Woody Guthrie was our national folk laureate . Born in Okemah, Oklahoma on july 14, 1912, Woody was the third of five children in the Charley and Nora Guthrie family. Both parents were talented, handsome individuals; Charley was a successful businessman who dabbled in local politics and enjoyed writing, while Nora maintained a happy home and often entertained the family by singing her folk ballads. Woody's talents were family ones. From Charley he learned optimism and gained a spirit of fighting for his beliefs. From Nora he inherited the unfortunate Huntington's Disease that ultimately destroyed his body as it did his mother's. Unfortunately, family happiness and success were slowly eroded by Nora's undiagnosed bout with her disease, and during Woody's adolescence the security of their family was destroyed by tragedy and illness. As a result, by the age of 15 Woody was travelling the highways each summer as a migratory farm laborer, returning to Okemah in time for school.