Stephen Recites The Cat in the Hat

Stephen gave his Cat in the Hat presentation many times. This one was given on 05-Dec-2007 during a Wheaton IMPROV session. Thank you to 'olitchie' for posting it. His mother and I never heard him give it, only heard folks talk about it.

In one story while waiting for a movie to begin in a theater there was a long, long delay. Movie-goers were chatting. Stephen walked to the front of the theater and spontaneously gave his presentation.

What a guy. We miss him.

Rhondelle Moldenhauer said . . .

Dearest Leon and Susan,

I thought it might be good to share with you a time when Stephen ministered me when he was "just" a kid.

I was working at Vacation Bible School (VBS) one summer when Stephen was about 10 years old. I think it was the summer when I was very pregnant and probably very emotionally sensitive (hormones). The kids were divided into teams for some sort of relay and Stephen's team was one person short. I was pressed into service as the final member and was concerned that I wouldn't be able to do whatever the task was so as not to slow that team down.

I said something like, "I hope I can do that OK."

Stephen turned around, looked me in the eye and said very deliberately and compassionately, "All you have to do is your best. Don't worry about the rest."

That touched me deeply—that a young man of ten was more concerned for a pregnant lady's feelings than for winning the relay (which most kids his age are more focused on). He showed maturity beyond his years, while still being "all boy". I have carried that with me all these years and the memory still blesses me.

Love and Hugs,

Crazy Picture of Stephen

This picture was taken by Jeff Darragh while he and Stephen sailed across a lake to Geneva, Switzerland. According to Jeff, Stephen dared Jeff to stick his head through the porthole in the boat deck. Jeff declined, but Stephen did it. It makes for a great picture. That is water splashing from the side of the boat.

Stephen and Mrs Mjoen

Stephen loved Mrs Mjoen, who was the academic adviser to the SVHS Academic Decathlon team. He stayed in contact with her even after he went to Wheaton College (as did other team members). Whenever Stephen returned to Simi Valley he would call her and/or visit her. Sometimes the whole team would make a surprise visit to her.

This is a great picture of the two of them together.

Way to go, Mrs Mjoen, on leading the SVHS Academic Decathlon team to be ranked 7th in the nation in 2004.

2004 -June: Aca Deca Team in SVHS Library

The 2004 Academic Decathlon team in the SVHS library celebrates a successful year. What a great team, who worked so hard.

The Highest Point in the Lower 48

In August 2002 Stephen and I hiked across the Sierras to the top of Mt Whitney and back, 130 miles in 10 days. This was his first backpacking trip and my second one (in 35 years).

The hike was a unique time together. The first five days were brutal. We staggered under the heavy backpacks. We endured aches and pain. Stephen tolerated my nearly constant picture-taking.

By the sixth day, however, we were acclimated to the altitude and the rigor. On that day, we left our backpacks behind and made the final ascent. We felt so light and strong we almost flew to the top.

It was a perfect day on top of Mt Whitney, warm, sunny, with a slight breeze. We had a great time together. For one moment, Stephen’s fingertip was the highest point in the lower 48 states. (He had to stand on the highest spot). Aaaaah!

The next day we shouldered our backpacks and retraced our route. This time we did in four days what took us five days before. The last day we hiked in four hours the same distance that took us 10 hours, 9 days earlier. We were strong! Two guys who knew nothing about backpacking did it!

In Stephen’s own words, 'It was incredible!' He became quite the outdoorsman, ultimately leading kids on wilderness trips in Wisconsin (seen in other pictures). I am glad I was able to give him that love-of-the-outdoors.

April (Behr) McGuire said...

Dear Hampton Family,

The memorial today was beautiful. I am sitting here at 12:57 Sunday morning after the memorial and cannot get you all out of my mind which has been the case for the past week. Each time this happens I lift you each up to God and ask for his hand of mercy, grace and comfort to envelop each of you. Stephen was an enormous inspiration for every path he crossed and I will always remember his welcoming hugs and heart to teach the lessons he had learned throughout his life. Sarah and Evan remember him as the puppet guy, I remember vividly the afternoon we spent with you, Leon and Susan and with Stephen and I asked him what he was looking forward to doing after high school. At that time he talked of being a judge, explained how rational and fair one must be and I told him he would be perfect for the job. Please know that my heart grieves and rejoices with yours on Stephens loss and homecoming. It really struck me today how brave you were to do your job as parents and let him go so he could be shared with the world around him. Thank you God for giving us all a taste of who you are through the life of Stephen Paul Hampton.