0 9 . 0 1 . 1 6 / / F R E E E V E RY T H U R S D AY
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
A look at the hot air balloons that soar above the city’s skyline PAGE 5
FINDING THE LIGHT Columbia churches illuminate the rich history of stained glass PAGE 12
UNDER THE HELMET The story of a Purple Heart recipient who found his home on the football field PAGE 6
IN THIS ISSUE
ONLINE
September 1, 2016 VOLUME 18 ISSUE 27 | PUBLISHED BY THE COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
FINDING A SILVER LINING Freshman enrollment is down this year — could this mean students have an increased possibility of finding an elliptical at the gym or snagging a booth at the Student Center? FEATURE Adjusting to life post-combat was difficult for Purple Heart recipient Bret Robertson. However, he has found solace on the football field and channels his energy through a determined work ethic. PAGE 6 THE SCENE Two local experts give tips on how to best incorporate fresh and dried herbs in home cooking. PAGE 4 NEWS & INSIGHT Find out what’s behind the hot air balloons that rise above Columbia’s skyline. Two pilots share how the balloons function and why they’re not so scary. PAGE 5 ARTS & BOOKS Stained glass has a long history in both art and religion. The windows in a few downtown Columbia churches add beauty to the structures and tell the buildings’ stories. PAGE 12
MORE THAN A CAFFEINE FIX Downtown Columbia’s newest cafe, Ugly Mugg, is serving up coffee with a twist. Get the scoop from the shop’s owner about her combinations of coffee and alcohol and her vision for this avant-garde establishment. CUSTOM CREATIONS Cake satisfies more than a sweet tooth for baker and decorator Carly Love. Her childhood passion for food has developed into CoMo Confectionary, a custom cake-decorating business that is allowing her to claim her territory in Columbia’s sweets industry.
EDITOR’S LETTER
MUSIC A mother and her two young daughters, one 6 years old and the other 9, have grown from amateur buskers to skilled musicians in their band The Honey Biscuits. PAGE 13 Q&A Get an inside look at eating local with one farmer whose food goes from the fields to MU dining halls and beyond. PAGE 14 COVER DESIGN: ELIZABETH SAWEY COVER PHOTO: ERIN QUINN
CHRISTINE JACKSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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We’re social. Vox Magazine @VoxMag @VoxMagazine Vox Mag
Passion is a funny thing. People find it at different ages and pursue it in different ways. If you’re lucky, it’s the thing you get to do for a living. Several people featured in this week’s issue have been lucky enough to turn their passions into pursuits, though what those are and the paths people traveled differ greatly. Starting a band before you finish elementary school isn’t the average musician’s path to the stage, but Klaye and Sovryn Byndom (along with their mother, Jessica Lorene) are already songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. Find their story on Page 13. Robert and Angela Hemwall realized “big ag” wasn’t for them and started thinking small when it comes to farming. Now their fresh produce feeds people all over Columbia. Robert explains how Pierpont Farms came to be on Page 14. And in this week’s feature (Page 6) we follow Bret Robertson’s roundabout journey to the gridiron at Westminster College. Robertson wasn’t looking to become the celebrated captain of his college football team. He wasn’t even looking to go to college. But he decided to take advantage of his G.I. Bill and has become a leader on and off the field. I found my passion in high school when my journalism advisor asked for editor applications. I was a sports reporter at the time and decided to apply. I got the job and never looked back. I still spend my days reading stories and trying to make them the best they can be. Now I just do it for Vox. I’m pretty darn happy here, but who knows where that path will go next?
VOX STAFF Editor: Christine Jackson Deputy Editor: Dan Roe Managing Editor: Madison Fleck Creative Director: Ben Kothe Digital Managing Editor: Abby Holman Art Directors: Madalyne Bird, Elizabeth Sawey Photo Editor: Mary Hilleren Online Editor: Lea Konczal Multimedia Editor: Mitchel Summers News & Insight Editors: John Bat, Katelyn Lunders The Scene Editors: Kelsie Schrader, Jessica Sherwin, Brooke Vaughan Music Editors: Marlee Ellison, Meredith McGrath Arts & Books Editors: Katie Akin, Luria Freeman Contributing Writers: Laura Davis, Keeley Dority, Gerard Edic, Max Havey, Madison Kelley, Brooke Kottmann, Madeline McClain, Maya McDowell, Jared McNett, Shane Sanderson Editorial Director: Heather Lamb Executive Editor: Jennifer Rowe Digital Director: Sara Shipley Hiles Writing Coach: John Fennell Office Manager: Kim Townlain
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PHOTOS BY AMBER GARRETT AND ERIN QUINN
RADAR
the talk of the week
The year of lost celebrity souls Actor Gene Wilder, responsible for unforgettable roles such as Willy Wonka and Dr. Frankenstein, died from Alzheimer’s disease complications Monday. He was 83. Relive his legacy through these three classic films on Amazon this Labor Day weekend. willy wonka & the chocolate factory, 1971 blazing saddles, 1974 silver streak, 1976
DROPS OF JUPITER
NASA’s Juno spacecraft finished its first orbital flyby of Jupiter Saturday and sent back some of the closest photographs we’re likely to see of the planet. Vox gathered the digits behind the expedition.
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POLITICS (NOT) ON THE SIDELINES
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says he decided not to stand for the national anthem at a preseason game because of racial inequalities. Monday, Donald Trump responded on a radio interview, encouraging Kaepernick to “go find a country that works better for him.” The White House called the actions “objectionable.” Others have likened his actions to the political defiance of Muhammad Ali. Whatever the reaction, Kaepernick’s performace on the field will be what determines his political clout.
