Honorable, trustworthy, sacrificial, humble, generous, hard-working and community servant were all words used repeatedly by friends and colleagues of Dennis (Denny) Barron, this year’s Jefferson County’s Distinguished Citizen Award recipient.

Barron began working at Jefferson Security Bank in Shepherdstown in 1973, holding various positions until working his way to the position he has now, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer.

The Mannahoac District of the Shenandoah Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America presented Barron with the award at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The event was also a fundraiser for area Boy Scout troops.

Barron’s dedication to his work is mirrored in his dedication to community service, spending decades in leadership capacity with the 4-H programs, working for over four decades with the Jefferson County Fair, his involvement with Shepherdstown Elementary School’s school improvement project, the West Virginia University Extension Service committee, avid church participant and member of the Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department, where he currently serves as treasurer, along with many other events and organizations in which he participates.

Ross Morgan from the Shepherdstown Fire Department was one of the speakers to honor Barron. “Denny is much more than our treasurer,” said Morgan. “He is our number one fundraising king in the tri-state area and our department is blessed to have him there. Because of Denny’s enthusiasm with fundraising we are able to purchase top of the line equipment, provide top training to our members, and all this is so we can provide the best service possible to our community. Denny is the backbone of our fundraising events.”

“There are so many more stories to tell about Denny Barron,” said Holly Morgan Frye, Assistant Vice-President for student affairs at Shepherd University. “Suffice it to say that I cannot imagine a Shepherdstown, a 4-H program, a Christ Reformed Church, a Shepherd University, a Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department, without Denny Barron. He has helped to shape, mold, hold accountable, lead, strategize, think outside the box, fight [for] and inspire so many of us who are here tonight.”

Joy Lewis, regional representative to Governor Tomblin, also presented a certificate from the governor to recognize Barron for all that he has done for the state of West Virginia.

Barron recognized his family members (and friends at his table that he considers to be family), and in true “Denny Barron” fashion, shifted the focus from himself to accomplishments of his family.

Barron also asked attendees to consider supporting the scouts. “I was never a scout,” said Barron, “but I believe in any program that supports youth and development whether it be the scouts, 4-H, little league, soccer, and so many more.”

As the evening was to benefit the Boy Scouts as well, several people spoke about the value of the scouting program, as it instills strong work ethic, provides valuable skills, affords the younger generation opportunities for community service and exposure to good roll models and mentors.

Bradley Lloyd from Troop 82, who recently completed his Eagle Scout requirements, thanked his parents and scout masters for pushing him to achieve goals despite the behavior problems he had in his early scouting days. He said he greatly appreciated the feeling of earning merit badges because they were not just given out-a lot of hard work was involved to meet the requirements.

“I believe the moral future of our society rests on today’s adults displaying and teaching my generation the importance of character in our society,” said Lloyd. “I feel that I have been very fortunate when it comes to excellent character examples in my life. I can thank my parents for that, but some are not as fortunate. Some scout masters will be the only examples of character in a young boy’s life.”

Darrin Hardy, the Mannahoac district chairman shared an annual report from the Shenandoah area council, highlighting the scouting program in Jefferson County. Over 20,000 hours of community service were performed in 2015, five people completed the requirements for Eagle Scout, and 480 youth from Jefferson County participated in the programs provided by the Mannahoac district.

The evening event raised 27,500 for Boy Scouts of America and all the money raised stays in Jefferson County.