Barbara J. Johnson, the fifth of twelve siblings, was born during the mid-1950s in the southern-most part of the United States. Her earlier years were spent performing very cumbersome, often tormenting, manual labor to help earn a living raising farm animals and staple crops (cotton, soybeans, cane, and corn) on a family-owned farm established by her fore-parents (Reverend John Wesley Elam, Sr. and Mary Heard-Elam) during the early 1900s. She completed the requirements to march with her class and graduate (a young mother) from high school by studying American Government via a tutor employed with the Mississippi State University at Oxford, Mississippi. Afterwards, she earned a diploma in Payroll Accounting & Psychology granted by Draughon's Business College in Jackson, Mississippi, with further studies in Psychology & Computer Science at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Barbara received a Bachelor of Science Degree (BS) in Management with an undergraduate in Clinical Psychology from Park University, Parkville, Missouri. The University of Managements & Technology (UMT) in Virginia holds her Master Degree (MD) program studies in Project Management. In 2003, she received the honor of a "Certified APDP Level-III, Federal Acquisitions Professional" from the United States Air Force via training accredited through the Defense Acquisitions University (DAU), Virginia; Systems Acquisition School (SAS), Texas; and the United States Air Force Institute of Technology, Ohio. She also trained at Fort Lee Army Base, Virginia; and Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Barbara's career began with the Yazoo County, Mississippi Summer School Youth Program in 1972; the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (Farmers) Insurance Company (1974-1976); a Bank of America affiliate [Finance America Consumer Lending Corp (1976-1980)]; a Manufacturer Hanover, Pennsylvania affiliate [Term Plan Consumer Lending Corp, Tennessee (1980-1981)]; the Lumbermen's Underwriting Alliance (Lumberyards) Insurance Company, Tennessee/Boca Raton, Florida (1981). In 1982 she was employed by the Winters Bank in Ohio and during the same year became a Civil Servant (civilian officer) with an Air Force Major Command (MAJCOM) until retirement in 2006. Barbara has served and held membership in several professional organizations: the American Society of Professional Military Comptrollers; DoD Equal Employment Council (EEOC)/Special Emphasis Program (SEP) representative; and a Girl Scouts of America troop leader. Soon after a brief career at another U.S. Military installation (USSOCOM), she became employed as a municipal government Fiscal Officer/Human Resource Director; after which, she ended her full-time working career in 2010, and relocated back to her birthplace where she worked as a substitute teacher, then resigned to provide personal family caregiving support to two elder parents. Thus, following the death of her father (December 28, 2018) - she departed the south (once more) to explore a new career and complete this publication. There are two additional works of literature copyrighted, published and adds to Barbara's life-time accomplishments: "A Mississippi Family" (1986), and "Chinaberry Lane" (1999). Her aspiration to become a writer started at nine years old with visiting neighbors, just to reach into the real world - outside of farm life - through their magazines and books. It was also her grandfather (Ousborne Elam), the oldest son of John Wesley and March, whom she grew up around and received her greatest inspiration to record in history, several decades of experiences that molded her own within a southern society, experiences which especially represent a lifestyle that strikes many to still wonder about; a southern family life-style that's slowly disappearing over time; disappearing into a broader landscape of the past, which this novel has rescued. Barbara's additional passions include composing songs, art-illustrating, fishing, traveling, and antiquing. As often as possible, she inspires others to capitalize upon their own strengths to fulfill their mission in life; striving for joy and peace (which encompasses many things) through intellect (acceptance, adaptation, observation, understanding, and compromising) when it is deemed necessary to do so; hence, with much patience, courage, love, and grace! The mother of two biological adult children, a god-son and daughter; the grandmother of seven grandchildren and six god-grandchildren; Barbara has been with her husband (Norman) since 1973.
