When I was a small boy, one of our biggest entertainment options was reading the funny papers. I liked Li’l Abner.

My folks told me the newspaper started running Al Capp’s Li’l Abner the year I was born, so when I found out Li’l Abner was created then, it became one of my favorite comics. There was Li’l Abner, all muscled up and strong as an ox; I, on the other hand, wore a 29 in pants. When I went into the Army, my chest wasn’t much bigger than my waist. I was 6-foot-1 and weighed less than 150 pounds.