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Oprah

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born January 29, 1954 on the family farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her dad, Vermon Winfrey, who was stationed as a solider at a local base; and her mother, Vernita Lee, were both young at the time of Oprah's birth. Her parents never married. Shortly after she was born her mother found a job, as a maid, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oprah was left in the care of her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee.

As a child Oprah never wasted a minute of her young imaginative mind on something that seemed to be boring. Through her early years her only friends were the farm animals. She gave them parts in the plays she made and included them in games. On Sundays Oprah would dress up in her best clothes and go to the Buffalo United Methodist Church, with her grandmother . The church was a very important part of her life, as she grew up.

It was at this church that Oprah first spoke in public. Her first recital was at Easter time when she was three. From that day on, she was always the first child to be asked to recite. She recited verses and poems at churches in the Nashville area. Oprah recalls that the other women in the church would say, "Hattie Mae, that child is gifted." At age four the whole town knew that she was gifted. She became known as "the little speaker."

Oprah enjoyed bringing her recitals to life. Once she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she answered without hesitation, "I want to be paid to talk." At home Oprah was forbidden to talk around adults. Oprah found it hard to understand this, because everyone wanted to hear her talk. She was so talkative and lively all the time. When she disobeyed, Oprah would be whipped. Oprah remembers that she'd whip her dolls the same way her grandmother whipped her.

Hattie Mae read to Oprah and taught her how to recognize letters and sounds. At three Oprah could read. She also learned how to write. On the first day of kindergarten she wrote, "Dear Miss New, I do not think I belong...