This is the story told by a retired 84 year old neurosurgeon of his hard scrabble beginning as a son of a depression era sharecropper in Mississippi. Afforded the chance of improving his status in this great country by his family, the US Navy, the GI bill and his own tenacity, he relates many of the joys and pleasures of his rich life through stories about those relationships, friends and family.

The Gordons of Lochinvar descend from a notable Scot family and became successful landowners in Chickasaw Indian Territory which became North Mississippi. The book describes the life of James Gordon and his parents Robert and Mary Elizabeth through mid-nineteenth century and turn of the twentieth century America. It describes Colonel James Gordon's experiences during the Civil War, and transcribes his noteworthy address to the United States Senate long after Reconstruction shattered his fortune. Included are many of James Gordon's own poetry and hunting short stories.