Read About Our Veteran of the Month
Greg Hendricks was born in St. Louis County in 1950 and raised in St. Charles, MO, just west of the Missouri River. He was the second oldest of four boys. Hendricks stated, “I consider myself a homegrown tomato. I don’t know anything but St. Charles.” Growing up, Hendricks loved all sports but had a passion…
Read More
Helen Bandyke was the youngest of three daughters born in Detroit, MI. At the age of 15, she lost her mother. Since she was eight years younger than her closest sister, she was the only daughter at home. Her father was a teamster that delivered bricks for a local brickyard. Back then, teamster referred to…
Read More
Shirley Worth was born in St. Louis on March 21, 1937. She was the oldest of eight children, although she was 12 years older than her next sibling. Her mother had seven more children after getting remarried. As a self-admitted wallflower, Shirley enjoyed staying home and didn’t really start to go out until she was…
Read More
Charles Hill is the oldest of thirteen children born in the boot-heel of Missouri in 1925. He grew up in the small town of Gideon, which sits just west of the Mississippi river. His mother had him at 17 years of age after getting married to his father at sixteen. He grew up farming…
Read More
DaVina grew up on the northern east coast with a strong military influence rooted in servicing others. Out of fourteen children, she was number eleven and grew up with three siblings. They routinely ate Sunday dinner at her grandmother’s house as a youth. After which, DaVina would accompany her grandfather to deliver food to neighbors…
Read More
United States Air Force Veteran, Sharon B. Robertson, had a unique upbringing but one that potentially prepared her for life in the military. Robertson had a strong military family background, and by 1970, she was picked to be part of a groundbreaking program that made her the face of women in the Air Force. Here…
Read More
Harry T. Delk was born in Flushing, NY, in 1935, as the Great Depression was nearing an end. His father was in the Army, and the family was transferred to New Jersey when his father was stationed at Fort Dix. The family eventually moved to Athens, NY, and lived with their grandfather in the house…
Read More
Margaret “Chris” Thornburg has all the qualities that define southern charm. She is polite, kind, witty, and considerate. You can imagine yourself sitting on a front porch swing on a warm afternoon, sipping sweet tea, laughing, and talking with her for hours. She instantly feels like someone you’ve known your whole life or at…
Read More
James Wideman was born in May of 1945 in St. Louis, MO. He was the fifth child of seven. There were six boys and one girl. Wideman enjoyed growing up in the city, spending his days with friends playing basketball, bottle caps, softball, and jumping garage roofs when they were close enough. “It was a…
Read More
During Vietnam, Kenneth Fontenot was part of a classified underground electronics unit for the Army Signal Corps. After the military, he did many different jobs, from construction, electrical, roughnecking, ambulance attendant, preacher, and therapist. He said, “My daddy called me an educated fool, learned everything, and never stuck with one thing.” Fontenot stated, “I almost…
Read More