Record year for Eagles
By Dennis Hill
Published in News on January 31, 2011 1:46 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
Dr. Hervy Kornegay, right, who earned his Eagle Scout Badge in 1950, speaks to attendees at the 88th Annual Volunteer and Eagle Scout Recognition Reception at Wayne Community College on Sunday. Dr. Kornegay was honored by the Tuscarora Council by having the 2010 class of Eagle Scouts named after him. At left is Rick Pridgen, a member of the the council's executive board.
Full Size
News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
The Tuscarora Council's 2010 class of new Eagle Scouts is seen onstage in Moffatt Auditorium at Wayne Community College on Sunday. The past year saw a record number of Scouts -- 79 -- achieve the rank.
Full Size
News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
Three adult Scouters received the Silver Beaver Award on Sunday from the Tuscarora Council. The award is the highest given to an adult involved in the Boy Scouts of America. From left: Chris Henderson, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 51 in Wallace; Ann Hardee, roundtable commissioner for the Neusiok District in Johnston County; and Dave Parker, assistant scoutmaster for Troop 8, based out of New Hope United Methodist Church in Goldsboro.
The past year saw a record number of young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout in the Tuscarora Council. And on Sunday, they and several Scout volunteers were honored at a special ceremony at Wayne Community College.
The council's 88th annual Volunteer and Eagle Scout Recognition Reception gave adult "Scouters" and Scout supporters a chance to recognize the 79 boys in Wayne, Duplin, Johnston and Sampson counties who earned their Eagle badges in 2010.
The highlight of the event was the naming of the 2010 class of new Eagles in honor of Dr. Hervy Kornegay. Kornegay became the fifth Scouter to have a group of new Eagle Scouts recognized in his name. The others were Bill Kemp, Louis Maxwell, Dr. Ralph Bland and Clarence "Icky" Peacock.
Also, three volunteers were awarded the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed on an adult in Scouting. Dave Parker, assistant scoutmaster with Troop 8 at New Hope United Methodist Church was one of the three. Parker led the council's temporary troop of more than 30 Scouts to the National Jamboree last summer.
The others receiving the Silver Beaver Award were Chris Henderson, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 51 in Wallace, and Ann Hardee, roundtable commissioner for the Neusiok District.
Dr. Kornegay earned his Eagle Badge in 1950. A native of Calypso, he is a graduate of Goldsboro High School, Wake Forest University and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force and was named North Carolina's Family Physician of the year in 1998. All four of his sons are Eagle Scouts and his grandsons are working toward the badge.
He noted that his father was not a Scout but was one of the men who helped charter the Scout troop of which he became a member.
Dr. Kornegay praised the new Eagles' hard work and perseverance and called them the leaders to tomorrow.
"And our world, our country and our community are in dire need of leaders," he added. "I'm proud to be an Eagle Scout, as I know you all are."
Kornegay then quoted the man he called his "favorite philosopher," New York Yankee baseball great Yogi Berra.
"If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there," he said.
Then he quoted an anonymous source for another of his favorite sayings, "Work hard, as if it all depends on you, because it does; pray hard, because it all depends on God. If you do those things, your life will be a success."
To earn the badge, a Scout must not only earn the requisite number of badges that include basic skills such as swimming and first aid, they must perform a significant community service. The 79 Eagle Scouts contributed a total of 11,424 hours of service in performing their Eagle projects.
Nationwide, only 5 percent of all Scouts eventually earn the rank of Eagle.
The Tuscarora Council is made up of three districts: Torhunta, which includes Wayne, Coharie, which includes Duplin and Sampson, and Neusiok, which includes Johnston.
The new Eagles were recognized individually. They included Carson Thomas, who survived a horrific car accident in 2005. He received a standing ovation from the several hundred people in attendance.
New council president Danny Jackson described 2010 as an outstanding year for the council. He noted the record number of Eagles and the fact that Scouting marked its 100th anniversary. He described additions and renovations made to the council's camp, Tuscarora, and thanked the businesses that contributed to help make them possible. He said the council raised more than $300,000 for operations, another record. Jackson also presented outgoing council president Tom Yarboro with a statuette and thanked him for his two years of service.
"It's been an honor to have been associated with such a great organization," Yarboro said.
Jackson thanked the many volunteers in the audience and said the Tuscarora Council is "second to none." He urged both boys and adults to not keep the council a secret but to let others know what adventure lies in joining Scouting.
"We have a program that every young man should experience," he said.
Jackson then addressed the new Eagle Scouts.
"You're not at the end of a journey, but you're at the beginning of a new one," he said.