HALL OF SHAME?
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield has received more than 700 letters and emails requesting the removal of Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s name from an exhibit. The uproar began after the team left St. Louis in January and hasn’t stopped. It seems fans are not ready to forgive and forget.
2018
Year Juno should complete all planned orbits
Miles it traveled to arrive
5
Years it took for Juno to reach the Gas Giant
165,000 Juno’s top speed in mph
18,698
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Lightning struck a mountain plateau in Norway on Monday and killed 323 reindeer. The herd had been huddled together in the rain, allowing the discharge of elecricity to electrocute the group. We hope none of Rudolph’s relatives were involved.
Number of solar cells on the craft
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Orbits left to go for Juno
1,800,000,000
Football Fun on the Cheap!
Written by: John Bat, Christine Jackson
PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY OR COURTESY OF FLATICON, MADALYNE BIRD, MARK J. TERRILL VIA AP, ROTTEN TOMATOES, TONY AVELAR VIA AP, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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THE SCENE
Herb your appetite Add a fresh kick to cuisine with herbs
BY LAURA DAVIS
PHOTOS BY RYAN BERRY
cilantro is actually two herbs in one. The leaves are the cilantro, and the seeds from the plant are another herb called coriander, which is spicier. Cilantro is common in Middle Eastern and Mexican food.
Herb gardens are easy to grow as long as they get plenty of sunshine and water, and most herbs thrive indoors. Knowing which herbs are which and how to cook with them can be a challenge. That’s why Vox spoke to Chris McDonnell, chef and owner of Chris McD’s, and Megan Samson, Boone County Extension Nutrition Education Specialist, for tips about how to incorporate fresh herbs into recipes.
try in: pineapple cucumber salad, guacamole
oregano is a small, leafy herb that grows like a shrub. Oregano is mildly potent and can be added to olive oil and garlic marinades for chicken or pork. Two common types of oregano McDonnell uses are Italian and Greek. Each gives a slightly different kick, depending on the style of the dish.
basil is a medium-to-large leaf that can be used in Italian foods such as pesto, a blended sauce made of pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic and olive oil. Basil is a popular ingredient at Chris McD’s. try in: summer-themed pasta dishes, pizza
try in: flatbreads,
rosemary has many uses. It is common in Italian recipes and pairs well with chicken, pork and steak entrées. McDonnell says he used the herb in a rosemary pesto salmon. He replaced basil with rosemary in his pesto sauce and brushed a thin layer onto salmon that was seared then broiled.
parsley is often used as a fresh garnish, but it has much more potential when dried. Samson says dried herbs are a cost-effective way of buying herbs if you use them infrequently because they last longer. Parsley is common in Middle Eastern, Italian and Greek dishes. try in: chicken burgers,
try in: meats such as
mixed salads
chicken or steak
thyme is an herb that McDonnell uses daily at Chris McD’s. It has a lemon-pine flavor that adds a fresh, earthy taste to meats, vegetables and seafood dishes.
green beans
mint such as spearmint or peppermint is easy to grow. It is considered an invasive plant, so McDonnell says it should be grown in a container. He says the aroma pairs well with sweet drinks and dishes, which is why it’s used as a garnish in mojitos and desserts.
try in: strawberry mint pie
try in: mussel or clam broth, marinades and grilled vegetables
herb help
Megan Samson, Boone County Extension Nutrition Education Specialist, says to add dried herbs at the beginning of cooking to allow them to soften and release their aromas and flavors. Fresh herbs should be added in the last few minutes of cooking so the flavor stays vibrant.
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NEWS & INSIGHT
Hot air balloon festivals draw thousands of enthusiasts who love to fly and take in the sight of hundreds of colorful balloons floating through the air.
Float trip
Rise into the air for a bird’s-eye view of mid-Missouri BY MADELINE MCCLAIN
For adventure-seekers who want to float rather than free fall through the sky, hot air balloons offer a mix of excitement and serenity. People choose hot air balloon rides for spontaneous evenings, birthdays and even as a way to make a grand entrance or exit at their weddings. Others just want to take in the landscapes and check an item off their bucket lists. Ballooning started in France in 1783 with a sheep, a duck and a rooster in a balloon over Versailles. Two brothers, Jacques-Étienne and Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, set up the first flight as a show for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Ballooning has come a long way since then: Two Columbia balloon pilots gave Vox the lowdown on traveling above the treetops. How high can you fly? BalloonStormers’ Jan Sines says she usually brings people to about 1,200 to 1,500 feet above the city. For reference, you would clear the Empire State Building at 1,500 feet. People need oxygen at about 12,500 feet to prevent hypoxia, a brain deficiency that results from oxygen deprivation, so pilots bring oxygen tanks during rides. What’s the average price? About $550 for two people at BalloonStormers. The hot air balloon ride generally lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. How do balloons work? Sines says to inflate the balloon, you blow it full of cold air with a fan then blast the burner into the balloon to heat the air so the balloon rises. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACY SINES
Who is involved in a balloon ride? In addition to the pilot, hot air balloons have a “chase crew.” This crew of one to four people helps inflate the balloon and follow it in a vehicle to help with the landing. Gary Whitby, owner of Columbia Air Sports Inc., says he usually radios his crew during the flight and lets them know the general landing location. Can balloons catch fire? Whitby says the mouth (the bottom panels of the balloon) is made of Nomex, a fire-retardant fabric. “It’s what a race car driver wears,” he says. The balloon would have to be in contact with fire for about 20 minutes for damage to occur. How fast does it travel? Whitby says the balloon goes the same speed as the wind, whether that’s five miles per hour or 60 miles per hour. The rider is unable to tell how fast the balloon is going from his or her perspective. Any advice? Whitby says to wear comfortable clothes and shoes because balloon pilots often land in an open field, so there may be some walking. Sines says that her top tip for first timers is to bring a camera. “It’s beautiful,” Sines says. “When the burners are not on, it’s totally quiet. You’re hanging from a balloon.”
