Monday, September 08, 2008
A life enriched by William Skelton
From the RoundTable blog
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Jeremiah Parks
Parks, of Radford, is a local freelance writer and musician.
On Aug. 30 we lost one of the area's greatest men, William E. Skelton. He passed away to cancer.
Anyone who attends Virginia Tech knows this name.
Skelton was a terrific man. The biggest impact he had on my life (and on many lives) was his tireless 40 years of volunteer service to the Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Center, which in 2004, became rightfully changed the W.E. Skelton 4-H Center at Smith Mountain Lake.
That center holds a special place in my heart. As a troubled teen dealing with drugs, divorce and general unhappy teenness, the 4-H Center was a wonderful escape for one week every year for me, so much so that I felt motivated to apply for a staff position (which I did get) for one summer and, true to form, it was an excellent summer.
I was not the only one whose life was impacted by the center. During the eight years that I attended camp at the center, I met other kids going through the same issues that I went through, and witnessed victims of abuse gain the strength to come out and share with someone what they were going through and have their hope in the world slowly get rebuilt. It was truly a safe haven in a world that too often offers none.
The best part about the center was how it offered children whose lives had been significantly changed for the better the ability to give back in the form of teen volunteer programs and summer staff positions, to take their personal experiences and use them to benefit other children who are going through the same things.
I was lucky enough to meet and shake hands with Skelton in 2006 at the opening celebration of the center's new outdoor stage area. He was a stately man, a gentle bear with more wisdom than any one human could ever wish to obtain. Very rarely do I find myself in awe of a person, but I truly was in awe of this man. He was the sweetest man, and I would have loved nothing more than to have had a day to just sit down and talk with him.
It's odd to try and write about William Skelton, because I feel like my words will never really be enough to pay the tribute that he truly deserves. But words are what I have, so words are what I will give. I wish nothing but condolences to his family and his friends.
To paraphrase Springsteen, when they built this man, they truly broke the mold.
