About the Author Rolland Haynes was born in the midst of the Great Depression in the Missouri Ozarks. In fact the Great Depression did not affect him as he tells it. Where he lived was always in an economic depression. His family were fiercely independent hill people who used the niggardly resources from the Ozark hills to survive. They were no strangers to moon shinning, bootlegging, and making their own rules to survive. Haynes received a B. S. in Education from Southwest Missouri State College, at Springfield, Missouri, a Masters of Arts from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, Missouri. He attended Arkansas State for graduate credit, and Memphis state for post graduate work. He studied at Inter-American University at Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico. Most of his employment has been in public education. He taught social studies at the secondary level, and at the college level. He has also worked in educational administration and curriculum. He raised a family that was ethnically and racially diverse. He was an active advocate in the civil right movement for several years. Currently he resides in McAllen, Texas.