This beautifully illustrated memoir covers Robert Stobaugh's first thirty-eight yearsfrom a precocious boy attending a two-room schoolhouse in McGehee, Arkansas, to a self-confident, highly skilled young man on the rise. The author provides a colourful view of his childhood in the cotton-country delta town. His hard-working father prospers despite the Depression, and his salty-tongued mother fosters a love of travel in young Bobby, even if that means missing some school. In telling his story, Stobaugh foreshadows his future as a professor, linking business trends and world affairs to events in his own life. He candidly details the careful choices that underlie his success and shares lessons learned along the way. From the frugal budget of the young bridegroom to the life-changing decision to abandon corporate life for academia, we see the attributes that make Stobaugh a man ahead of his time and a good role model for today.