Awards commend children's expressions of unity
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on February 25, 2007 2:08 AM
When Fourth Fighter Wing historian Dr. Roy Heidicker took the Wayne Center stage Saturday evening, he told 100-plus Wayne County residents that when people come together, great things can happen.
"You can do so much as one person," he said. "But as you go out into the world and become something bigger, your role becomes more significant."
Goldsboro, Wayne and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base officials were on hand at the 33rd annual Community Affairs Awards Banquet to honor local children for drawing and writing about unity.
"It's the easiest thing in the world to do," Mayor Al King said. "Just treat each other the way they should be treated. ... Being civil, treating everyone with dignity and respect doesn't cost anything."
Heidicker, too, directed his advice to the youths on hand.
He talked about J.R.R. Tolkien, World War I survivor and author of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy -- a saga that he said exemplifies the theme of unity.
Within the story, characters from different walks of life come together to rid the world of a great evil, Heidicker said.
"Strange things happened because of the power of unity," he said. "This story came from a man who lived through the worst civilization could hand out. But what he took out of that was hope."
Young students from across the county were honored for posters and essays they put together around the theme of unity.
Heidicker, through his retelling of Tolkien's tale, told them they were the future -- it is their duty to go through life accepting difference to achieve great things.
"These little creatures, through their power and commitment to unity, delivered the world from a great evil," he said. "Through the power of unity, we can accomplish anything."
Saturday's banquet marked the conclusion of the city and county's celebration of Human Relations Month.