NORTH STAFFORD — It has become a gathering place for those who come to the crossroads of the Marine Corps.
Situated outside Quantico Marine Corps Base sits The Globe and Laurel. It’s part restaurant, part cigar lounge, and filled Marine Corps history and pride.
The iconic tavern celebrated its 50th anniversary on Wednesday with a small gathering of public officials from Stafford County, representatives from the Department of Defense, and friends of the one man who has given life to The Globe and Laurel since its beginnings — retired USMC Maj. Rick Spooner.
Those who gathered in his dining room honored sung his praises and those of his late wife Gloria. Both opened and operated the Globe and Laurel in 1968 in Quantico, after the Major served 29 years in the Marine Corps fighting in the Pacific during WWII, and then in Korea, and later in Vietnam.
His wife passed on in 2012, losing a battle with cancer at age 83. The couple was married 60 years.
Today, Spooner, still a fixture in the restaurant, is said to counsel Marines young and old. They swap stories and talk about doing what’s right for themselves and their country.
“You sit and hold court at your table, and I distinctly remember two Marines… they’re burned into my memory… one of them talked, and the other didn’t say much,” said Stafford County Rockhill District Supervisor Wendy Maurer. “But when they left here I knew they were ready to go be with their family.”
A fire broke out inside the original Globe and Laurel in Quantico in 1974. The Spooners reopened their eatery in Triangle in Prince William County not long after.
“I still remember your original spot in Q-Town. Thanks for all your support for all the Marines,” said Lt. Col. Eric Reid, as he read aloud a letter to Spooner from Marine Corps Commandant General Robert B. Neller.
The walls inside the Globe and Laurel are filled with Marine Corps history. Some of it, including the patches on the wall date back to the turn of the 20th century.
The Globe and Laurel was relocated from Prince William County to Stafford in 2008 when Route 1 was being widened from four to six lanes in Triangle.
Many of Spooner’s friends who came to the anniversary celebration date back, too.
“I see faces of people I haven’t seen years. Why don’t you come around more often? We could use the business,” joked Spooner.
He says his restaurant, known for its customer service, in the next 50 years will be the most successful in Stafford County.
“We’re just getting started,” said Spooner.
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