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Scout leader receives 2005 Ubora Award

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD The announcement came as a surprise for Ronald Harrell.

"I didn't know I was being considered," the recipient of this year's Ubora Award told Reminder Publications.

The African Hall Subcommittee of the Springfield Museums presents the award to an African American who has made a significant contribution to the greater Springfield area. "Ubora" is the Swahili word for "excellence."

Harrell will be the 14th recipient.

He will be honored at the annual award ceremony on Sept. 17 at the Museum of Fine Arts. There will be a reception following the event. Tickets are $15 and reservations may be made by calling 263-6800, ext. 325.

Harrell, who is the owner and funeral director of Harrell Funeral Home in Springfield, was chosen for his years of dedication to the city's youth through his work with the Boy Scouts of America.

Harrell is the Scoutmaster of Troop 35 sponsored by the Wesley United Methodist Church. As a native of the city who grew up in the Mason Square area, he said that one could "stand in the middle of Mason Square and see six or seven [organizations ] that had a Cub Scout pack or Boy Scout troop."

He said that many of the sponsoring organizations were "largely white" and when those people moved to the suburbs, others who wanted to carry on the Scouting tradition did not replace them.

Harrell believes that "Scouting is as relevant and as important as any other youth organization that I see out there."

He is chair of the Springfield District of the Boy Scouts of America and a member of the Pioneer Valley Council Executive Board.

He said he is pushing for the city's Scouts to "do things that are more visible."

"We need to be more active in the city," he said.

For inner city children, Harrell believes that Scouting provides a valuable learning opportunity.

Recently, he took a 475-mile bicycle trip with some scouts in his troop for their trip back home from the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Bowling green, VA., in August.

Harrell is also the first African American to serve as president of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association and to serve on the policy board of the National Funeral Directors Association.

He has served in volunteer leadership positions for St. John's Congregational Church, the Mason Square Development Corporation, the Friends of the Homeless and other civic groups.