For a list of Missouri hot air balloon festivals, visit VOXMAGAZINE.COM 09.01.16
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A VETERAN ROOKIE PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT BRET ROBERTSON STRUGGLED TO ADJUST TO CIVILIAN LIFE BUT EXCELS ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD
B
ret Robertson’s body tingles with anticipation as he runs onto the turf of Young-Wise Memorial Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. Bret knows the sensation well and revels in it. That feeling in his stomach is the good butterflies. Bret takes his place on Westminster College’s kickoff unit as the Blue Jays’ kicker places the ball on a tee and prepares to start the 2013 football season against Hendrix College. The crowd overflows from the bleachers. Spectators wrap around the entire field and stand or sit in folding chairs behind the end zones. Their cheering crescendoes, and the roar rings in Bret’s helmet as the kicker boots the ball downfield. Normally, Bret is wary of loud noises. He’s an Army veteran who did a tour of duty in Iraq, and memories of machine-gun fire and a bomb blast that nearly killed him make him understandably skittish. But today, the adrenaline from playing football for the first time in six years hones his focus entirely on the field in front of him. He isn’t thinking about the noise nor the wound he suffered in Iraq. He sprints downfield after the kick.
Story by Mitchell Forde
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Photos by Erin Quinn
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALYSHA HODGE
PHOTOS BY OR COURTESY OF
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THE BALL SAILS AT AN ANGLE TOWARD THE END ZONE AND MOVES TO THE LEFT OF THE WESTMINSTER PLAYERS. BRET, THE THIRD MAN FROM THE RIGHT SIDELINE IN THE FORMATION, DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY PURSUE THE HENDRIX RETURNER. HE REMAINS IN HIS LANE, AS HIS COACHES HAVE TAUGHT HIM, AND STAYS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FORMATION UNTIL THE RETURNER BEGINS ADVANCING UPFIELD. NOW HE MAKES HIS MOVE. BRET SIDESTEPS A BLOCKER AND CUTS ACROSS THE FORMATION TO HIS LEFT, ADVANCING TOWARD THE RETURNER AT AN ANGLE SO HE CAN CUT HIM OFF. BRET DIVES AT HIS LEGS. HE GRABS THE RETURNER’S ANKLES AND WRESTLES HIM TO THE GROUND. HE QUICKLY LEAPS TO HIS FEET AND RETURNS TO THE SIDELINE AS HIS TEAMMATES PAT HIS HELMET TO CONGRATULATE HIM. IN THE THREE YEARS HE SPENT IN THE ARMY, INCLUDING A YEAR IN IRAQ, HE FORGOT THE EUPHORIC FEELING OF MAKING A TACKLE IN A FOOTBALL GAME. AS HE JOGS OFF THE FIELD, HE HAS JUST ONE THOUGHT: “THIS IS AWESOME.”
There are several reasons why Bret, now 26, never should have played in a college football game. The primary reason: He did not plan to attend college. He was a good enough football and baseball player at California (Missouri) High School to consider playing either sport at the collegiate level. But during high school, Bret struggled with a learning disability that impaired his reading comprehension and spelling. He had little desire to slog through four additional years of school, and he was restless. He wanted to get out of his hometown of 4,500 people. His family had a military history, including his grandfather, stepfather and brother, Brandon, who joined the infantry in September 2005 and was deployed to Iraq as a member of a reconnaissance unit in August 2008. Bret decided he would follow in their footsteps and enlist in the Army upon graduation in May 2008. By September, Bret was on his way to Fort Benning, Georgia, to complete basic infantry training. After training ended in January 2009, Bret traveled to Fort Lewis, Washington. There, he met his unit and trained with
them for seven months. Bret bonded with the 21 soldiers, whom he still calls his brothers. In particular, he became friends with a man from Toledo, Ohio, named Beau Kramer, who bunked across the hall from him in the barracks. In August 2009, Bret and Beau were deployed to northern Iraq, anxious and excited to experience the action of war for themselves. Bret was an active kid who loved sports and anything that gave him an adrenaline rush. He still seeks out thrills, though he has learned to differentiate between the good butterflies in his stomach and the bad. He’s polite and quiet, especially if conversation shifts to him. Brandon, 32, says his brother is reserved, yet Bret enjoys parties and loves to dance. In Iraq, he invented his own dance move: the knee-popper. He performs the move with his knees bent at a 45-degree angle and swings them in circles, with an occasional jab to the side. Initially, daily life in Iraq wasn’t as scintillating as Bret expected. The U.S. reached an agreement with the Iraqi Parliament in November 2008 that
Westminster College head coach John Welty, left, and Bret Robertson observe the team from the sidelines of the school’s practice field. Bret says he has a good connection with the team’s coaches. “Some of them are closer to my age,” he says. “It’s a little different, being around a bunch of younger guys.”
