~ Biography ~

By the time I started to work for the Memphis Press-Scimitar in 1977, I had become interested in the cards I was getting from people I met and photographed. I began to store them in a three ring binder.

The cards intrigued me for a number of reasons. First of all, some of the people were famous, or perhaps infamous would be a better term for some. Secondly, the cards were grand examples of the latest in graphic technique and I have always been interested in graphics and printing. Finally, I was fascinated by the simple but effective way they communicate.

I began to wonder if there was anyone else"out there" who shared my interest. For years I had felt all alone. So, I went to the library and looked through a book of associations and found two listings for business card clubs. Although neither were still active, one of the contacts directed me to Darrell Christopher and the American Business Card Club.

I am still fascinated by business cards. Like many collectors, I started with a passion for any and all cards. Over the years, my interests changed and I have narrowed my collection to mainly old cards and cards from any era which are odd or unusual. I also have a large collection of photographer's cards as well as many from newspapers and magazines.

There is much more than just cards in my collection. I also have

Jessie, Bug and Jack

catalogs from business card printers and a few books on the subject. I have articles about the cards and about collectors. In fact, my collection of information is becoming larger than my card collection.

Currently, my wife, Jessie, and I operate a photo studio in our hometown of Water Valley, Mississippi. Of course, we couldn't get along without Bug, official studio greeter. (Sadly, we lost Bug in 2002. But, we keep the picture up in her memory.)

One of my other interests is railroad history. Our town was an important point on the Illinois Central Railroad for many years and John Luther 'Casey Jones' worked between here and Jackson, Tennessee.

They tell me Casey had a card. But, I haven't found one yet.