His mother was Vesta Virginia Bowman, one of the founders of the Long Beach Women's Committee for the Philharmonic Orchestra. While attending Jefferson Middle School his family survived the 1933 earthquake. Fortunately, the earthquake struck just after his classes let out. His mother made soup for the neighborhood in the front yard of their Loma Avenue home, which had been damaged. He went on to attend and graduate from Wilson High School. He was very active in sports and set several records in track and field. He remained a lifelong sports fan, especially of track and field, boxing, baseball, and football.