About me, the Mirth Maker
Hi! I’m the keeper of this website, a.k.a Mirth Maker. It’s my job to bring a little mirth and magic into your life.
I was born in Selma, Alabama, and spent the first 18 years of my life there. I loved music from a very early age, and learned lots of children’s songs in kindergarten and Sunday School. I would sing with gusto and enthusiasm. Singing was such fun, but unfortunately was best enjoyed only when there was a pianist at hand to provide the accompaniment. I impatiently awaited the age when I was finally allowed to begin piano lessons.
My teacher was a stern woman of German descent and imposing demeanor, as well as a paralyzing halitosis caused by years of smoking hand-rolled cigarettes coupled with bad dental work. 
She would drum the scales and chord progressions into my head, into my hands as we worked through the keys. She would roll her eyes in disgust when I came to my lesson unprepared, having not practiced, and make me practice then and there, while she retreated behind the closed door of the adjacent kitchen to roll herself a strong cigarette. Having never married, she shared a house with her sister and their ancient mother. Occasionally I’d be granted a short reprieve from my teacher’s rigorous drills when her sister would appear, alarmingly calling “Helen! Come quick! Momma’s turning blue again!”
Music wasn’t my only interest, though. All kinds of mechanical marvels just delighted me, from clocks and vacuum cleaners to tractors and sprinklers. But almost nothing fascinated me like the bright sparks of an electric current. I scared my mother more than once as a toddler by sticking knives or forks into the baseboard outlets, purportedly amused by the fireworks. My most favorite toys of all back then were extension cords and an electric hair dryer, one or the other of which I would carry with me everywhere I could get away with it.
I guess it would be expected, then, that I’d end up studying Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech. I earned my BSEE and headed out into the world to make my way. But I never forgot about my childhood obsessions.
With a successful career underway I finally had some capital to invest those long-ago dreams, and bought and restored my first player piano in 1987. The piano, manufactured in 1926, was simply an excellent example of the degree to which the art of piano-making had matured. It possessed such a sonorous tone, and it brought me hours of pleasure for many years.
Now I’m thinking about making some magic of my own. I hope that Universal Mirth & Magic can grow into a full-time business someday, bringing smiles to people near and far.
Want to know the dirty details of my career? Need a good engineer for a project of your own? Download my resume here: Mirth Maker Resume
There’s lots more to know… but you’ll have to read my blog to uncover it all!
Mirth Maker
