Lewis K. Hill was born 1 May 1919, in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his father was a lawyer, banker, businessman, and co-author of three books of philosophy. His mother was the youngest sister of Frank and Waite Phillips, founders of Phillips 66, a petroleum company. Lewis Hill died in the night, sometime between 31 July and 1 August 1957. These readings, marked by Hill's distinctive sense of humor, were produced with support from The Rockefeller Foundation.