“When you go back to what you were taught, over who trained you, and you just measure it out, you find out exactly who you are. Everything is based on your expectations.” – Bob Hemphill
Spokane can be a place where the intersection of cultures either forges lifelong friendships or creates divergent paths of separate realities. For longtime friends Bob Hemphill and William Masten, it has been the former – a 40-year testament to faith, humility, and shared humanity.
Hemphill talks about the life training he had as a child. When he met Masten in the 1980s, he recognized some of that same life training. The undercurrent: integrity and encouragement. Their faith has been a constant throughline.
Masten recalls first meeting Hemphill in 1980.
“He was strolling down the sidewalk, walking up to church with this big smile,” he said, laughing. “And I’m known for a big smile too. We’ve been close friends ever since.”
What started as a passing encounter quickly grew into brotherhood. Both men are rooted in Christianity. Both men are optimists.
“In any friendship, there’s humility – just like in a marriage or business partnership,” Masten reflected. “Humility is key.” He admits that it’s about taking the time to understand people from their perspective, to learn what you don’t know.
Masten describes himself and Bob as kindred spirits.
“We look for the good in people, not the bad,” he said. That attitude, he believes, has sustained their friendship.
Masten recalled stopping by Hemphill’s cab business in 1984. “He said, ‘Brother, I’d like to sell this business.’ I told him, ‘Let’s pray.’ A few days later, a woman came knocking on his door, and she bought it. That’s how God works.”
Nearly a decade later, Masten joined Hemphill at a Martin Luther King Jr. event, where he met the woman who would later become Bob’s wife. “We prayed about Teresa,” Masten smiled. “And they married in 1994.” They both chuckle at the memory.
Through years of community involvement – from sponsoring basketball teams to ministering in the community – the two have learned the power of perspective.
Beneath our individuality lies a shared human experience – one defined by the full range of emotions. Understanding one another through shared humanity, Masten believes, helps us see with new eyes. It may challenge us, but when Hemphill speaks of integrity, there is correlation.
Hemphill nods to the foundation that shaped him. “If we’re trained in love, we’re gonna love. If we’re trained to hate, we’re gonna hate,” he said. “Will and I were raised to love God and love one another. That’s the greatest life.”
When asked how they navigate difficult situations with love, Masten offered the metaphor of a geode – a rough, unassuming stone that reveals beauty when opened. “We all look a little rough on the outside,” he said, “but if you take time to look within, there’s brilliance there.”
Hemphill agrees.
“You know, I was talking to a lady this morning about holding grudges. That’s the worst thing you can do. Fifty years ago, something might have happened – but holding on to it only hurts you. We’re supposed to love each other, not find fault with one another. Everybody’s got shortcomings, but don’t look for them. Look for the greatness that exists – that’s where your blessings come from.”
Encouragement. Humility. Challenge. These have been, through the decades, conversations – shared right in the booths of Hemphill’s Chik’n and Mo restaurant, the same place where both men expound upon their 40-year friendship.
When asked about his role in the community, Hemphill points to the counter where orders are taken. “You see that right there? That’s my pulpit.”