Official ‘Tom and Becky,’ from Holy Family School
“The sun rose upon a tranquil world and beamed down upon the peaceful village like a benediction.”
— Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
By Jay Nies
Tom and Becky like to stroll about the streets and waterfront, welcoming visitors to their hometown.
America’s Hometown.
“It’s really about greeting people and giving information and hopefully making it a highlight of their trip,” said Malaina McIntyre, Hannibal’s new official Becky Thatcher ambassador.
“A big part of that is greeting them and making them feel welcome,” Malaina stated.
She and Thatcher Johnson, the town’s official Tom Sawyer ambassador for 2025-26, will both be eighth-graders at Holy Family School in Hannibal this fall.
They’ve been classmates since kindergarten.
“And we’ve been good friends, as well,” said Malaina.
Each year, many Marion County seventh-graders take part in the months-long audition process for becoming Hannibal’s official Tom and Becky — childhood characters from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
The book is an often-whimsical, sometimes-suspenseful, semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Clemens.
Mr. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain (1835-1910), grew up in Hannibal before embarking on a life of adventure and becoming a universally recognized literary phenomenon.
His books, essays, short stories and candid observations about the human condition remain indelible touchstones of American culture.
People from all over the world come to Hannibal to visit the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, the nearby childhood home of Laura Hawkins Frazer, inspiration for Becky Thatcher, and other nearby vestiges of the early 19th century.
Five “Toms” and five “Beckys” are selected each year and are invited to appear in costume and in character at events throughout the city.
Of those, one apiece gets selected to be the official Tom and Becky, Hannibal’s youthful emissaries to the nation.
Malaina and Thatcher are convinced that they’re ambassadors not just for their hometown but also for the ideals of their faith.
“I think a big part of going around and welcoming people — that’s showing them God’s love and being loving toward them, loving your neighbor,” said Malaina, daughter of Stewart and Amy McIntyre.
They have also recognized his presence throughout the audition process.
“I would say God shows himself in how this whole town supports this program, and how everyone bands together and is so happy for you,” said Thatcher, son of Neil Johnson and Amelia Johnson.
“Even the people who didn’t get to do it, they’re happy for you getting to do it,” he said. “I think God is present in everyone rooting together and being happy for you.”
School days
Hannibal has been selecting an official Tom and Becky each year since 1956.
This is the first time since 1997-98 that the official Tom and the official Becky are both students of Holy Family School.
“It’s exciting! We’re very proud of them!” said Sara Hooley, Holy Family’s principal.
Two of Malaina’s brothers were Tom Sawyers in years past.
“Seeing them represent Hannibal and make such an impact in the community made me want to do this, as well,” she said.
Thatcher is the first in his family to take part in the program.
“A lot of my friends who are a year older than me tried it out,” he said. “My Mom said I would be good at it, and I figured it might be fun.”
The process started in February, when each candidate for the official Tom and Becky gave a two-minute speech before a panel of judges about why they want to be Tom or Becky and why they would be good in that role.
The judges then narrowed the candidates down to 12 Toms and 12 Beckys, who moved on to the next stage of judging.
They took a written test on the history of Hannibal, Mark Twain and the characters in his most famous book.
They then answered questions from three judges who are familiar with the program, about Mark Twain and why they want to be Becky or Tom.
The judges narrowed the field to five Toms and five Beckys.
“Then, there were two days of orientation, when you would walk around downtown in a costume,” said Thatcher. “Judges would come up like tourists and ask you questions.”
The candidates were interviewed once again — this time in full character — on July 3 by three out-of-town judges.
While preparing, Malaina and her parents visited the Mark Twain Birthplace Museum in Florida, Missouri. A docent took her down to the archives where she got to see the original manuscript for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
She also visited Laura Hawkins Frazer’s burial place in Big Creek Cemetery in Rensselaer.
Thatcher put together 150 note cards to go through each night to help him remember things he would need to know as the official Tom Sawyer.
He also talked to previous official Toms about what it takes to be a good ambassador for the city and its favorite author.
Thatcher and Malaina read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Both like the characters that they play.
“I think Becky was very caring and kind,” said Malaina. “As Becky, I try to be kind to everyone I meet. I try to be a highlight of their trip and be a very positive person.”
She called to mind the story of how Tom Sawyer went to Sunday school and traded candy and trinkets to his friends for the tickets they had received for memorizing Bible verses. He wound up with enough tickets to claim a Bible.
“He got to trade for a Bible without learning the verses,” said Malaina. “That was very Tom of him!”
Thatcher recalled how in the book, Tom runs away to Jackson Island but feels bad about his Aunt Polly worrying about him.
“So he tries to get home and signal to Aunt Polly that he’s alive and well,” said Thatcher. “So, even though Tom is mischievous and does bad things, he’s still good at heart.”
Tomfoolery
On one of the judging days, Thatcher was standing on the deck during a sight-seeing excursion aboard the Mark Twain riverboat.
“It had just rained,” he recalled. “I was up there with one of the Beckys, and I slipped and fell on the deck. I was holding a cup of worms. They spilled out on the deck.”
The vessel’s captain caught sight of the incident.
