I was born in Beechwood, Alabama, one of seven siblings. My mother, Arthurene, died when I was just five years old. We lived on a farm and it was a meager existence. My dad, Johnny, found it very difficult to support a large family on his limited income.

My dad’s brothers heard of the many opportunities in the auto industry up in Michigan, and soon dad transplanted himself to Saginaw, where he found a good-paying job with General Motors. Because he was a widower, however, he was forced to break up the family, parceling us out to relatives in various places. It is this nomadic existence that defined much of my life, both as a child and as an adult.

My life experiences include my career as a cosmetologist, as well as modeling, theater and music. I lived in Minneapolis, Detroit and the rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan before making my present home in Saginaw.

Mister Happiness was born in 1997, when I was working late nights at a convenience store in suburban Minneapolis and began calling in to the overnight host on the big radio station in town, KDWB-FM. The host said, “We’re going to call you Mister Happiness,” and the name stuck. I continue to do my Mister Happiness “bits” on B-96 FM in Minneapolis.

I have had many ups and downs in my life, and as I have changed, so has the Mister Happiness character. I have discovered (or rediscovered) the meaning of family and faith in an all-caring and loving Lord and Savior.

For several years, I have also been working on a book of my life’s story, including a large chapter about Mister Happiness. Its working title is “A Child’s Journey,” and someday I hope to share it with you here.

And you know this, love!