Don was born in Flat Creek, Missouri in 1949. His father was a farmer and his mother was a beautician. He is of English origin. At the age of 6 he moved from Missouri to Wichita, Kansas. A 1967 graduate of South High School in Wichita and was involved in the high school theatre program. As a senior he played the lead role of Tony in West Side Story. He had previously appeared in Burnt Cork and Melody & The Hullabaloo. He also attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas