CHARLESTON, W.VA. – Harold “Kitty” Wilson learned a secret early in his adult life. If you take a boy and teach him to live the life embodied in the Boy Scout oath – “To help other people at all times; to keep physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight” – that boy can grow up to be a man of character and substance.
Wilson lives that oath. That’s why he’s dedicated the last 40 years of his life to serving as Scout Master to Troop 39 in Grantsville, W.Va. He served 10 years prior to that with other scout troops.
Governor Joe Manchin will honor Wilson, 84, for his lifetime of volunteering with a Governor’s Service Award on Wednesday, July 16 at the Charleston Civic Center. Wilson will receive the award at a banquet held as part of Faces of Leadership, the annual state volunteerism conference.
Presented annually since 1995, the Governor’s Service Awards honors youth, young adults, adults, seniors, families, organizations and businesses who exemplify outstanding dedication to volunteerism and community service in West Virginia. Wilson is one of three recipients in the Lifetime Achievement category.
In what was originally a temporary position, Wilson has spent the last 40 years taking the boys of Troop 39 and molding them into men who are now leaders in their own communities. Through Wilson’s influence, they have grown to become bankers, lawyers, teachers, geologists and doctors, as well as boy scout leaders, little league coaches, volunteer firemen and volunteers for numerous community organizations.
Wilson has led various service projects that have included the creation of hiking trails, the installation of landscaping for local churches, refurbishment of street signs, building of picnic tables, and the cleaning of cemeteries.
He has spent the equivalent of one year of his life at boy scout camp and at least one weekend a month on scout trips. During Wilson’s tenure, 48 young men have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank a boy scout can achieve.
In addition to his service as a scout leader, Wilson has also been instrumental in the construction of the Calhoun County Park. He has invested endless hours of work cutting brush, laying water lines, building ponds and bridges, building a golf course and mowing and maintaining the course grounds for more than 15 years.
“Everyone thinks the world of this man,” Deo Mace, friend of Wilson, said. “I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about him. The whole community has benefited from his devotion.”
The Governor’s Service Awards are administered by the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service to honor outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses solving community problems through volunteer service. A panel of volunteer judges, including past awardees, choose the recipients on the basis of achievement, community needs, continuing involvement, innovation and impact of service.
Other recipients of the 2008 Governor’s Service Awards include, by category:
- Lifetime Achievement: William “Sarge” McGhee, Wyoming County; John “Bill” Dillon, Summers County
- Youth: Emily Boggs of Charleston
- Adult: Karen Haynes, Putnam County
- Senior: Laura Sevy, Fayette County; G. Lee Fisher, Braxton County
- Organization: Jonathon Powell Hope Foundation, Mercer County
- Business: Verizon, statewide; INSITE, Kanawha County
For tickets to the awards banquet, or information about the conference, contact Moya Doneghy at (304) 558-0111 or 1-800-WV-HELPS, or by e-mail at Moya.Doneghy@wv.gov.
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