Great honor for a great friend

By By Jason Cannon
Last week, a good friend of mine was honored with what I would consider the greatest personal achievement that can be bestowed upon a private citizen.
Cecil Langcuster was selected as the 2007 Citizen of the Year award recipient at the Farm City banquet Thursday night.
I was proud for him and felt honored that I was able to sit in the front row for the event.
As a member of the Franklin County Times' Reader Advisory Board, I came to know Cecil very quickly.
Our Reader Advisory Board is complied of members of Franklin County Times readers and subscribers who come together every other month with suggestions on how to make your newspaper better.
It's solely a volunteer position, with the exception of a few cookies and a Coke.
All of our members are very active, but there is hardly a week that goes by that I don't hear from Cecil.
For those of you who know him well, you're probably not surprised.
He may be calling in with a suggestion or a compliment but you can rest assured that whatever it is he has my undivided attention.
I owe at least that much to someone who has put his community newspaper near the top of his priority list.
Cecil is a guy who throws all of himself into everything he's made a commitment to do.
I don't know how there's anything left of him, because I know he gives everything and everyone everything he's got.
He's just that kind of person.
Years of military and public service came to head Thursday night when the crowd gave Cecil a standing ovation as he walked to claim his plaque.
As Civitan President Joey Rushing read Cecil's biography and list of accomplishments Thursday night it was more than obvious why my friend was chosen for this honor.
He's hardworking. He's dedicated and he's dependable.
He's everything each of us should strive to be every day.
A lot of good things have gotten done at the hands or under the guidance of Cecil Langcuster, that you can be sure of.
His continued guidance will likely pave the way for even more.
Thursday night, Cecil was surprised when he was honored as Citizen of the Year. Thursday night, the rest of us were surprised it hadn't happened sooner.
Congratulations, Cecil. You've earned this honor.