Steve Kennemer:  

Life Born in Houston Texas, 8/9/1968, parents divorced when I was 3, my mom and my two sisters moved to Conroe when I was 6. Dirt poor, we lived with my grandmother on 1st street for a while, around the corner from a kid named Porfirio Hinajosa. We went to Runyan elementary school with the likes of Bubba Jacques, Tyke Tolbert and Bobby Brennan. I got recruited to play the Easter Bunny in a play, probably cause I had some buck-assed teeth at the time. I used to be a stellar student back then, but I got a ‘U’ in bathroom and banned from the playground, go figure. I remember tripping Michelle Posey on the play ground and having to sit on the sidewalk. With bloodied knee, she started bawling like she lost her damn leg. I felt so bad, I avoided her for the remainder of my Conroe schooling days all the way up until I graduated. That’s a shame too, cause she turned out to be a really good-looking woman. I asked her about this at the last reunion, she didn’t even remember. Somewhere in there, my mom convinced me to play youth baseball. I’m grateful for that cause I met one of the best people in the world when I was 8 and that would be Danny Reed. He was the best man at my wedding and a great listener during my divorce. But that’s another story. After setting all kinds of disciplinary records at Runyan, I did what most kids did from there and promptly went to Crockett intermediate. For some reason they had me in the smart classes with people like Eric Blakemore and Randy Reese. I’m still trying to figure that one out. Its like they had to mix a few of us dumb ones in there to make the smart kids feel good. Anyway…I don’t really have too many fond memories of that time in my life, other than the fact that Janice Richardson had boobs and it freaked me out, it was strictly hormonal I‘m sure. Oh, and Blakemore hit me in the jaw cause I faked a loogie in his wig in the lunch line. Who would have known he had a black belt in some kind of kick-your-ass martial art? Live and learn. I believe it was during the summer before I went to Jr. High or just before I started 8th grade, we moved from 1st street to Cory Street just outside of the “Tall Timber’s” apt complex. I was close to my buddy Danny Reed, Warren Johnson and kind of close to Jamie Coumbe. Lucky Reese lived in the “Timbers” and Grant Larson had the big house with the pasture and the chickens. Bubba and Tyke lived up the street and I used to walk down their street cause I got sexually harassed by Tonya Hunter in the “Timbers”. Plus, this kid called Pookie threw a brick at Danny from the bushes one time, so I just figured I would avoid walking thru there unless I had too. Being a Bulldog was quite an adventure. Mike Hubbard beat me up a few times and then figured I wasn’t that much fun and moved on. I’m so glad he got it out of his system before High School. He thumped me so hard on the ear one time on a cold day, I thought my friggin’ ear was gonna fall off. Then there was a fellow by the name of Stacey McDaniel. He used to think it was funny to put me in a chin-lock until I passed out. I have no idea how many brain cells were lost, probably as many as my entire stay at college. Stacey, if you are reading this…you have a girls name and I hope you are fat, with a limp, and a truck that won’t start. Anyway, some good things came out of Washington Jr. High. I met Robbie Cooper who has turned into a heterosexual life partner of some sort. Also, I learned what capital punishment was all about. Coach Mayes used to really light up your ass with a paddle for one reason or another. BTW, Shelby Lewis’ ...Expand for more