Born in Gadsden, AL and raised in Tuscaloosa, I received my B.S. degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. After receiving my dental degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 1977, I joined with my dental school colleague, Dr. David Yokley in 1984, locating our practice in the Huntsville-Madison area. This area was attractive because of its high-tech environment, coupled with a traditional Southern lifestyle.

I was born on Leap Year, 1948 in Nashville, Tennessee. At the age of two, my family moved to Florence, Alabama where I grew up. Upon graduation from Coffee High School, I enlisted in the Navy for four years. While in the Navy I had three tours in Vietnam. I left the Navy in 1970 and entered college at the University of North Alabama, where I graduated with a B.S. degree in 1974. I received my D.M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1978.