I was born on a small farm in Jackson County, Oklahoma.   My interest in mathematics began a bit later as a student at the Putnam City Alternative Learning Center in Warr Acres.  

 After studying at the University of Chicago,  the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Washington,  I earned a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Mathematics.

I completed my PhD in Mathematics at the University of Oklahoma under the joint supervision of Profs. Alexander Grigo and Nikola Petrov.