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A Scout's Honor: Project celebrates the memory of a man who taught more than golf
Journal Photo by Walt Unks
Josh Hutchinson raised the money for the golf-academy sign at Winston Lake Golf Course.
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Published: April 30, 2009
Josh Hutchinson wanted an impressive project to complete the requirements for his Eagle Scout Award.
So he considered his past, and the fond memories he had of his five years in the Earnest Morris Junior Golf Academy at Winston Lake Golf Course.
"What Earnest taught me during those days are things I've never forgotten," said Hutchinson, now 18 and a senior at Reynolds High School.
Morris, who died in October 2002, tried to teach children more than just golf. He also taught manners and respect for others and to look someone in the eyes when shaking hands.
"He always wanted kids to wear a hat and sunscreen because it was always so hot, and if you forgot your hat he would have one for you," Hutchinson said.
In putting together the proposal for his Eagle Scout Award, Hutchinson talked with Ralph Galliard, the head pro at Winston Lake. They agreed that raising money for a sign for the junior golf camp would be a good way to honor Morris.
"I can't remember who decided on the sign, but we thought it would be a nice touch," said Galliard, who has run the camp since Morris died.
The Eagle Scout Award is the highest honor a scout can attain, and only about five percent of scouts in the United States ever earn the award.
Hutchinson, with help from his mother, Becky, organized a car wash and wrote letters asking for donations. He raised $1,600, enough for the sign and a television set with a DVD player, so that children attending the camp could watch instructional golf DVDs on rainy days. There was also enough left for Hutchinson to sponsor a child at the camp this summer.
"I talked to him (D.J. Floyd) on the phone the other day, and he's excited about getting to come to the camp for free," Hutchinson said of Floyd, a 12-year-old who attends Paisley Middle School.
Galliard said that they surprised Morris' family with the sign, which was completed late last month and sits near the front door at Winston Lake.
"Gwen (Morris' widow) and Earnest Jr. came over, and we didn't tell them about the sign, but then they saw it and she started to cry," Galliard said.
Hutchinson came to Winston-Salem as an orphan when he was 6 and went into foster care. Becky and Jim Hutchinson, who worked with foster care for about 12 years and took in 60 children over that span, came to them at age 6 and they adopted him when he was 10, although Becky said that adoption had not been in their original plans.
"Josh had brought us a lot of joy through the years," Becky said.
Hutchinson, who will graduate in June, is looking forward to the next phase of his life. He was accepted at East Carolina and Coastal Carolina, but decided instead to enlist in the Navy, pursuing an interest he has had for years.
"We've always raised Josh to have a lot of responsibilities at home and I think he's ready," Becky said. "Since he came to us, we tried to each year give him those responsibilities and he's really grown a lot."
Hutchinson -- who played football and lacrosse at Reynolds -- first attended Morris' golf academy when he was 6, and although he likes playing golf, the sport isn't what he remembers most. He has fonder memories of getting to know Morris.
Becky said that she and her husband helped Josh's development, but that Morris also played a major role. "Earnest was like a gentle giant to our little boy," Becky said.
Galliard said that more young people should have Hutchinson's attitude and outlook on life, and he credited Hutchinson's parents.
"Somebody asked me one day about Tiger Woods, and I said ‘I think more of his mother and father' and that's the same way I feel about Josh," Galliard said. "That's what I would say about Becky and Jim."
Galliard, who named the junior camp after Earnest Morris soon after Morris died, said that working with Hutchinson has been a great experience.
"He's respectful, handles himself well and I'm sure his mom and dad would say he's not perfect but you'd be proud to call him your son," Galliard said.
Toddy Brown, one of Hutchinson's closest friends, has known Josh since they were 6, and they have talked often of Josh's early years.
"He's come a long way and he says his life before he got to Winston was pretty hard," Brown said. "He's just one of those kids who is going to be successful."
The next step for Hutchinson in pursuit of his Eagle Scout Award is a presentation before a review board. He hopes to do that at Winston Lake, with Morris' family there, to show how much of an influence that Earnest Morris had on him.
"I enjoyed those days playing golf and I learned a lot from Earnest," Hutchinson said. "Earnest had a great sense of humor and the way he went about working with kids, I always loved coming to the camp.… The values I've learned from my parents and from Earnest will stick with me for the rest of my life."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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