Jim Buford grew up near Milltown in east central Alabama. He received his B.S.F. and M.S. from Auburn University and da Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He is a management consultant and an adjunct professor at Auburn. His published works include management articles, regional history, and several widely used text books. He prevously authored two collections of hunourous essays, The Kindness of Strangers and The Best of Times, also available from River City Publishing. Buford lives in Auburn.