Man honored for service to Scouting
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NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. -- Bill Littell has dedicated the majority of his 93 years of life to serving others, whether it's in his church -- the Christian Church of New Cumberland -- as a deacon, elder and Sunday school teacher, or in Scouting as cubmaster of Pack 67 for 30 years and assistant scoutmaster with Troop 67 for 10 years. His unwavering faith and his dedication to Scouting and his church earned him the highest religious award for Scouting; the Faithful Servant Award.
The Faithful Servant Award is a national recognition for leaders who are members of the Church of Christ and is recognized by the Boy Scouts of America.
In order to be nominated, the nominee must be an exemplary leader, have ten years experience as a leader, but most importantly, they must have the heart of a servant which includes service to God, service to one's own family, service to the nation and service to Scouting. Littell was nominated by Minister Rick Tinsky, Littell's friend of 20 years and minister of the Christian Church of New Cumberland. Tinsky said that Littell was the first person he thought of for this award. Not only has Littell been an extremely active member and leader in his church, but his legacy as a cubmaster and scoutmaster is still apparent today, as Tinsky says people still talk about how much of an impact Littell had on their lives as children even 20 years later.
"It's rare to hear people talk about their cubmaster or scoutmaster like that for so long," Tinsky said.
On Jan. 12 Littell was presented the award by Rick Greenwood, an elder at the Christian Church of New Cumberland, scoutmaster in troop 38 and training chairman in the Boy Scouts of America Ohio River Valley Council. Greenwood presenting the award to Littell was special in itself, considering that he was a scout under him when Littell was a cubmaster and scoutmaster back in the day.
"It's so special because these are two people who have known each other a lifetime, two absolutely tremendous people," Tinsky said.
Littell's humble spirit was evident when he fell speechless when presented with the award. His first thought was that he didn't deserve the award, rather it should go to God and everyone who has supported him in his life. He grabbed a basket of cards that all offered words of love from his church's congregation and told everyone that these are the people who deserve it, and that he's just a humble servant.
"He's a quiet, humble man that is dedicated to the Lord and loves people and children," Tinsky said.
A formal presentation of the award for Littell will be held during service at the Christian Church of New Cumberland on Feb. 7.