Born in Shreveport, R.C. enlisted in the U.S. Navy and went to Quartermaster School. He shipped out on the liberty ship, Argoli, to Brisbane, Australia where he boarded the USS Fulton (AS-11), a submarine tender. Except for a leave in Seattle, he served aboard the Fulton in waters near New Guinea, Guam, Tinian, and other islands involved in the conflict. After the war, he worked for radio stations as an engineer, for Lane Wells Oilfield Service, and for KCS Railroad before beginning his own business, Tri-State Communications.