“Tom down! Tom down!” he announced over the public-address system. “Look out, it’s slick out there!”
On July 4, all the finalists boarded a trolley and rode in Hannibal’s National Tom Sawyer Days Parade.
They visited the Mark Twain Boyhood Home Museum and headed over to Central Park, where each gave a thank-you speech in front of a large crowd.
Then, the previous year’s Tom and the previous year’s Becky opened an envelope from the judges, containing the names of the town’s new ambassadors.
The outgoing Tom came forward and gave the new Becky a kiss on the cheek.
The outgoing Becky did the same for the new Tom.
“I was very surprised and very happy, and I was just taking it all in,” said Thatcher.
“I was very excited,” said Malaina. “A little bit surprised and very much in shock. But I was excited about what this year will bring and what it has to offer. I’m looking forward to all the memories.”
“Life in your years”
After getting swarmed by photographers and reporters, including one from The New York Times, Thatcher and Malaina helped staff the quilt booth at the festival.
Proceeds from the booth help pay for college scholarships that former Toms and Beckys can apply for when they’re seniors in high school.
“They apply by more or less showing that they continue the leadership skills and continue to be role models in the community,” said Malaina’s mother, Amy.
Thatcher and Malaina enjoy being students at Holy Family School.
“It’s a small school,” said Malaina. “The education is very God-based, and you can focus on individual students’ needs. The curriculum is great. And so are the people.”
Malaina and Thatcher are members of their school’s speech team and participated together in this past year’s Diocesan Speech Meet.
When Thatcher is not being Tom Sawyer, he enjoys running and swimming. He runs cross country and track during the school year and takes part in the middle-school musical.
Malaina is a member of a competitive dance team at a local studio and also enjoys sewing, crocheting, cross-stitching, baking, hiking boating and spending time in nature.
“It really helps that we know each other so well and can bounce things off each other,” said Thatcher. “If one person doesn’t know the answer to a question, the other can usually answer it.”
Altogether, the local Toms and Beckys are called on to make between 300 and 400 appearances each year.
They all get their chance to stroll up and down Main Street through each season, promoting downtown businesses and bringing goodwill to the community.
“It feels good but also strange that this bigger-than-life guy grew up in Hannibal, that he lived in this house and that even though he became famous, he did normal things,” said Thatcher.
“He played outside. He played with his friends. He had crushes on Becky. It’s very interesting and cool.”
Malaina and Thatcher are looking forward to taking part in parades, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and strolling up and down Main Street, in and out of local businesses.
“Basically, just making people’s day a rewarding thing,” said Malaina.
So far, they’ve met visitors from Greece, Italy, Germany and many of the 50 United States.
“You have to know Mark Twain history, Hannibal history,” said Malaina. “You have to know directions and be a walking map. Prices, times things open. You have to know a lot of general information.”
For instance, said Malaina, “Mark Twain had three dogs, and their names were I Know, You Know and Don’t Know. I think that’s pretty funny.”
One of her favorites of the countless witticisms attributed to Mark Twain is “It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”
“It basically means, live life to the fullest, because you’re never sure how much time you’re going to have,” she said.
A couple of Thatcher’s favorite Twainisms are “I’ve never let my schooling interfere with my education,” and “Never put off for tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
Thatcher said everyone he meets as Tom is courteous.
“I like talking to people and getting to know them,” he said. “I ask people how they are and where they’re from, and what brings them to Hannibal.
“People enjoy those conversations,” he stated. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Thatcher and Malaina act out a skit wherever they visit, in which Tom asks Becky to marry him, then frightens her with a little rat on a string.
Becky doesn’t raise a hand to him.
“But she does jump back and get pretty mad at me!” Thatcher said.
A song in every heart
Thatcher, Malaina and the town’s other Toms and Beckys carry a bag of antiquities — handmade items that they hand out to visitors, echoing stories in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
It provides a springboard to telling stories from the lives of the characters they represent.
Malaina made dolls out of clothespins, with fabric that matches her dress.
Thatcher passes out frogs and other items that call to mind Tom Sawyer and his friends.
As the official Tom and Becky, Thatcher and Malaina will get to go on a couple of out-of-state trips to other places that figured into the life and work of Mark Twain.
Possible destinations include Calaveras County, California, home of the famous annual Frog Jump that inspired one of Twain’s short stories; Hartford, Connecticut, where he and his family lived and where he did much of his writing; and Virginia City, Nevada, where he failed as a silver prospector but soared as a writer for a local newspaper.
Of course, they also look forward to attending events in character at school and Holy Family Parish.
“I’m sure my friends at school will congratulate me,” said Thatcher. “But they also think it’s funny that I get to walk around downtown and talk to people. They think it’s funny, but I think it’s fun!”
As Thatcher’s and her summer of delight continues, Malaina asked for prayers “that we have a great year and shine God’s light on everyone we meet and be an example of his love to everyone.”
“I want to thank God that I have this opportunity and that Malaina and I can do this together,” Thatcher said. “And for us to be able to help people and cheer them up and help them have a nice day, and maybe be the highlight of their time here in Hannibal.”
