And now I’d like Michael Day to come forward.
Michael joined us two years ago and both Mr. Nates and I are glad he did.
That’s because he’s been our treasurer for two terms.
Youth treasurers can be problematic. We once had one who put the crew’s money bag on the top of his car and drove off. The money bag was never seen again.
Another took his money box loaded with checks from parents and donors that were months old and placed it in the shed.
So finding someone you can trust and who is responsible and competent is a wonderful thing.
As I noted earlier tonight, Michael has shown tremendous growth in the past year.
And he is one of the most genuinely nice people you will ever meet. He is kind to all and doesn’t complain or talk negatively about others. It probably speaks volumes about him that the crew voted him into a second term without him even being present.
He’s also a talented golfer who earned some nice prize money once at a Putt-Putt tournament.
When it came time to name him, I thought of his obvious athletic talent but there is no Indian name for he who hits small ball endlessly with long stick. But there was a tale of a Cheyenne warrior that reminded me of Michael.
He was the leader of the Dog Soldiers, the fiercest of Cheyenne warriors, and his exploits on and off the battlefield were numerous. He was never defeated in battle with whites or Indians. He was involved in major negotiations with the Army and was noted for his maturity and responsibility.
And so it is my honor tonight, Michael to award you the Cheyenee name for the chief, which is a hard one to pronounce, Hot-uaek-hassh-tait, which means, Tall Bull.
Congratulations!