In 1990 Dr. Patrick Hardy MD was elected Commander, and Major Jeffrey Smith was elected Adjutant. The monthly meetings began having guest speakers, and were held at prominent restaurants in the St. Louis area. In the fall of 1990 Carlos Whitehead was elected Adjutant, and Jeff Smith became Chaplain. Dr. Hardy was named Surgeon-in-Chief of the National Military Order of Stars and Bars. The Sterling Price Birthday Dinner was inaugurated, as well as the first annual Camp Jackson Day Dinner. Membership began to increase once more, and attendance at meetings was up.
In 1991 the continued success of the reorganized Camp was demonstrated
by an increase in membership, and Camp activities. The Special Dinners
instituted by Commander Hardy were well attended, and gave a felling of
comradery to the Camp. The wives and friends of Camp members were
welcomed at these events, which greatly expanded the attendance.
The Camp Jackson Dinner was held at the historic Cupples House on the Frost
Campus of St. Louis University. The Campus was named for Confederate General
Daniel Marsh Frost. Monthly meetings were held at Marie Callender’s Restaurant
on Manchester. The Camp received the Col. John Q. Burbridge Award for Best
Camp and the Major John Newman Edwards Award for Best Newsletter that year.
Membership soared from 19 members to over 50 members in one year under
the leadership of Commander Hardy, and the Major General John Stevens Bowen
Chapter of the Military Order of Stars and bars was established.
At the 1991 National Reunion at Columbus, Georgia the Army Argus won first
place in the MOSB Best Chapter Newsletter, John Karel was awarded the Distinguished
service Medal, and Commander Hardy received the Meritorious Service Medal.
Meetings were held at Jo Hannon’s Restaurant, and were well attended. At
the annual Sterling Price Diner John Karel was presented the “Sterling
Price Award”, the highest honor the camp can confer.
Commander Hardy continued to serve in 1992, and was instrumental in having Sterling Price camp host the annual Division Reunion in St. Louis County that year. It was held on April 11th 1992 at the historic “Oakland House” in Affton, Missouri. Presiding over the meeting was Division Commander Keith Daleen. At this meeting April 26th was established as Missouri Confederate Memorial Day, Sterling Price Camp donated the flagpole to our Elm Springs National SCV Headquarters, Division “Life” Membership was established, and Dr. Patrick J. Hardy was elected Missouri Division Commander. That summer Ollie Sappington was appointed to serve as Camp Commander, and Gene Dressel was appointed Commander of the Gen. Bowen MOSB Chapter. On June 12th of that year, long time member, Charles Via passed away at his home in San Diego, California.
Annual events got off to a rough start in 1993. The January 9th Lee/Jackson
Dinner at Columbia, Missouri was the day of one of the worst snow storms
to hit Missouri in recent history. The guest speaker, P. Charles Lunsford
of Atlanta, Georgia had flown in to St. Louis and was stranded here, so
a “rump” session of the Lee/Jackson Dinner was held in Dr. Hardy’s recreation
room. An excellent lecture followed, and a good time was had by all in
attendance. Mr. Lunsford made an encore performance in Missouri that October
at the Annual Secession Day Dinner at Louisiana, Missouri.
Ollie Sappington continued to command Sterling Price Camp this year. New
officers included; Charles Welsh - 1st Lt. Commander, Dave LeMoyne - 2nd
Lt. Commander, Col. James Speicher - Adjutant, Mike Pierce - Chaplain,
and Bill Bowden - Treasurer. The monthly Camp meetings were held at the
Olive Garden restaurant on Manchester this year, and attendance was at
an all time high. The Camp was nearing 100 members, and growing rapidly.
Confederate Memorial Day services were held at Jefferson Barracks on April
30th, and the Camp Jackson Dinner was once again at the Cupples House on
May 7th. Commander Sappington , in keeping with his motto “An active
Camp is a growing Camp”, filled 1994 with memorable events. A new
recruiting billboard campaign by National Headquarters secured a billboard
in the St. Louis area proclaiming the virtues of SCV membership.
We purchased a new Camp flag, paid for a flagpole at Elm Springs Headquarters,
a new camp Medal was struck, and Sterling Price Camp “T” shirts were made
available. A series of lecturers were provided for the monthly Camp
meetings, and tours of local Confederate sites were held. Lecturers such
as Dr. Phillip Thomas Tucker, Col. Heinrich Wirz, and Margaret Richardson
graced the meetings. The new Field Trip Program took camp members to such
places as; New Madrid, Higginsville, Franklin Tennessee, and Elm Springs
National Headquarters. Advertisements for the SCV were published in the
St. Louis Genealogical Society Magazine, local Confederate gravesites were
marked, and Confederate literature was donated to local libraries. A “sharing
table” was established at camp meetings, where articles of interest were
made available to all members. That year Ollie Sappington was elected Lieutenant
Commander of the Missouri Division. The Camp once again won the Burbridge
Award for Best Camp in Missouri, and the Argus won the Best Newsletter
Award. In September of that year Division Commander Jim Keown resigned,
and Ollie Sappington became the new Division Commander. 1994 saw the best
of times, and the worst of times for Sterling Price camp #145. The worst
came on December 26th, 1994, when beloved compatriot “Pat” O’Connor passed
away.
