Text and Photos
By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: In the 73rd column in the Diners and Dives series, some Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members explore Winona Lake and meet Dr. Terry White.

As you might imagine, we have a long list of possible restaurants for Diners and Dives from reader suggestions. Still, none of us considered visiting the bustling Westy Grille/Sub Hub located in the basement of Westminster Hotel until Historian Dr. Terry White suggested it.

Isn’t It Only For Grace Students?

Westy Grille is intended for the use of Grace College Students, and you’ll find the tables full of smiling, energetic students grabbing food before running to their next classes. But the public is free to use the café anytime it’s open (11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday)

Do I Need A Student ID?

Students pay with a card that swipes from their student meal plans, but you can use cash or a credit card and get the same choices. You don’t need permission, a special pass, or even an errand on campus. Just find the east side of Westminster and look for an unmarked set of stairs leading into the basement. Once inside, you’ll see Westy Grill/Sub Hub on your right.

How Do I Pay?

“Welcome!” Dr. Terry White arrived before we did. “Thank you for taking me up on my invitation. I hope some of you have time for a quick spin through the museum with me afterward too.”

Terry teaches journalism and other classes at Grace College, and is the chief docent of the very cool Winona Lake History Center. “I owe a lot to Grace College,” he told us. “I met my wife Sharon here. She was the first occupant of Alpha dorm.” White has worked off and on for Grace in many positions through the years.

Terry showed us where to get in one of two lines. The Westy Grill (north) side offers tacos, burritos, or rice bowls with toppings. The Sub Hub (south) side offers, yep, sub sandwiches. Options come with a bag of chips and salsa ($1.89) and a soda fountain drink ($1.99) that you fill yourself once you figure out how the buttons on the machine work.

Our other wildcard was a Grace student name Tyler White (no relation to Terry). Tyler gave us the lowdown on how to eat. He pointed at my grilled chicken, guacamole (extra .89), black beans, grilled peppers, and onions bowl (same price choice of burrito, tacos, or salad for $7.99). “So, I get the bowl and put the lid on. Then you shake it, so it mixes right.” Tyler is going to Grace to be a physical therapy assistant,

“So, you need a leg up then?” punned Realtor Jeff Owens.

“He is my realtor,” Tyler grinned. Owens is helping Tyler’s family buy a house nearby. “College has been an adjustment,” Tyler confessed. “I love doing laundry now. I fold my stuff. I’ve had to learn a whole lot of adulting.”

When Does The Grill Get Quiet?

Around 12:45 p.m. Tyler and 1st Source Banker Paul Finley left us to make it in time for their 1 p.m. classes. “I’ll pay attention in class for sure!” Tyler told us as he hefted his backpack.

Banker Finley teaches an organizational behavior class over in McClain Hall. The Grill quieted down immediately as streams of students left for their own classes.

What Else Can I Do Here After I Finish Eating?

“Did you know there used to be four bowling alleys in this very room?” Terry pointed around the basement area. “Let’s head up to the museum.” Terry stood up and we eagerly followed.

On the way, we passed an old grand piano. Terry himself is a gifted piano player, having played for Chuck Colson for more than a decade. I asked him to play something.

“What do you want to hear?” Terry sat down.

“The one you used to court your wife with,” Jeff Owens dug in his pocket for cash to put in the tip jar. “Of course!”

Even though some of the keys on the old piano stuck, Terry treated us to an exquisite version of Louie Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.”

The Winona History Center

Upstairs, we entered the museum and watched some cool videos about the history of the college and seminary. My own dad was in seminary during 1968-1971, which is why I happened to be born here myself.

But the museum goes back to 1894 when Sol Dickey bought the town, then called Spring Fountain Park, and held the first Bible conference in 1895. In 1902 he dredged the canal and created MacDonald Island. “They killed 22 rattlesnakes in one day when they dredged it,” Terry exclaimed.

Grace College is a big part of Winona Lake now, but long before it, Winona was known for the hugely popular and entertaining evangelist Billy Sunday who moved here in 1911 after leaving professional baseball.

Sunday became so popular in his rallies around the nation that it’s estimated he gave sermons to over 100 million people face-to-face, mostly without a microphone. Sunday himself estimated that he gave 20,000 sermons, or an average of 42 per month during his heyday. Pretty impressive without TikTok or YouTube.

Sunday hired gifted song leader Homer Rodeheaver who also lived in Winona at his Rainbow Cottage on MacDonald Island. Homer warmed up the crowd and then Billy gyrated, dove, danced, stood on the pulpit, and even smashed chairs to make his points in the sermons. His sermons had to be written in enormous letters so he could read them as he dashed by.

Our Connections To Winona Lake

There’s an old bench from the Winona Lake Billy Sunday tabernacle in the museum. “Think who could have sat on this bench!” Terry said reverently.

“Well actually, it could have been me,” Jeff replied just as reverently. “I saw my wife graduate from high school in that building.”

“What’s your first memory of Winona?” Owens asked as they looked around the displays including an old Winona Queen Ferry sign, a tandem bike, instruments used by Rodeheaver, and photos of many famous people here in Winona Lake.

“We’d come to Brethren Conference in the summer.” Terry laughed at the memory. “We rented a house with three other families and hung blankets up to separate the space. And then in 1954 I skipped out on conference to hear Ma Sunday speak at the Tabernacle.”

Until 1992 you could still visit the old Billy Sunday Tabernacle in Winona where Billy spoke. I remember being there as a child for conferences too. It had sawdust on the floor that got soggy in the rain (the sawdust helped to muffle the crowd noise) and when it rained on that roof, the noise was deafening.

Terry continued, “Ma Sunday said, ‘I don’t want to hear any coins for this offering. Only paper money now!’ She was quite the character.”

This is just a tiny nibble of the amazing stories Dr. Terry White, 2024 Chamber Man of the Year, took the time to tell Diners and Dives. We highly recommend taking time to eat a lunch at the Westy Grill/Sub Hub and then heading upstairs to hear him for yourselves. Thank you, Dr. White!

How Can I Visit?

Museum hours are 2-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday or by appointment.

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see featured in Diners and Dives? Send Shari Benyousky an email at [email protected].