I now would like to ask our next recipient to come forward, Marion McCormick.
Marion has been with us five years. Think about that for a moment. Some of you think you’ve been here a long time when you hit the three-year mark. But Marion has been here longer than any other active member.
I will always remember the year she joined because her mom had told me years before then that her daughter couldn’t wait to become a member. So when Marion went into the 8th grade or became 14, she walked into the door and was excited about everything we did.
In fact, one of my earliest memories of Marion is that she was so excited about getting trained in knife and ax safety that when she had to miss a meeting night at which we had that as our program, she arranged to be taught those skills by an assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 312 who is a member of the church. She did not want to miss any crew experience.
And eventually, she decided to step forward as a leader. She became crew treasurer. That’s ordinarily a hard enough job (remember that JJ, it’s supposed to be a hard job) but she worked under our adult treasurer at the time, Karen Law, a former tax auditor. Mrs. Law has a golden heart but she suffers no fools and has little patience. Many youth shrunk from even running for treasurer because they were intimidated by her.
Marion, in five years, participated in a lot of outings. And she was among those from the crew who went with us on our first Sea Base expedition in 2006. I’ll always remember her on that trip because of her sunburn.
Many things make this young lady special, among them her creativity. She is among those in the crew with artistic skills, and her voice is just as special. I first heard her, I think, in the church choir, and I’ve had the pleasure of listening to her several times. She’s also extremely friendly, has a great sense of humor and is very kind, especially to animals. Everyone who’s watched her care for her goats understands that.
When it came time to name her, I had many choices because of her many gifts. But one name jumped out at me and seems to fit her. There is a bird, you see, that is well known not just for its beauty but for its distinctive, beautiful call, as well as for its loyalty. I know this full well because I have a nest of them on my front porch. These birds are the Christian symbols of peace and love. So I think it’s fitting to award this beautiful heart the Native American name Chenoa, which means Dove.
Congratulations!