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YELLOW RIBBON SAVIORS
called for most American troops to pull out of Iraqi cities in 2009 and all American soldiers to leave the country by 2011. As a result, Bret’s unit was never on the offensive. His convoy security or patrols always took place at night. During the day, when the group wasn’t busy with training or briefings, Bret and Beau passed the time by working out. “(The only thing) we had to do was eat, work out and chug protein shakes,” Bret says. He gained about 30 pounds of muscle during his 12 months in Iraq. They also played video games — mainly Call of Duty — and enjoyed making funny videos with the platoon. Five months into the tour, Bret hadn’t had a single enemy bullet fired at him. He was still free of the physical and psychological scars – for now at least.
When Brandon left the military in August 2010, he decided to go back to school and play football at Westminster. During a visit home from the Army, Bret stopped by a practice and met the coaching staff. After completing his service and being discharged in 2012, Bret decided he would follow his brother again: He enrolled at Westminster that August. Despite the six-year age gap between the brothers, they have always been close. Their parents divorced when Bret was about 10 years old. Bret and Brandon stayed together at either parent’s house, spending every other weekend and most of the summers with their father. They never played on the same sports teams or had any mutual friend groups, but Brandon says he would try to find little ways to make sure he spent time with Bret, such as hanging around when his younger brother had friends over to play video games. Sports provided another avenue; both played multiple sports growing up, and Brandon says he would attend as many of Bret’s games as possible. “It was just kind of a standard that I was going to be there, regardless of what was going on, even when I was in high school,” Brandon says. His dedication continues. He makes the 45-minute drive from California to Fulton to watch every Westminster home game and tailgates with the family beforehand. Brandon played only one season of football at Westminster before leaving school for a contract job with the military in September 2011. However, his brief college football stint made Bret’s career possible. Bret will tell you he always looked up to his brother, but Brandon disagrees. Brandon never won a national award, and he never set any
How vets swap fatigues for degrees W H AT I S A Y E L L O W R I B B O N SCHOOL? Yellow ribbon schools are universities and colleges involved in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which is aimed at assisting veterans who want to receive education at the collegiate level. The program, which was created in 2008 after the establishment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, matches financial aid to veterans at participating universities. So, if a college offers $20,000, the Department of Veterans Affairs will also offer $20,000.
Bret is playing outside linebacker and strong safety for Westminster this season, after previously being a safety or free safety.
school records. He will tell you Bret has eclipsed him, and he could not be more proud.
Bret survived Iraq, but Westminster’s summer football camp in 2012 nearly ended his college football career just two days in. After being discharged from the military in January, Bret reported to Westminster in early August to begin football practice. On the second day of camp, two weeks before his freshman school year started, Bret, then 22, broke his right pinkie. The finger required surgery, and Bret, who wanted to play wide receiver at the time, was forced to redshirt and miss the entire season. He struggled to adjust to the sluggish pace of life in the Midwest. Civilian life meant interacting with people who could not comprehend what it was like to wake up every day knowing someone might try to kill him. Bob Hansen, who taught a 3-week organizational leadership course that Bret took the summer before his freshman year, says Bret closed himself off from others that first year. Bret contemplated going back overseas. During the fall semester of his freshman year, Bret took another of Bob’s courses and began to open up to his professor. The two met regularly to discuss Bret’s academic plan and
career path. Bob says Bret brought up the possibility of leaving school and returning to the military. By listening as Bret vented his frustrations, Bob helped him feel comfortable with his studies. Bret decided to stay in school. “I think had we not engaged him more deeply, he probably would have left,” Bob says. A year later, Bret made the first tackle of Westminster’s 2013 season. The importance of that tackle against Hendrix College on the first play of Bret’s college football career is illustrated by how vividly he still remembers it. Bret has made a lot of tackles over the past three years as a strong safety (for the 2016 season, he is moving to outside linebacker). Last season, he made 86 in 10 games, 13 shy of the school record. He already holds the school record for tackles in a single game with 22 against Hendrix in 2014 with one year left to play, and he is 65 tackles away from breaking the school’s career record. In Westminster’s fourth game of the 2013 season, Bret replaced the team’s starting safety, which gave him an opportunity to take over the position if he performed well. He broke his right thumb in the game. The injury caused him to miss just one game, and he has played in all 26 since, wearing a pink thumb cast. The NCAA Division III team went 2-8 that year. In 2014, he was named to the Upper Midwest
DOES THE YELLOW RIBBON P R O G R A M I N C L U D E E V E RY UNIVERSITY? No. Only collegiate educational institutions that elect to be in the program participate. However, there are participating schools in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and overseas. ARE THE UNIVERSITIES/ COLLEGES IN COLUMBIA YELLOW RIBBON SCHOOLS? All three of the collegiate academic institutions in Columbia are in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Columbia College, Stephens College and MU all participate in some form or fashion. Both Columbia College and MU offer benefits toward online and in-person degrees at their multiple locations. There are 147 Yellow Ribbon schools in the state of Missouri.
