St. Stephanie's and St. John's

At Kemper, when you were in junior high and high school, you had to go to church on Sunday (or Temple). And since the staff also went to church, they knew who went and who didn’t, so trying to ditch was difficult. When you got to college you didn’t have to go.

I went 4 years to the United Methodist Church there in Boonville, even singing in the choir for a while. A number of the staff went there (SGM Rainey and SGM Winborn) so I got to know them better, and they I.  As I became a college student and rose in ranks, I became a disciple of St. Johns. I know a number of my peers became follows of St. Stephanie.

There was a restaurant up town in Boonville, on the corner of the main street, close to a number of churches, called Stephanie’s. So if you went  to ‘church’ there, you were a follower of St. Stephanie’s. On one of the roads leading to I-70 there was a diner called Big John’s. It was a dive before being a ‘dive’ was chic. It had character.  I preferred going there as it was easiest to get there driving, so not too many cadets went.  They also had the best biscuits and gravy. And I had met the owner’s pretty daughter.  So I was a follower of St. John’s.

Both places are gone now, like Kemper. But the memories linger of breakfasts and growing up. Thinking I was on top of the world without a care. The food will always taste better there as was the coffee.  I value those memories and I smile.