Friends reunite with Missouri's political elite at Governor Kehoe's inauguration ball

A trio of friends traveled together to attend Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe's inauguration and ball.

The Wake Foundation's Robert Wake and Kennett residents James and Deb Waynick made their ways to Jefferson City to celebrate the historic occasion.

"The governor's ball was pretty awesome," Wake said. "They were honoring Parson before the ceremonies really even started.

"As soon as they got through honoring Parson he and his wife got straight into a vehicle and drove off," he continued. "Went home to Boliver Missouri. I asked somebody if that's how they normally do that and they said yes. That's how it normally works."

The event was a great opportunity to speak casually with politicos, Wake noted.

"We went and visited with a lot of the different state legislators," Wake said. "People that we know that are strong backers of the Wake Foundation."

Deb Waynick agreed.

"We met up with our state representative, Cameron Bunting-Parker," she said. "And talked with her a while.

"We had met her before," she added. "But it was nice to see her again."

Wake said the ball's presentations took a while during the evening's festivities.

"Ms. Parker and her family came down the stairs as they introduced everybody," the Purple Heart recipient said. "And man, that took a long time. Two hours, anyway."

After being there all day, coordinators opened up the dance floor, Wake observed.

"The most fun was watching Gov. Kehoe try to dance," James Waynick said. "He's a rancher, not a dancer.

"He was stiff as a post," he laughed. "I was watching him dance and I thought, 'How did I get on the dance floor?' Because I'm not a great dancer either."

Deb Waynick defended the governor's dancing, all in good fun and great spirits.

"He just got out of step," she said. "He was doing exactly what I learned to do in ballroom dancing."

"His wife did what you did," James laughed. "He did what I do."

"He got turned around going the wrong direction," Deb noted. "He was going one way, and she was going the other.

"He took it well," James said. "And he's a really good man."

Wake said the governor noticed he was in attendance right away.

"I was standing back away from them," Wake said. "And the governor turned around and saw me.

"He came up to me and gave me a big bear hug and said, 'Robert, I am so glad that you're here,'" Wake added. "I was glad too. I knew he would hug me. He always does."

Wake described another event the trio attended, where they all spoke with the governor.

"James and Deb were there with me right after he got elected," Wake said. "So, we were all there raising money, raffling off some firearms, and somebody went out and talked to Secret Service and said, 'There's a guy out here with a huge arsenal.'

"'Oh?'" Wake laughed. "'Is Robert out there?'

"So, he came over to where I was at and gave me a hug," Wake added. "He went up on the stage and spoke for a while. He was greeted by a standing ovation. Toward the end, he started talking about the Wake Foundation. He said, 'If you absolutely want to support a great foundation, Robert Wake, and the Wake Foundation are what you need to be doing. I'm going over there right now and buying 100 tickets.' He included the Wake Foundation in his address. The Wake Foundation has a huge veteran's following, and I feel like we unintentionally helped to get Gov. Kehoe elected. He's a good guy."

Deb Waynick said visiting with area legislators and touring the Capitol building both were highlights of Kehoe's inauguration and ball.

"We all went and visited with Jason Bean," she said. "Which was a lot of fun.

"It was cold," she added. "He was sworn in outside on the South Lawn. But I've been in the Capitol, and I love going there. It is so beautiful. I couldn't believe how splendid everything was. Kind of majestic. To go and see all the murals and everything that represents history is overwhelming. It's like a huge museum where you're seeing history unveiled. You think about the books you've read and the movies you've seen that represent all this history."

James agreed and said more Missouri notables were in attendance.

"It was pretty chilly," he said. "Matt Blunt and his dad were there. "John Ashcroft was there," he added. "And former Governor Jay Nixon."

The trio was happy to see a few other Kennett residents who attended.

"We saw Daren Harris and Malinda," Deb said. "Her brother, Paul T., and his wife.

"We saw Jonathan Jain, Nick Jain's little brother," James chimed in. "He came up to us and said, 'I thought I saw some Kennett folks here.' It really was a fantastic event. We'll remember it for a long time."