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Athletic Conference All-Conference Second Team. About two weeks into his redshirt freshman season, Bret walked into head coach John Welty’s office with a question. “Why don’t you like me?” he asked. Despite his success on the kickoff unit in the opening game — Bret recalled that he made four total tackles on kickoffs that day — Bret was receiving little playing time at safety. He believed he was better than the starter, so the only explanation in his mind was that John kept him on the bench for personal reasons. John was stunned to hear the question. “I said, ‘Like you?’” he remembers. “‘Are you kidding me? Bret, I hold you above everyone else on our football team for what you did. You can do no wrong in my eyes.’” John respects veterans. His father served in World War II and told John that the most challenging part of his service was adjusting to life at St. Mary’s College in Minnesota as a 22-year-old freshman. Since becoming Westminster’s coach in 1998, John has made the program a destination spot for veterans trying to make the transition to college. He estimates that he has coached about 15 to 20 players who previously served in the military. At that point, Bret simply wasn’t playing because, in John’s mind, he was not yet good enough. As a whole, Westminster makes a concerted effort to market itself to veterans. It’s a Yellow Ribbon school, meaning the college covers any tuition
the G.I. Bill does not. Barney Forsythe, who retired as Westminster’s president in May 2015, served in the Army for 35 years, eventually attaining the rank of Brigadier General. Brandon says Forsythe helped instill a veteranfriendly culture on campus. John says he will never turn down a veteran who wants to play on the team. Even though it is difficult to evaluate the ability of someone who has not played the sport in several years, John says he feels he owes veterans a chance. “That’s the least I can do is give them an opportunity to play football, no matter how good they are,” he says. He says veterans bring a level of discipline and maturity to the team that few 18- to 22-year-olds possess. Bret is a prime example. He has served as a team captain each of the past two seasons, and his teammates and coaches all acknowledge his leadership prowess. He still loves to work out, and he makes sure to include his teammates. He is not afraid to let another player know if he doesn’t do something well enough, and he insists that his teammates do the same for him. He doesn’t mention his time in the military too often, according to former teammate Carlos Weeden. But if he catches anyone feeling sorry for himself, Bret isn’t afraid to remind him what he has been through. He doesn’t have to be explicit. The Purple Heart and the Armed Forces Merit Award from the Football Writers’ Association of America serve as reminders of his
“
BRET, I HOLD YOU ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE ON OUR FOOTBALL TEAM FOR WHAT YOU DID. YOU CAN DO NO WRONG IN MY EYES. — john welty, westminster head football coach
”
Brandon Robertson, Bret Robertson and stepfather Lance Addison pose in the Robertson’s home in California, Missouri in July 2009.
wartime experience. Of course, so does the scar beneath his left eye.
Roughly 6,500 miles from Westminster, at around 7 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2010, Bret sat in the back of a Stryker truck on a routine security mission in northern Iraq. His unit had driven the route several times before. The group in his truck was quiet, and they listened to rapper Eminem on the radio. The truck, an 8-wheeled tank with a driver in a front compartment and three men above him, one on the turret and the other two scouting the terrain, was the second of three in the convoy that day. The group was approaching an Iraqi police checkpoint when Bret heard a deep, deafening boom. Peering through the screen that separated him from the driver, he saw a mushroom cloud billow upward on the right side of the road, just behind the first truck. The driver of his
truck swerved left. Suddenly, Bret felt an intense, invisible pressure strike him. Bret momentarily lost his hearing and felt like he was in a vacuum. Time played tricks. Just like in a war movie, it stood still as the wave of pressure surged through the truck. Then time overcorrected and raced into overdrive. Bret felt a piece of debris tap his face, but he didn’t feel any pain. When his hearing returned, he heard screaming; he felt certain someone was dead. The pungent odor of sulfur, from a defense mechanism in the truck, assaulted his nostrils. He put his head down and tried to scramble out of the back of the truck to engage the enemy whom he suspected was ambushing them. His squad leader stopped him and asked whether he was all right. Bret felt blood streaming down the left side of his face. A small piece of shrapnel had struck him in the cheek, just below his left eye, leaving a cut two and a half by three inches long. Bret then saw a chunk of
from the battlefield to the gridiron
Bret Robertson’s tumultuous journey from army recruit to college football player
JANUARY 2009
MAY 2008 Bret graduates from California High School.
Bret graduates basic training and is sent to Ft. Lewis, Washington, where he meets and trains with his 22-man unit.
SEPTEMBER 2008 Bret is sworn into the army in St. Louis then ships off to Ft. Benning, Georgia, for basic infantry training.
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FEBRUARY 7, 2010
Bret is wounded in an EFP blast and spends the next week in the hospital. He is later awarded the Purple Heart.
JANUARY 2012 Bret is discharged from the Army and returns home to California, Missouri.
AUGUST 2009
AUGUST 2010
Bret and his unit are deployed to Iraq.
Bret concludes his 12-month tour of duty in Iraq and returns to Ft. Lewis to train new units.
VOXMAGAZINE.COM | 09.01.16
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 Bret makes the tackle on the opening kick of his first college game, Westminster’s seasonopener against Hendrix College.
AUGUST 2012 Bret reports to Westminster for summer football camp and breaks his pinkie two days later, forcing him to redshirt the season.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 Bret sets the Westminster school record for tackles in a game with 22.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2013 Bret takes a starting role at strong safety; he immediately breaks his right thumb and spends the rest of the season in a cast.
MAY 7, 2016 Bret walks in Westminster’s graduation ceremony. He will take one more course this fall to finish his self-designed major in organizational leadership.
NOVEMBER 11, 2015 The Football Writers’ Association of America selects Bret as the annual recipient of the Armed Forces Service Merit Award, which is presented at the college football national championship.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRET ROBERTSON
shrapnel about the size of his fist stuck in the wall of the truck inches from where he sat. No enemy ambush. No one with serious injuries. Bret found out later that an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, struck the vehicle. An EFP discharges a massive copper dart capable of tearing through any armor it contacts. By some miracle, the dart had struck the engine block between the driver’s hole and where Bret sat. Beau was in the trailing truck in the convoy. As he recalls the incident more than six years later, he is still in disbelief that there were no casualties. “Nobody survives EFPs,” he says, his voice quivering.
