5 years ago to this very day, my name was announced as the 26th Youth Governor of Massachusetts, and with tears in his eyes, the man who made it all possible hugged me and told me he was proud of me. Today, we said goodbye to that man - but more importantly, we celebrated his amazing life. I met Jack Scanlan 9 years ago when I was 13 years old, holding signs during a town election; he talked my ear off about politics, history, and leadership. However, our friendship really began when I was 14 and a freshman at Marshfield High, when he recognized me at a Student Council meeting and enlisted me into helping him start this club at MHS called Youth and Government. Since the day that changed my life, Jack has been for me a voice of encouragement, a beloved storyteller, and a shining example of everything that a person should aspire to be. He knew when to be funny; he knew when to be serious; and he knew when to be a little bit of both. He became a best friend and a second father, and even when I went off to college at Stonehill (the same school he graduated from in 1967), we stayed close - whether it was through my continued involvement in YIG, or through one of our treasured phone calls. I will never forget our times together at YIG or Student Council events, or at countless lunches and dinners over the years, or the special moments we spent together on the porch of Lee Hall at CONA 2010, watching the sun rise over the mountains. Jack taught me compassion; he taught me servant leadership; he gave me courage; he gave me inspiration; he gave me faith; he gave me a mentor. He made me the man I am today, and I can only hope to continue to grow and become half the man he was - I can only hope to make him proud of me. Appropriately, Ill end this post with a story (another of the many things he passed along to me is his gift of telling incredibly long stories - sorry everyone, its his fault!). At the 2012 MA YIG conference, his last as State Director, I found Jack talking to a young advisor at breakfast. As I walked by, I poked fun at Jacks long-winded tendencies by interrupting and telling the advisor he would definitely be late to his first meeting of the day (spoiler: he was). Jack wasnt happy, and told me so when he saw me in the hallway; his eyes got wide, and he told me in a booming voice, Dont you know thats how I connect with people? But before I could even say sorry, his eyes softened, a smile crept to his face, and he pulled me into a hug and said you know I love you, Sean. I love you too, Jack. Thank you for it all.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 18:56:07 +0000
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