Our “Love Affair” with
St. John
Randy’s first visit to the Virgin Islands was in 1966 as a naval officer aboard the amphibious transport ship USS Wakiakum
County (LST 1162). It was an unforgettable experience, which marked the beginning of a life-long love affair with these islands. After military service and graduate school, Randy returned to the islands and assumed a teaching position at the All Saints Episcopal School on St. Thomas, where he taught a
class in Caribbean history. Teaching this
class helped spark his own lasting interest in
the history, culture, and people of the Virgin Islands. During the 1970s, Randy returned to the states and worked at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he spent many hours of his free time thumbing through the Library’s extensive collection
of books about the history of the Virgin Islands. Included were fascinating stories of early pre-Columbian inhabitants, swashbuckling days of pirates, and the islands’ Danish colonial past and the role Denmark played in the contentious seventeenth- and eighteenth-century race to claim ownership of valuable “sugar islands” in the Caribbean. He was anxious to share what he was learning, especially with vacationing visitors.
This led to writing a series of guidebooks, beginning with the publication of the first edition of St. John On Foot and By Car in 1974. It was during this time that Randy and Becky met. Within a few weeks of their meeting, they eloped to the Virgin Islands
where they were married at the Frederick Lutheran Church on St. Thomas. After honeymooning on St. John and touring the islands, they returned to Washington D.C. to pursue careers in real estate. Two children later, thanks to a skyrocketing prime interest
rate and the subsequent collapse of the real estate market, they were back in the islands. Randy worked at the Caneel Bay Plantation Resort and Becky homeschooled their children. When the market stabilized, the couple again returned to the states, but
continued to visit St. John regularly. By 2003 they were eager to own their own piece of paradise. They purchased a building lot in Fish Bay, and Randy and his son began clearing the bush. Within a year their island home was completed. The authors currently reside in Connecticut along with their now three children (Rachel, Josh, and Sarah) and their wonderful grandchildren. They make regular visits to their beloved island home. Their oldest daughter Rachel, a passionate herbalist with a consummate interest in tropical plants and bush remedies, was the driving force that led to the writing of this newly revised and expanded edition of this St. John guidebook. Along the way, Rachel provided much welcomed encouragement and assistance. We hope our readers find this latest edition informative and useful and that perhaps, in some small way, it helps make a wonderful visit to St. John even more enjoyable.
– Randy and Becky Koladis