Bret was taken to the hospital at the nearest base and had his face numbed as a nurse stitched the wound. “Oops,” the nurse said. Bret was, of course, alarmed. The nurse had attempted to sew the wound with seven stitches, which turned out to be too few. Bret was transported to another, larger hospital where a doctor operated for three hours to check the wound for any remaining fragments of shrapnel. The doctor closed the laceration with 17 stitches. However, during the surgery, the doctor scratched Bret’s eye, and he was unable to open it for three days. He was eager to return to combat, and he says the three days he spent unable to open his left eye were worse than the initial injury. In all, he spent a week in the hospital and a second week recovering at his base before returning to active duty for the remaining seven months of his tour in Iraq. Beau was impressed by Bret’s resilience upon returning to combat. He was initially unchanged by the injury. “He came back very composed, ready to go, ready to hit that next set in the gym,” Beau says. In Bret’s first mission after the injury, his unit was on security duty in a school at night when a new sound caught his attention. It sounded like firecrackers. The noise seemed to echo from different directions. Bret recognized the sound but couldn’t believe it: machine gun fire. Bret’s adrenaline spiked — not the good butterflies. He crawled over a wall to take cover. Bullets struck the concrete around him and sprayed dust into his mouth. All he could make out in the darkness were muzzle flashes. He shot wildly in their general direction until the firing subsided. No one in the group was hit, and Bret doesn’t believe they made contact with any of the Iraqi shooters. The incident reaffirmed one PHOTO COURTESY OF ALYSHA HODGE
“”
WHEN YOU THINK YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TO OFFER, YOU DON’T OFFER MUCH. WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE A LOT, THEN YOU’RE MORE WILLING TO SHARE THAT. — bob hansen, westminster professor
thing: He could never relax in war. “You can’t be complacent,” Beau says. “That’s when people die.”
In high school, Bret hadn’t thought far enough ahead to envision life after the military. College football and higher education were never part of the plan. It wasn’t until he found himself back home in 2012 that Bret decided to put his G.I. Bill to use by attending Westminster. He was drawn mainly by his desire to play football, still unsure if he could complete four years of college coursework. Now, Bret plans to attend graduate school, and the idea of no longer playing football terrifies him. Football somewhat replicates Bret’s wartime experience. He has a group of friends with whom he has developed a fraternal bond; they have helped him ease into civilian life. Football also gives him smaller doses of the adrenaline he still craves. Although he has been diagnosed with a moderate form of posttraumatic stress disorder — loud noises prompt flashbacks and leave him irritable
— he says football has never triggered any symptoms. Bret completed his fourth year at Westminster this past spring and walked in a graduation ceremony May 7. On July 25, he began a fellowship with The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that helps veterans transition into civilian life through community service. Because he redshirted his freshman year with a broken pinkie, he is taking one final class this fall to remain NCAA eligible and finish his redshirt senior year. The team is coming off a 6-4 2015 season. He designed his own major in organizational leadership with a minor in coaching. In October, he will travel to Toledo to serve as the best man in Beau’s wedding. Bret doesn’t like to draw attention to his accomplishments. He defers the credit to others when talking about the Veterans’ Club that he helped form at Westminster. He doesn’t think being selected by Bob to go on a service trip to Rwanda and Tanzania during the summer of 2015 is worth mentioning. Likewise, he won’t bring up his pile of awards unless someone else broaches the subject. He received a Purple Heart —
awarded to American soldiers wounded in combat — at the conclusion of his tour of duty in Iraq. He attended last year’s college football national championship in Glendale, Arizona, where he was presented the Armed Forces Merit Award, which honors one college football player nationally for his military service. Locally, he was unanimously selected as this year’s recipient of the Winston Churchill Award for Leadership and Service, an honor given to only one senior at Westminster. Bob attributes Bret’s success to his work ethic and says he has proven to himself that he can overcome obstacles with hard work. As a result, he is no longer afraid to set high goals. “It’s a whole mindset,” Bob says. “When you think you don’t have much to offer, you don’t offer much. When you think you have a lot, then you’re more willing to share that. That’s where Bret is now.” When Westminster opens its football season on Sept. 3, Bret will run out onto the field for the opening kick and take his spot, third from the right, just like he did four years ago against Hendrix College. Valuable starters don’t often play on special teams units, but Bret loves the kickoff team. The crowd will roar, and Bret will not worry about the noise. Brandon and Bob will be in the stands. As the ball is kicked and Bret takes off after it, he will feel the good butterflies tingling in his stomach once again.
SEE BRET IN ACTION:
Westminster College vs. Gustavus Adolphus College Saturday, 1 p.m. Westminster College, Priest Field
Bret Robertson breaks up the pass at a game against Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, on Sept. 5, 2015. Bret played strong safety and led the team with 51 tackles on the season.
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ARTS & BOOKS
How great thou art Stained glass illuminates three Columbia churches BY LAURA DAVIS
PHOTOS BY ANNA BRETT
For centuries, artists have chosen glass as a medium for creative expression. Nowhere is this better showcased and admired than in stained-glass windows. Today, this unique art form can be seen in churches throughout Columbia. When the sun hits stained-glass windows, beams of colored light bounce across pews and pulpits. Caring for the stained glass in these churches can be difficult due to its age, but the pieces are well worth preserving. Susie Fiegel, owner of Village Glass, a local stainedglass studio, says the windows need to be cared for like any other piece of art. And, like other art forms, the windows can be better appreciated by understanding the background of each piece. To that end, Vox peeked into the histories of specific panes at three downtown churches.
