"Rock happy" is how Travis describes the boredom of life on an island in the Pacific. Born in Atlanta, Texas, he attended Meadows-Draughon Business College in Shreveport. Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, he shipped out in January of 1944 to Kwajalein. Working in intelligence, Travis tracked Japanese troop movements and identified aerial targets for Marine air strikes. He was discharged in January of 1946 as a master technical sergeant. After the war Travis worked in accounting for the railroads. He later became President and General Manager of Tri-States Distributing Company.