Steve was made famous in our yearbook in a fabulous photo spread of Jannis Reece and him dancing to the sounds of our times.
The two were about the same height, and they were blonde, lithe, tall and thin. Elegantly dressed, you could see their personalities in their poses and their expressions. They almost looked like mirror yin-and-yang images.
The text in the yearbook reads: "And these were the good times ... times of togetherness before the times of separation ... we walked together, ate together, danced together, learned together ... we changed together."
That was 40 years ago, and indeed we have changed. Now Steve has need of a new kidney, and the community is coming together to help on June 19 at Woodstock Community Church.
Some of you may know Steve in a different way from my nostalgic memories, because that blonde young man with the groovy expressions on his handsome young face went on to become famous by many standards.
You might have heard him on the radio, where he was a successful disc jock in the late '70s known then as Randy Sutton on 96 Rock. You could have heard him in the 1980s on Power 99 where he became "Boomer," or later on Star94.
Perhaps you caught his television show, "Georgia Outdoors," on Georgia Public Television in the next decades.
However you know Steve now is the time when he needs our help.
Steve developed diabetes as a younger man. Following an accident last year that landed him in the hospital with several broken bones and a broken back, it was discovered that he had kidney problems.
Soon tests revealed how severe the situation was, and Steve was put on dialysis three days a week.
As the situation became graver, doctors tested Steve to see if they could help him get a new kidney. He is on a list to receive a kidney donation through the donor program, but that is a long shot. Three people have offered to donate a kidney to him, and they are now being tested, but may not be a match.
A better opportunity for his health to improve is for one of those donors to donate his or her kidney to someone in another area who matches that donor and for Steve to have a kidney donated in return that is a good match for him.
But there is a price tag. A quarter of a million dollars. And while that would bring change to Steve and his health issues, that is no small change. Add to that $2,000 a month for life for medications, and the price is indeed pretty steep.
So Steve's friends and family have gotten together from near and far to put on a show, an "Evening with Mark Twain," on June 19 at the Woodstock Community Church on Main Street in the historic downtown area.
Steve's brother, Kurt Sutton, will present the show, which is sponsored by Tommy and Chantal Bagwell. Kurt has become the leading authority on Samuel Langhorne Clemens in this neck of the woods and is now a national touring actor with his one-man show.
Steve's old radio buddy Red Neckerson will be on hand, too. Also Jim Vann, who in addition to being well known from his time on Kicks 101.5, is also famous for being married to Jannis, Steve's old dancing partner in the yearbook.
Ray Mariner from the "Cindy and Ray" morning show on Star94 will also be one hand.
And Dr. Paul "Piano Red" Chandler will be on stage during the pre-show and intermission playing his own brand of jazz.
Proceeds go the Steve "Boomer" Sutton Kidney Fund, and admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a meet-and-greet with the disc jockeys.
So life is ever-changing, and a look at a yearbook shows the changes that time has wrought. But somehow reaching out to help seems timeless.
Rebecca Johnston is former editor of The Cherokee Tribune.
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