Introduction

Growing up in a small West Texas town during the middle of the Twentieth Century was a very special event. A person’s success was measured by his initiative and ambition, and his dreams could become reality. People were measured by the size of their hearts, rather than the balance of their bank accounts. Jails outnumbered criminals, and churches outnumbered liquor stores. It was a time of high moral values and personal freedoms that will likely never be seen again. This was the time and the place that I was born and spent my youth.

During the summer of 1945, I was six years old. While sitting on the wooden, back porch of Grandma’s house, I watched a brief, summer rain shower pass and leave its signature: the sun was shining against the silver-rimmed clouds, and it formed a beautiful rainbow. I could see that one end of the rainbow touched a small valley behind the house. I had heard the saying, “At the end of the rainbow lies a pot of gold”, and I rushed to find the spot where it touched the earth. To my surprise the rainbow moved each time I came near, only to reappear some distance away. I could pursue it, but I but it always stayed out of my reach. It was an object of beauty that I could never grasp or hold.

Chasing the rainbow was my goal for the first twenty years of my life. I discovered that the riches that I sought were not material things: they were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I found that there was no pot of gold, and my journey would never end. The first twenty years were gratifying, and I knew that it was a learning experience that would continue throughout my life. I hope to share mine with you. We all have rainbows in our lives: I hope that you are pursuing yours.

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