Old habits die hard.
He had to get up early, check his muskrat and rabbit traps and do chores before going to school in Hendersonville. His family grew apples and some vegetables, and he had a few head of Angus as part of a 4-H project. He was discharged in 1972, then decided to go to Clemson University and major in animal science. He picked Clemson for two reasons. In 1984 he earned a master's in agricultural education.