Brendon Boone

Brendon Boone was born in Meridian, MS, to the Reverend Dr. Norman Boone Sr. and Leola (Speed) Boone. Brendon spent his early years moving from town to town every time his father was transferred by the Methodist Church to a new congregation, which included several years in San Diego while Rev. Boone served as a Navy Chaplain during WWII. As a child, Brendon excelled at basketball and football, and was the Mississippi state Soap Box Derby champion in 1952. When he eventually was disappointed by coming in second at the World Soap Box Derby competition in Ohio, he was encouraged by an attending celebrity, Jimmy Stewart, to return to Mississippi with his head held high, because he was still a champion in his home state. After studying architecture, English, and theology, first at Georgia Tech and then at Emory University, Brendon transferred to the prestigious theater program at Rollins College in Florida, where his portrayal of Sakini in the Annie Russell Theater production of "Teahouse o