Sherwood Williford was born into a sharecropper family near Bentonville, Johnston County, North Carolina. Williford served 2 years in the Army National Guard, followed by 8 years active duty with the Air Force. Upon discharge, he received the Air Force Commendation Medal, highest peacetime award offered by the U. S. Military. With studies at both the University of Georgia and Brigham Young University, he earned a B. S. degree in Communications. For more than seven years, he was a featured columnist for his hometown newspaper, The Goldsboro News Argus, written under the byline "From my Perch" by Sherwood Owl Williford. He has published three books, including, Two To The Grave, Three To The Gallows, a true murder story which details a shocking "local" crime that garnered national interest. He has written two screenplays, Phoebe of the Neuse, an incredible yet heartwarming story of the Neuse Island's "witch woman." Leona's Boy is a fictionalized story based on life's uncertainties that faced Leona's illegitimate son. His latest work, Shining Stars from a Segregated South, has its setting around one of the south's premier Black schools of the twentieth century, Dillard High. Its founder, Rev. Clarence Dillard and his successor Hugh Victor Brown are credited with molding numerous scholars whose influence resonates far beyond its southern borders. Intermingled with their stories are brief biographical sketches of their white neighbors who would become celebrated stars in their own right. Williford is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a member of the Golden K. Kiwanis Club and serves as Chaplain of his local Grantham Grange. He and his wife, Jane, have been blessed with four children and ten grandchildren. He lives in the Rosewood community west of Goldsboro, North Carolina.
