I was born and reared in Springfield, Illinois. My father was James Dillon Means who was born on a farm near Barclay, Illinois, and my mother was Elsie Carter Duckles, born in Carlinville, Illinois. Many of my mother's relatives are buried in the cemeteries around Carlinville and Chesterfield, Illinois, where I have done extensive research. Many of my father's family are buried around Madison, Indiana, and Springfield, Illinois. I earned two Master's Degrees and a Ph.D., and was a professor at a graduate school in Denver, Colorado for many years. I am now retired.

I was born and reared in Springfield, Illinois. My father was James Dillon Means who was born on a farm near Barclay, Illinois, and my mother was Elsie Carter Duckles, born in Carlinville, Illinois. Many of my mother's relatives are buried in the cemeteries around Carlinville and Chesterfield, Illinois, where I have done extensive research. Many of my father's family are buried around Madison, Indiana, and Springfield, Illinois. I earned two Master's Degrees and a Ph.D., and was a professor at a graduate school in Denver, Colorado for many years. I am now retired.