LIFE OF SERVICE … Rose King has lived a life devoted to God, family, and country -and managed to make a huge impact in the Pioneer community at the library, as well as in the scouting world. Adding to her long list of accomplishments, Rose King was most recently recognized by the Black Swamp Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America with the prestigious Silver Beaver Award.
By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
anna@thevillagereporter.com
In the realms of God, family, and country, Rose King is among Williams County’s finest. Situated in her hometown of Alvordton, Rose is proud to be surrounded by what she considers the untapped potential of a small, rural town.
It was there, at the Alvordton United Brethren church, that she met Mr. Larry King. “It was one of those things where it just hits you,” she laughed, “I was like, wow, I’ve got to meet this guy.”
It wasn’t much longer, and Mrs. Rose King came into being. Larry, a proud member of the armed services for 21 years, served as a connection to Rose’s next journey -overseas.
Joining alongside her husband, Rose volunteered to work with the American Red Cross youth division from 1985 to 1989 while they lived in Nuremberg, Germany.
This is how she came to travel along the Black Sea coast to Romania as the American delegate for the International Red Cross Youth Camp.
Without context, this might seem like a small deal. Back then, it was such a big deal that the Romanian government gave Rose a Humanitarian Award.
The year was 1989, and the month was July. Not even five months later, the Romanian revolution overthrew their communist government.
Rose shared that the stressful underpinnings of social unrest were apparent throughout her time in Romania, with armed soldiers everywhere, and everything being under strict monitoring.
Keeping in mind her goal to help youth and spread love with those present from all corners of the world, Rose instead focused on the task at hand, and got a cool award in the process.
She shared how everyone in Romania thought of Americans as all being billionaires, which she said was in stark contrast to the extreme poverty she saw the Romanians living in.
“There’s just so much we don’t think about, right?” Rose sighed as she thought about the living conditions she saw throughout her 15 days in Romania.
It was in October of that year that Rose returned to Alvordton for her father’s funeral, and then soon saw herself working as the branch manager of the Pioneer Public Library.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” Rose smiled as she thought about her time at the library, “I love the people I worked with, and I loved the kind of work I was doing.”
When embarking on her next journey -retirement- life threw her a curveball. “It was the 4th of July, I was coming out of my camper, and our little dog had on a thin tie-out. I tripped over her tie-out, and I mean, I literally went flying.”
The incident resulted in many broken bones, and an extensive recovery. “I’m still not fully recovered; I think I’ll always feel what happened there.”
This put a kink into the King’s very active lifestyle, as they often were out hiking and enjoying all that nature has to offer, with Rose having been a part of the scouting world since signing her son up at his 1st grade open house.
Determined, Rose didn’t let her injury stop her from her love of being active, and is still known in the scouting and hiking world as the “Steady Turtle,” taking the wonders nature has to offer at her own pace, in her own time.
Honored throughout her time with the Ohio Adoptive Family of the Year Award, Commissioner Arrowhead Honor, the United Brethren God and Service Award, District Award of Merit, Distinguished Commissioner Award, and, along with Larry, a Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Service Award, it’s no surprise that the Black Swamp Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America saw it fit to award Rose King with the Silver Beaver Award at their April 20th Adult Recognition Luncheon at Camp Berry.
It is said that “recipients of this award are registered scouters who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.”
Rose said with pride “I never thought I’d get something like this, as this award isn’t something that is just given to you. It’s earned.”