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My Father. My dad grew up during a very tumultuous time in our recent history. He was born the son of a farmer, in a small community known as Vanoss, Oklahoma. Vanoss was a small rural community near Ada in southeastern Oklahoma. He grew up at various locations around the state of Oklahoma, but predominantly in Oklahoma City, and at Hess near Altus in southwestern Oklahoma. He began running his father�s moonshine stil near their rural home at Hess when he was 12 years old. Prohibition came along when he was in his teens and he and his father made additional money to support the family by making and selling illegal liquor. In 1933 they bought two identical 1932 ford roadsters to use in the distribution of their homemade liquor. Things went well for a while but as with most illegal activities eventually the odds catch up with you, as they did with his father George. George was sent to the US Federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma for manufacturing and distributing alcoholic beverages in about 1934 or 1935. He was only there fortunately for approximately a year, while Gene tried to be the head of the family in his father�s absence. Upon his father�s return he left the family home and went to Dallas Texas, and got a job with Sears Roebuck & Company. In June of 1936 he married for the first time in Dallas to Alma Taylor. That marriage would end 11 years later, during which time he would have a daughter born and not survive and be blessed with a son, and also be drafted into the United States Army to fight in World War II to preserve the independence of his family and country. After returning home from his tour of duty in Europe his marriage began to crumble, and by late 1947 it had become almost an intolerable situation. It was at this time that he began to take notice of a young lady co-worker at Sears. I recall my father being a very strong and brave man, one of his favorite sayings that always gave me great comfort was, �there ain�t nothing comin thru that door any meaner n me�. I remember him taking us go-kart riding in the evenings after he got home from work. 1