By Cathy Miller

Saturday took me to a stop at the brand new Buttzville Brewing in Washington Borough to see what “flavors” of beer were being offered. The establishment was packed, the libations were flowing, and a voice called “Cathy.” It was an acquaintance from Warren Community College and two local business people, all hailing from Washington.

When presented with such an unanticipated opportunity for a quick Q&A and story for a Person (or Persons) of the Week column, one should always go for the gusto! Nobody wanted to divulge their deepest secrets, but when it came to childhood career choices, all three chimed in immediately!

Donnell Joyce, from Washington, said as a youngster he always wanted to be a police officer. And that’s precisely what he did. He is now retired, after 27 years as an officer in Scotch Plains.

Currently, he volunteers as one of the Foundation Directors at Warren Community College, whose goal is to bolster the college community through fundraising, grants, and community support. He is also a public safety officer and adjunct professor at Centenary University. In his spare time, Donnell loves to travel and spend time with his wife and children.

Carolyn Thomas always wanted to be a teacher. Her love of cooking took her in a different direction. In 2013 she introduced Big Red, her food truck, and Celetstine’s Catering Company, and quickly became a fixture at assorted events and festivals, serving up her sumptuous soul food (fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, potato salad, cornbread, sweet potato pie and more, mmmmmm).

In 2018 she opened her restaurant by the same name on Washington Avenue in the Borough and ran both the physical restaurant and the moveable feast simultaneously.

The restaurant closed in May 2020 for diverse reasons, including Covid-19. She sold Big Red in November 2020.

For now she’s very happy in the role of homemaker and spending quality time with her family. Her husband Terry remarked that she finally made him some of her famous mac and cheese after many months – and it was so good!

She may revisit the idea of another restaurant once her two daughters are in college, perhaps in a couple years. For now it’s “Family First” for Carolyn – she used to coach basketball, now she’s involved with her daughter’s competitive marching band (cooking at the concession stand) and volunteering at her high school.

Terry Thomas, Carolyn’s husband, wanted to be a doctor when he was little, specifically a physical therapist.

After his first year in college studying physical therapy, he switched to music education and became a music teacher, which he did straight out of college. After a year, school budgets were trimmed, as were the music and art programs. Terry landed in the field of data entry at a finance company.

Working on finances satisfied one side of his brain, but how did he fulfill the other side? He played – and still plays – saxophone in a band called White Trash. Who knew?

White Trash was signed to Elektra Records in 1990 (same label as The Doors and Metallica). They appeared on MTV and toured all over. Thirty years later, they’re still active.

Terry also played for a couple of special events at Celestine’s, drumming in a jazz trio.

His musical talent is shared with his youngest daughter, who’s performed with her dad’s band and plays tenor sax in her high school’s Marching Band.

As for the beer menu, there’s always next time!

Photo: (L-R) Donnell Joyce with Terry and Carolyn Thomas.

Cathy Miller is an award-winning photo-journalist who has been covering the sights and people of Warren County for many years, as well as special events and special occasions.