As a child growing up in St. Louis Missouri, I started performing in school and community functions. The dance school I attended had a little dance group that provided entertainment for social events and organizations around the city.

During World War 11, the group was asked to perform at bond drives to raise money for the war-effort. We were very successful and became much in demand. I was only seven or eight years old and my parents, because of my age and school, had to put a limit on the amount I could do. When I was ten years old, I became a member of the St. Louis Light Opera Guild. In high school, I continued performing in school, local activities, and nightclub engagements in the St. Louis area.

Wayne King, "The Waltz King", one of the last of the Big Band Orchestra leaders, invited me to join his revue, - The Wayne King Revue – "Follow The Sun", active in industrial shows in St. Louis and Chicago.

My ambition during high school was to be a member of "The Saint Louis Municipal Opera" (Muny).  I became a dedicated student of ballet in order to accomplish this mission. The Muny, as it is referred to, is one of the largest summer stock companies in the country. They retained a resident company of singers,  dancers and stock players while bringing in leads and featured roles from New York. Most of the dancers were also hired from New York, but they gave local talent a chance and held auditions each season in St. Louis.