Speaker issues challenge
Marcella Bruce, Sara Hill, and I attended the annual Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce meeting Monday evening. Hats off to Megan and the committee involved in making the evening a success.
I really was impressed with the speaker, District Magistrate Judge Tom B. Webb, and his message to those who attended. I was moved to tears at various points by his life story of growing up as a war child and living on the streets of Korea.
He related stories of the different people in his life who had given him a chance or showed they valued and cared for him.
He talked about the white-haired lady at the train station and those at the Harry Holt Orphanage in Korea. He also talked of his adoptive parents, Roy and Ruth Webb, in the U.S. who made an impact on his life and who had a part in helping him develop into the person he is today.
What really stuck with me was his challenge to us by incorporating it with the chamber's theme, "You Can Make a Difference." Webb talked about making people feel valued, and he used various incidents to make his point.
After relating an incident about his wife and their fine china, he asked, "Do you value people like fine china or do you treat them like discarded paper plates?"
I have said that for years when giving presentations, and it still burns within me as a person and a former teacher. When we value someone and let them know they are important (not superficially), the response is dramatic.
I did not get a chance to congratulate him on a job well done and for giving us the challenge to reach out to others even though they may not fit our standards.
Thank you, Judge Webb, for bringing home that message to Hillsboro.
Cathy Davis