SECOND MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Walking across the red carpet in the Missionary Baptist Church causes the floor to squeak, which speaks to its old age. The church was built in 1884, though the congregation was established in 1866. Stained glass surrounds the semicircle sanctuary, but the most significant pane is one that is directly opposite the pulpit. Its earthy brown, green and purple tones reflect an African style, which complements Second Missionary’s history as one of the first black churches in Columbia. The large pane of glass is dedicated to John Lang Jr., who was pianist John William “Blind” Boone’s manager and funded a large portion of the church’s construction.
MISSOURI UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
This cathedral-style church is known for its detailed stained-glass windows. Half of the windows depict the New Testament, and the other half portray stories of the Old Testament. The transept window on the southern end of the sanctuary represents the New Testament and Jesus lighting the way, says David Jones, a former employee of the church. Christ is at the center and the disciples, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are shown on either side of him. The north transept window features the major prophets from the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Moses.
CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Calvary Episcopal Church’s sanctuary might seem small if it weren’t for the stained glass brightening the room. The windows shed colorful light in the form of small rainbows on either side of the wooden pews. One of the most intricate window panes also holds historical significance for the parish. Inscribed at the bottom of a long window with a large goldlined cross in its center are the words “In Memoriam/ W. B. Hale 1837-1897.” W.B. Hale’s daughter, Mary Louise Hale, was the architect hired to design and oversee the construction of Calvary Episcopal Church, which was finished in 1899 after the original church burned the previous year. 12
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The north and south transept stained-glass windows are two of the largest in the Missouri United Methodist Church. The southern window, pictured here, depicts the New Testament. As the earth-tone coloring of the stained-glass windows suggests, Second Missionary Baptist Church was originally called African Union Church when it was founded in 1839. Mary Louise Hale, the architect who designed Calvary Episcopal Church and whose father this window is dedicated to, was a native of Columbia and pursued an undergraduate degree at MU. At the time of Second Missionary Baptist Church’s founding, John Lang Jr., manager for pianist John William “Blind” Boone, was a free man, but his wife and children were still slaves.
MUSIC
Sweet as Honey Biscuits Mother-daughters trio finds inspiration in social justice and ukuleles BY ALEX SCHIFFER AND CAITLIN BUSCH
102.3 BXR
WHERE
The Honey Biscuits, Klaye and Sovryn Byndom and Jessica Lorene, are a musical trio. The group is a busker band and performed at nursing homes this summer.
W
hen The Honey Biscuits took the stage during Labor Day weekend 2014, they were equally nervous and excited. The three had played in their house and for friends but never for an audience like the one that had gathered for the Artists for Justice event in Peace Park that sunny afternoon. A photographer was at the park to capture the event, and when Jessica Lorene saw the photos of herself and her daughters on stage, she thought: “Dude, these girls are naturals. I don’t know where they get it from.” The Artists for Justice event was appropriate for the group’s first show – even if they weren’t officially considering themselves a band at the time. “A lot of our songs talk about things that relate to social justice,” Lorene says. “When we went up there, people were paying attention.” Maybe because they weren’t used to seeing kids on stage, she says, and were expecting them to start cranking out a ukulele version of “Humpty Dumpty.” That wasn’t the case. They played what they refer to as their hit single, “New Different Way.” Lead singer Lorene has spent most of her life around music, so it was only natural that her daughters — Klaye Byndom, 9, and Sovryn Byndom, 6 — had an instinct for it, whether that was singing, songwriting or playing instruments. “The beat is just in them,” Lorene says. It was only a matter of time before
PHOTO BY ANNIE RICE
she and her daughters formed their band, The Honey Biscuits. The group got its name from Lorene’s close friend Carrie Smarr, who uses “biscuit” as a term of endearment for all three of them. The name stuck. Klaye sings and plays the ukulele while Sovryn sings and plays the glockenspiel and snare drum. Lorene does a bit of everything. “I love the singing, the beatboxing, the rapping and writing the words,” Lorene says. Growing up, she listened to a variety of artists, but she cites Erykah Badu and Patsy Cline as two of her favorites. Klaye and Sovryn are big fans of Michael Jackson, the Fresh Beat Band, Bruno Mars and “anything we can dance to,” Klaye says. Lorene doesn’t have to push the girls to practice or write songs. Sometimes, one will come up with a creative verse or phrase, and the other takes it from there. It’s a family passion. The band shared a video of a performance on its Facebook page, which features Sovryn playing the snare drum and Lorene beside her as they rest on a green porch swing at their home. The scene is casual and familial, and they come up with a song on the fly. It has been viewd more than 5,700 times. Since its beginning in summer 2014, The Honey Biscuits has played a few shows and sometimes busks downtown. “I just felt it in my being,” Lorene says of playing onstage in Peace Park. “I was like, ‘We are totally going to be a band.’”
MUSIC MATTERS GET THE OFFICAL BXR APP
BXR.COM
/102.3BXR
WWW.
