Letter: Congratulations to WHS Scholarship Winners

One of the pleasures of living in a smaller town is having the opportunity to interact with the community. My wife and I have been in just such a place  for over 44 years. With a population of about 11,000 souls, Westwood is little enough for a person to get involved in organizations, participate in their missions and make a difference.  Years ago, a particularly interesting old home in our neighborhood got me curious  about its origins. Asking around got me nowhere but finally I discovered that there was an organization that might, the Westwood Heritage Society. I went to a monthly meeting, got my history itch scratched and was inducted into the ranks as a member that evening. At the time they generously waived the dues just to hook me.  Later I learned that there were no dues but by then I was already finding my groove there.  The Society raises funds and uses them  to preserve the history of Westwood by keeping archives of the past, researching inquiries like the one I had, holding museum days for the public and giving scholarships to our youths heading to institutions of higher learning. 

I have enjoyed the privilege and pleasure of helping to select and present the  Westwood Heritage Society Cheryl Todd Memorial Community Service Scholarship awards to winners for many years and this year was a first on many fronts.  For whatever reason, over the long time that  I have been part of the scholarships,  we have had far more applications from  females. 2013 was a big exception--- only males applied. A second anomaly is that all three applicants were members of the same group, the Boy Scouts of America, and have achieved the exalted status of Eagle Scout. A third observation I noted is highly unusual in a world where communications from our youths are in shorthand notation abbreviations like LMK (let me know), OMG (oh my gosh), GR8 (great), LMAO (laughing my “butt” off), L8ER (later) and G2G (got to go), in bursts of under 140 characters. To be considered for a scholarship calls for meeting certain criteria, like going to a Heritage Society meeting, explaining how one has bettered the Borough, etc. The required essays submitted were written in English and well written at that. There was not  an “awesome” to be found anywhere, not a single “ya know”. No Emoticons either. The last odd coincidence appearing in the applications is that everyone of our winners shares John as his middle name!

It is very clear that Scouting’s influence has made a real difference in these young men and shaped their lives. Let me just quote from the applicant's submissions. One said, “The most important life lesson that the Boy Scouts has provided me with is to live by the 12 points of the Scout Law: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.  The BSA’s main goal is to train youth in responsible citizenship, character development and self-reliance.” Another said, “When you work together with community members to reach a common goal, the reward is the satisfied feeling you get, knowing you made a difference.” He continued, “I feel that it is very easy to make a difference when you put your mind to it.” And yet one more pearl of wisdom, “They say patience is a virtue, one that goes undeveloped in many modern teen’s personalities. With so many gadgets leading to immediate gratification, many young adults do not have the attention span to be patient with one another – or their superiors.”

Wow, I can think of some much older adults who have yet to get to these conclusions.  Those are good reasons to think that there is still hope for us all when I see that there are thinkers and doers following us older folks.

And they are doers! They went the extra mile over and over again.  Their Community Service activities are significant. Veterans Memorial Park has new signs, a new base for the French Trench Mortar and an informational sign explaining why it is there. Zion Lutheran Church and several local charities benefited from the organizational skills  of one of our winners. The Westwood Fire Department has new tools to use to sharpen their training skills, in the form of life-sized manikins made from old fire hose.  Those were all Eagle Scout projects but by no means the only contributions they made to the community of Westwood.  I did not see that they specifically helped an old lady cross the street but they did rake her leaves!

I have one final quote from an application to share. It is, “In my future, I always see myself helping others.”  I truly believe they will. What an impressive trio.

On the night the $1,000 scholarships were presented, I said, “Thank you all for your service to Westwood. You have made lasting marks to our community. I am confident that you will continue as you go forward. We can certainly point to the Boy Scouts of America for shaping you, along with your parents and your unique inner selves. Don’t change! May God bless you all. Good Luck to each of you as you move ahead with your lives.”

You don't read about this in the big newspapers or see it on cable, it just isn't sexy, salacious or scandalous.

 Please let’s give a hand to these three deserving young people; Anthony John Catalano, Robert John Haffler, Michael John Keenan and all the others out there like them. And three cheers for the Boy Scouts of America too!

-Bob Hibler