Torhunta Scout District presents top award
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on November 10, 2004 2:00 PM
Wayne County Boy Scout leaders Jill Sneed and Bruce Kearney have received Torhunta District's Award of Merit.
It is the highest honor a Boy Scout district can give to its volunteers.
Cub Scout Pack 22 provided the opening and closing ceremony for the 66 people attending the district's annual banquet Tuesday night at the Wayne Center. Torhunta is one of three districts in the Tuscarora Council, which is based in Goldsboro. The Torhunta District covers Wayne County, the Neusiok District covers Johnston County, and the Coharie District is composed of Duplin and Sampson counties.
Jill Sneed has been a volunteer with Torhunta for the past 23 years and has been active in the Pinewood Derby. She has been a unit commissioner and assistant district chairman and district cub chairman. Torhunta has 66 units serving 1,806 youth. She has been a den leader and has been active in the Girl Scouts, too. She's a busy person, said District Executive Tom Millisor.
Bruce Kearney was active in Scouts, was a Cub Scout and was inducted into the Arrow of Light. He took part in the 76th pilgrimage to Halifax. He joined the Order of the Arrow and became an Eagle Scout. In 1999, he signed up as assistant cub master and has worked with the Tigers, the Webelos and the Boy Scouts. He's cub master of Pack 581.
Torhunta District Chair-man Barbara Byers presented the District Award of Merit and the District Service Award.
The recipient of the District Service Award for 2004, Mack Talton, was not present.
Ms. Byers told the volunteers to give themselves a hand for earning the Quality District designation for 2003. A quality district is one that shows a balanced growth in all areas. The district has formed eight new units this year, she said, and it needs only one more.
"We're working on that," she said. "It's another unit in Mount Olive."
The district has gained 26 Eagle Scouts so far this year. That is three more than last year, she said. One of the Eagles in the district, Stevie Lewis, received the national Hornaday Award this year.
Ms. Byers and Jane Mervin presented training awards to 20 volunteers, including Cub Masters Dough Davis, Billy Gray and Brent Heath.
Doug Thomas received a training award for being a Webelos den leader. Brent Heath received the Cub Scouter Training Award. Doug Davis and Heather Smith, who were not present, also earned the award.
The Scouter Key went to Barry Gray of Pack 22 for providing the table decorations and the opening and closing ceremonies.
Craig Hansen and Tom Millisor presented the year's Trailblazer Award to Chuck Green, Jeff Whitener and Joanne Crow.
Michael Best received one of the Fellowship Awards, given for having an outstanding record over the past three years. Millisor said Michael Beck has committed to staying active in Scouts after his son gets the Eagle next year. He said Beck's wife and daughter are involved in the Girl Scouts, and he helps them with their programs, too. Other recipients of the Fellowship Award were Doris Offield and Greg Kinlaw.
The Distinguished Comm-issioner Award went to Craig Hansen, and Tuscarora Scout Executive Bill Lappin presented the Eagle Award to Ms. Byers.