I grew up on my family’s farm west of Shelby, NC. We lived next to my Grandma and Grandpa Brooks. Both of my Grandfathers were chicken farmers.
My earliest memories are spreading shavings in the chicken house, feeding and watering chickens, watching Grandpa Humphries grade eggs, hoeing weeds in the garden, picking vegetables and fruit, and playing with my cousins.
My dad worked for NCDOT. He started out swinging a bush axe and retired as the Division Roadside Environmental Supervisor.
When I say I have been involved in public service for the majority of my life it is literally true.
My dad taught me many things; the importance of having a vision, that it takes hard work to meet your goals, the value of working as a team, and the importance of setting priorities.
Dad’s priorities, which I try to live up to daily, where simple … God, family, and serving the citizens of North Carolina.
In 1984 I married a lovely young lady, the former Mercedes Smith daughter of Marlene Smith of Kings Mountain.
We chose to make Kings Mountain our home.
Up until then I had only known Kings Mountain as the city with all the traffic signals that thank God had finally been by-passed by the highway.
But that soon changed as we attended the church we were married in, First Baptist, which led to friendships that have lasted up to this day.
Our family grew to four in the early 90’s with the birth of our children, Deanna and Jon.
New additions have come along as well, our son-in-law Kaleb Webb, and two beautiful grandchildren, Madilyn and Luke.
We bought the home we still reside in on Sharon Drive in 1990.
We have called Cleveland County home for our entire lives and I don’t see that ever changing.
