Influential people lead by example
There’s no more powerful way to move people to do the right thing than leading by example. At Sunday’s Tie A Yellow Ribbon Day ceremony in Lewes, Terri Clifton spoke about the importance of service to others: service to the nation, to the local community, to the family.
The mother of Marine Corps Cpl. Chad Clifton, a Cape Henlopen High School graduate killed in combat in Iraq, Terri joined others at the ceremony in thanking active-duty and retired veterans for their service to all of us. Given her son’s ultimate sacrifice and the deep sense of service she witnessed in him, her words were particularly poignant.
On the street, the Tie A Yellow Ribbon Day Ceremony mixed its emotions with the coincidental news of the death of Dr. James Beebe Jr., another member of our community for whom service was a way of life.
Right into his 10th decade, Dr. Beebe carried himself with the bearing of a military man held tall by an unquestionable sense of duty in the service of others.
Following in the footsteps of his pioneering father and uncle - with the expectation that comes from growing up with accomplished people, and the confidence that arises from going deep in education - Dr. Beebe developed a medical competence and commitment to excellence that enabled him to successfully treat the diseases of thousands over a 43-year career.
In addition to meeting the heavy demands of his surgical practice, Dr. Beebe carved out time to serve for 16 years as a member of the board of education for the Lewes Special School District. In the final years of that board’s work, prior to the consolidation of Lewes, Milton and Rehoboth Beach special school districts to form Cape Henlopen School District, Dr. Beebe served as president of the board.
He also served an unprecedented 55 years as a member of the governing board of the community-owned Beebe Medical Center.
Dr. James Beebe Jr. contributed significantly to the progress of his community and in so doing provided us with an example of service worth emulating.