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ROBERT HEMWALL of Pierpont Farms spreads his passion for sustainable agriculture and helps feed students at MU
R
obert Hemwall and his wife, Angela, cultivate the 34 acres of Pierpont Farms on Route N, south of Columbia. While working as a chef for Boone Hospital Center, he developed a passion for sustainable agriculture and the slow food movement. Thirteen years ago, the couple founded Pierpont Farms on a leap of faith. The farm began as a small garden that supplied local families and restaurants under a community supported agriculture program. Through the CSA, the community bought shares of Pierpont Farms’ produce. Five years ago, the Hemwalls made the switch from CSA to wholesale. Now, Pierpont Farms supplies vegetables to several businesses in Columbia. The farm supplies food to MU’s Student Center, Catalyst Café and J Café. Hemwall says when school is in session, the university buys an average of 200 pounds of bell peppers each week from Pierpont Farms, among other vegetables. MU Campus Dining executive chef Eric Cartwright crossed paths with Hemwall when the university began buying more local foods. When Pierpont Farms transitioned to wholesale, it solidified a partnership. “We do a lot more business with them now,” Cartwright says. “They’re better able to meet our needs.” Kayla Wolf, who is double majoring in sustainable agriculture and photojournalism at MU, met Hemwall in 2015 while taking a reporting class. Two months 14
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after her first visit, Wolf became a volunteer farmhand on the property. She spends 10 to 20 hours per week at Pierpont and has developed an appreciation for sustainable farming due to Hemwall’s tutelage. What started out as a predominantly local venture for Hemwall grew larger, but it hasn’t lost the homegrown aspect. How did you start Pierpont Farms? Angela and I became interested in the local food movement. “Big ag” was looking like it wasn’t the answer, so we took [farming] on a small level and became obsessed with it. We became aware of how nourishing local food is because it’s not bred for shipping across the country. We became aware that this is something that’s really good for people. Why did you get into farming? The big picture is taking care of the land. We believe in an old-fashioned method of crop rotation, and it takes a little bit of time. The whole purpose is that hundreds of years down the road, you’ve got great soil, and you can keep planting vegetables in it. That’s pretty sustainable. You’re trying to keep an environment going on as long as you can. How did you get involved with MU? Slow Food Katy Trail invited MU Campus Dining executive chef Eric Cartwright out to the farm. Once
a year we do a tour with third-graders. They bring a chef in, we give a tour, and a chef takes our produce and cooks the food for them. That’s when I firmed up this deal with MU Campus Dining. Eric asked us to be a part of the campus dining crew, and it’s been great ever since. What are your relationships like with your current customers? It’s really personal. The chefs and the heads of these food service departments are the sweetest people. I listen to what they would like to see more of. One of my favorite parts of my job is meeting with them and just delivering and talking to them. It’s so gratifying when you go in there and they’re looking at stuff going, “Oh, this is just wonderful.” Do you enjoy being a farmer? I love every minute of it. It’s the freedom of making your own decisions, deciding what’s important and attacking those problems. The fact that I’m sharing with people is the biggest thing. There are a lot of bad things in the news and the world. This farm completely changes that for me. When I’m moving around the farm showing people things, I get nice feedback and they ask good questions. It keeps me energized. —WHITNEY MATEWE PHOTO BY STEPHANIE MUELLER
THE TO-DO LIST
this week in Columbia
ARTS & CULTURE Show ‘Em Comedy Festival
Two days of jokes and laughs come to Columbia this weekend. Local performers put on shows at various locations Friday night and throughout the day Saturday to promote the diverse talent in the city. Saturday morning and early afternoon is family day. Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m., Downtown Columbia, various locations, $7-15, showemcomedyfestival.com
CIVIC 12th Annual Tomato Festival
This celebration of all things tomato will feature tastings of more than 200 types of tomatoes and peppers, informative presentations, salsa tastings and tomato sales. The event is family friendly. Today, 4-7 p.m., Bradford Research Center, Free, 884-7945
SCREEN The Light Between Oceans
(PG-13) A couple who rescues a baby stranded at sea struggles to find solace in the consequences of their decisions. R RUNTIME = 2:12
Morgan (R) A bio-engineered being begins to reveal her dangerous tendencies, so a specialist is called in to determine whether to let her live or kill her before she kills someone else. F, R RUNTIME = 1:32 Southside With You (PG-13)
The drama recounts Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date. The couple talks identity politics and outlines plans for the future. RT RUNTIME = 1:21
Still playing
Bad Moms (R) F, R Ben Hur (PG-13) F Don’t Breathe (R) F, R Finding Dory (PG) F Florence Foster Jenkins (PG-13) RT Hands of Stone (R) F Jason Bourne (PG-13) R Kubo and the Two Strings (PG) F, R Mechanic: Ressurection (R) R Nerve (PG-13) R Pete’s Dragon (PG) F, R Sausage Party (R) F, R The Secret Life of Pets (PG) R Star Trek Beyond (PG-13) R Suicide Squad (PG-13) F, R War Dogs (R) F, R
Theaters F = Forum R = Regal
RT = Ragtag = Available in 3-D
www.secbeerfest.com General Admission $45 | VIP $85 Efforts and proceeds of the 2016 South East Craft Beer Festival will benefit: American Red Cross and Unchained Melodies Inc. (Dog Rescue)
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t o H Spot
the Name & Location thursday
friday
sunday
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111 S. 9th st, columbia, mo
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23 S. 8th Street Lower Level of the Tiger Hotel Downtown
Happy Hour 10pm to Midnight
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Cupcakes • Wedding Cakes • Starbucks Coffee • Specialty Treats Daily Cupcake Specials • Custom Orders • Lattes Now offering Sandwiches, Soups and Salads. 23 S. 8th St • Columbia MO • 573.875.8888 HOURS: 6:30 am - 10:00 pm (7 days a week)
And..Stop in for our Outstanding Made-To-Order Hot Breakfast (Omelettes, Belgian Waffles, etc).