Phil was born and raised in Nashville, North Carolina, a small town of about 3,000 people in rural eastern North Carolina.  His childhood life in that small town was not unlike growing up in Mayberry.  As a young boy, Phil would ride his bicycle through the sleepy streets of his small town, winding his way downtown, on many occasions, to visit his father.  His father's law office was just across the street from the courthouse where he would drop in, unannounced, to spend a moment or two in the grown-up surroundings.  After a short visit, he would pedal off to the drugstore just across Main Street or down a few doors to the dime store.