Birth of a Rebel

In 1956 the Chevrolet Division of General Motors released a car that was to become a world famous classic. A blue eyed boy with tightly curled blond hair was seven years old that year. Sister Mary DeLoretta was his second grade teacher at St. Cecilia's School in Coatesville PA. The other kids teased him about his hair, calling him names like "Sissy"

The little boy was very excitable and very bright. Sister noticed that he would read faster and with greater passion in his voice than most any other child. But sometimes Stephen was a discipline problem. Sometimes he just would not stop talking. Sister chided him gently time after time.

In 1968 Sears Roebuck and Company had a local store in almost every city in America, or so it seemed. In Coatesville Pennsylvania there was a class C store which sold only hard goods like appliances, things like clothing were ordered through the catalog. It was a much more sophisticated world than it had been in 1956. Out in back of the store itself was a service department where a bright little 19 year old boy was a TV Repairman. His curly hair had once been blonde. Often his customers would question his ability to repair a TV, so youthful was his baby face.

Sister Mary DeLoretta just could not take Stephen's constant chatter that day. She sent him upstairs to the fourth grade classrom, the room with the gigantic nun, the nun everybody feared, Sister Maria Eucharista. It was a serious crime, speaking during class. The decision had been made to make an example of Stephen, the die was cast.

As he went from customer to customer Stephen tried to engage them in conversations about the war. He did not want to lose his job, but he wanted to speak out against the bombings of stone age villages. Whenever he thought this or that customer might just be receptive, he'd speak about his plans, what he was going to do. He had learned a long time ago, at his fathers knee, to question everything known to be true. His way of always asking questions was his talent for fixing any problem in any TV.

St. Cecilias was a gigantic old school. The ceilings were nearly twenty feet high. the land it was on sloped quite steeply, as was common for lots in Coatesville. Stephen was very frightened as he went up the stairs, he knew about the gigantic nun. He had heard scary stories from the other children.

The letter was very clear, "You are to appear at the Induction Center..." He had known it would come, he knew what he would do, he folded it back carefully into the envelope and turned to face his mother. "I love you Mom, but I'm not going to change my mind, I don't care what they do to me Mother, my mind is made up"

Now Stephen was at the door. He was too short to see through the windows, but he heard the booming voice of the gigantic nun inside. He knocked softly, in the way of a child. To his great dread the door opened and there she was, the gigantic nun. He could not believe that clothing could be made that large... "STEPHEN RIDER, WHY ARE YOU HERE ?" "sister, I was talking in class..." "TALKING IN CLASS,DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO CHILDREN THAT TALK IN CLASS ?" "No Sister" "WELL HERE YOU GO STEPHEN"

On the bus to Philadelphia Stephen kept talking to the other young men. Stanley was there from his grade school class. Stanley always thought Stephen was crazy. Nobody wanted to listen to him, nobody wanted to go to jail. Soon the bus was on Broad St in Philly. The children were lined up, stripped, probed and made to cough. Then they let the children get dressed and brought then in to an official room. In the front of the room was a piece of cloth on a wooden stick. The cloth was so important that people killed other people to protect the cloth that represented peace and freedom. They started calling out names, as each child's name was called they were supposed to say "present" and take one step forward.

The gigantic nun picked up Stephen by his wrist. It was a very tiny wrist and he weighed less than forty pounds. Sister Maria Eucharista, a woman devoted to God, held the seven year old child out the window, second floor window, where the basement windows three flights below were above the cement sidewalk. It was about a 40 foot drop, the gigantic nun, devoted to the teachings of Christ, held Stephen by the wrist alone.

The officer in the front of the room seemed very devoted to the cloth on the wooden pole. He explained that killing people was good if it protected the cloth on the wooden pole. Stephen was in the back of the room, because they knew what he intended to do. On arriving that day, August 23rd 1968, he had handed a lieutenant a letter, the title was "Notice of Intent To Commit Felony". They started calling the names. Each good and righteous child, each young and pure minded boy, stepped forward as they called his name. Stephen was still in the back of the room.

The sun was shining brightly on his lovely blond curls. His wrist hurt a little where the gigantic nun was squeezing it. Stephen's mind was racing wildly. He knew the nun wanted to scare him, he knew he was supposed to cry and beg for mercy. Stephen was angry, this was not justice. Inside the classroom his older sister was watching in fear. She cared about her little brother. Stephen suddenly realized what he needed to do. His father had taught him

They got down to Stanley and he stepped up too. Stephen knew now he was the only one. All the other young men were off quite soon for the cannons of war. Big corporations would make lots of money; babies would die in their thatch huts. "Not for me", he thought rapidly, mind racing. Down to the guy just before him now.

The little boy with the bright curly hair looked up at the nun who was holding him high over hard cement. The program said he was to be terrified. Screams and begging were expected. Looking right in her eye, very loud so his sister inside would hear; he said "You wouldn't dare let me go."

The lieutenant called out "STEPHEN RIDER" The young man with glasses and curly hair yelled out loud "I REFUSE"