was raised  by my Granny, Jennie Mae Kirkpatrick. At the age of 20 she gave birth to me and three years later she gave birth to my sister. When I was ten my mother married my sisters dad. Shortly afterward the wedding we (three adults and two children) were on the road in my moms Monte Carlo; u-haul in tow on our way to Oakland California. Within a year my mother had left my step father. My Mother did an outstanding job raising me and my sister. My mother made sure that both my sister and I were very active in the church (Sunday school, vacation bible school, youth choir, youth usher board...). We were also very active in extracurricular activities. My sister was a cheerleader and I was a basketball player; and we both excelled scholastically in school. We were what folks called "good kids:. At the age of 18 I went to college and started to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. Within two years I was smoking coke in Oakland viciously. Around this time my Mother was diagnosed with diabetes.My drug use broke my mothers heart. At the age of 24 I went to treatment in Berkeley and cleaned up my act. Once again my life was back on track.