“Until I was seven, my life pretty much mirrored that of other poor children I knew. In 1960, things changed dramatically when I was inducted into the world of Daddy’s cotton field. At seven, I became one more field hand, responsible for helping my father produce his yearly cotton crops. Like my siblings, I entered into an unwritten 10-year service contract that ended when a child graduated from high school and went on to college.” That was the foundation for the Kearney children - 17 of the 19 who grew up on Varner Road. Janis describes Cotton Field of Dreams, her first memoir, as her “love letter to TJ and Ethel Kearney,” who were wise enough and responsible enough to teach their children the value of work, faith, education and responsibility. “I can never repay these two amazing people for the foundation they created for their children, and the amazing lives we’ve been able to live because of that foundation.