Joel was born in 1930 near Gadsden, Alabama, and attended public schools in Cherokee County. After serving a tour of duty in the Army during the Korean War, Joel attended Jacksonville State University, majoring in business administration (with a minor in economics). He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed a secular career (retiring from Allied Signal Aerospace in 1997), Joel is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works, as well as biblical history. He is the author of 'Final Stronghold' (2003), available from Amazon.