TOP PHOTO: Left to right – Henry Carter, George Spickard, Howard St. John, Bob Childress at the La Follette High School Class of 1961 40th reunion.

By Jim Freeman

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Since I moved back to town about ten years ago, Howard St. John regularly would rib me about running for mayor. It never failed. Wherever I saw him, he was making sport of me about running for mayor of La Follette or was telling others that I was running.

I would tell him that La Follette had a mayor, and, heck, I live five houses outside the city and don’t even qualify. The ribbing never stopped.

Here just a little while back, I was taking photos of a wreck one morning over on South Indiana Avenue. Country Heatherly passed by and waved, made a u-turn and drove back to where I was standing.

He said, “I heard you’re running for mayor.” I asked him where he ate breakfast that morning. He said “Katie’s.” Was Howard St. John at your table? “Yeh, he was. He was the one who told me,” Country said.

Thanks for the fun, St. John. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/22/2021-6AM)

One Reply to “St. John was always making sport of me”

  1. If you were in High Scholl anywhere in the County during those years, you knew who St. John was, and you admired and respected his talent, and no one at a different high school any more than I did. He did so many, many things to help me with people who could not afford new roofs or to have their roofs repaired, and of course, no one touched my roofs, but St John. We never started our conversations any way except with my saying “Is thei the best basketball player to ever dribble a ball down the court at LaFollette High School?” To which he would reply ” Is this the prettiest girl to ever come out of Wynn High School?” And, if he called about something, he would begin the conversation the same way. We never said “Hello”. It was just understood how we would begin our talks. He was one of a kind, a good, honest Christian man who loved the Lord, his Heidi, his entire family, and his Church. How we will miss him, and how we did all love him and that huge smile! Rest in Peace, Nice Man!

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