Perry's time as a tenant farmer began when he got out of the Air Force in 1977, and returned to his hometown of Paint Creek, Texas, in Haskell County. It was a place to figure out what to do next with his life. Instead of flying giant military cargo planes, Perry planted cotton and wheat, and raised cattle. Coleman says Perry liked the "ranching" part of life at Paint Creek. "You'd see him on a horse, and this and that, but you know, driving a tractor I guess gets a little boring." By all accounts, Perry was restless. He farmed...