The January meeting this year payed tribute to General Robert
E. Lee in a lecture given by John Karel. John is one of our most
gifted speakers, and all in attendance agreed that it was an honor to be
there. Confederate Memorial Day was held on Saturday April 22 this year,
at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, and the Division Reunion was hosted
by the A.C. Riley Camp at Sikeston, Missouri. The Camp Jackson Memorial
Dinner was held on Friday, May 5th at Jo Hannon’s Restaurant, featuring
SCV Commander-in-Chief Robert L. Hawkins III. Adjutant Colonel James Speicher
initiated a project to erect a monument on Winsted Hill at Franklin, Tennessee
honoring the brave Missourians who gave their lives in that heroic struggle.
The memorial was named in honor of our fallen comrade Gaylord Patrick O’Connor.
Sterling Price Camp also donated a considerable amount of money for the
restoration of McGavock Cemetery in Franklin where 133 Missourians are
buried. Compatriots Major Jeff Smith and Captain Doug Harding were both
on Reserve duty in Panama, and while there, started the “Governor Claiborne
Fox Jackson SCV Camp”, claiming the it to be the “Southernmost” SCV Camp
in the Confederacy. Monthly meetings were still being held at the
Olive Garden Restaurant this year, however there was some dissatisfaction
with the manager’s disrespectful attitude toward the display of our Confederate
Battle Flag. It became obvious that a more suitable location was in order
in the near future. The annual Sterling Price Birthday Dinner was
held on September 15th at Jo Hannon’s Restaurant featuring Phil Gottschalk,
author of In Deadly Earnest. The Camp also attended an” ‘Ol Time Southron
Bar-B-Que Eatin Contest” in Fayette, Missouri hosted by the Little Dixie
Camp #1673. Winner of the contest was Commander Ollie Sappington who “scarffed
down copious amounts of hawg and hen meat”. First prize was a years supply
of Gas-Ex. In November the Camp participated in the rededication of the
Cape Girardeau Confederate Monument, and its relocation on the Courthouse
lawn.
Officers for the 1996-1997 term included; Ollie Sappington - Commander, Larry Limpus - 1st Lt. Commander, Bill Feeney - 2nd Lt. Commander, and Col. James Speicher - Adjutant. A new feature was begun this year at the January meeting. Rather than restrict the meeting to the celebration of Generals Lee and Jackson, it was decided to pay tribute to the many Confederate Generals who were born that month. In 1996, six Confederate heroes were so honored. The annual Missouri Division Reunion was once again held in St. Louis. The April 13th 1996 activities centered around Jo Hannon’s Restaurant, and it was a very successful reunion. The Camp sadly announced the passing of Compatriots Phillip S. Brumbaugh, and William K. Gardner this year. Confederate Memorial Day was held at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Saturday April 21st 1996. The Camp Jackson Memorial Dinner was held on May 10th 1996 at Jo Hannon’s Restaurant.
1998 was one of the most momentous years in the history of Sterling camp
Price #145. It was this year that we hosted the National Sons of Confederate
Veterans Reunion in St. Louis. Most of 1997, and the first half of 1998
was consumed by planning for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Meetings
were moved from the Olive Garden Restaurant to a series of various locations,
and began to take on the aspect of a traveling circus. Newsletter
editor, Doug Harding was on assignment in Bosnia most of the year, and
Commander Sappington initiated a project to donate a 41 volume collection
of Confederate publications to several area libraries. A full size
replica of our Camp Banner was reproduced,and a picture of it graces the
front and back covers of this booklet. The National Convention was held
in St. Louis this year on August 5-8th. Headquarters were at the Adams
Mark Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Col. James Speicher, who had done
a splendid job as Camp Adjutant, was reassigned to Kansas this year, and
the loss to the Camp was sorely felt. Col. Speicher was the backbone of
the organization, and replacing him was an impossible task. Dr. Hardy and
Robert L. Hawkins III served as co-chairmen for the 1998 SCV Reunion, and
the Gen. Bowen Chapter of the MOSB conducted several tours of Confederate
sites in St. Louis during the convention. Larry Limpus was appointed National
Judge-Advocate-General, Dr. Hardy - Surgeon-in-Chief, and Ollie Sappington
- Quartermaster-in-Chief. Dr. Hardy received the Distinguished service
Medal, Larry Limpus the Citation for Distinguished Service, Gene Dressel
and Shawn Seithel the Commander-in-Chief’s Award. Also in 1998, Patrick J. Hardy, MD received the Jefferson Davis
Chalice, the highest award that can be bestowed upon a member by the Sons of
Confederate Veterans.
