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MORNING STAR • ApRIl 15 - 21, 2010
Desire to help youth excel in life is John’s goal By James Diehl
T
he sharp dressed man strode through the doors of the Western Sussex Boys & Girls Club one day in early March, knowing all the while who he was looking for. His eyes becoming accustomed to the inside light, they immediately latched on to the man who helped him become who he is today. Inside these walls, he became inspired, he became empowered and he became successful. An embrace between Robert Banks and Seaford’s John Hollis quickly followed, a moment both mentor and mentee enjoyed and savored for just a few seconds, but one that seemed frozen in time. This man, this time, this success story is the reason Hollis does what he does. It’s what makes the long hours and all the sweat and tears worth it. “I know there are a lot of problems in the world, but there are also so many great things happening,” says Hollis, who for the last 33 years has played a vitally important role in Sussex County’s M.E.R.I.T. program. “I’m very proud that, in the 33 years of the program, more than 95 percent of the kids who have been involved with M.E.R.I.T. have gone on to achieve fouryear college degrees.” An acronym for Minority Engineering Regional Incentive Training, the M.E.R.I.T. program encourages AfricanAmerican and Hispanic youth to pursue college educations, particularly in science or engineering fields. The program has held a special place in Hollis’ heart for more than three decades and is but one example of the passion he feels for children, and any program that helps them make better lives for themselves. Hollis and his family have a deep history with the city of Seaford, with its schools, its industry and its communities. His grandfather, Charles Sr., was the town dentist, his father, Charles Jr., became an important cog in the city’s banking community and his father-in-law, Sted Hines, trained with famed DuPont scientist Wallace Hume Carothers, who invented a polymer called nylon that would later change Seaford forever. Hollis himself graduated from Seaford High School in 1962 after running track and playing quarterback for the 1960s versions of the Blue Jay football teams. After attending the University of Delaware and Salisbury State University, he later married the former Linda Hines and settled in
Heroes series
If you know of someone who has dedicated his or her life to service to others, suggest their names for this series. Contact James Diehl at 302-222-2685 or email Bryant richardson, brichardson@ mspublications.com the city he had called home for nearly his entire life. For 30 years, he helped shape the lives of young Seafordians in his roles as teacher and coach. A successful football and track coach, his most successful record was in the pool at the former Seaford Golf & Country Club. A better than average athlete in his youth, the swimming pool was not exactly the place he felt most comfortable. “We won like 58 meets in a row, which is funny because I can barely doggie paddle from one end of the pool to the other,” Hollis says with a chuckle. “But coaching is coaching, and it’s a great blessing to have coached the number of young people I have over the years.” Hollis’ resume reads like a laundry list of children’s organizations from throughout the First State. If there’s a group or association in Delaware that works at improving the lives and shaping the futures of the state’s youth, chances are Hollis is involved in one way or another. His name is on the annual scholarship awarded by the Western Sussex Boys & Girls Club, he’s been named “Citizen of the Year” by the Delaware Association for Retarded Citizens and he’s served two terms as chairman of the advisory board for the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, appointed by the governor. The accolades go on and on and Hollis is proud of them all, though he’s determined to divert the focus of his accomplishments to those around him. “Not a single thing on my resume was done by me, it was all a result of teamwork,” he likes to say. A bit overwhelmed, even embarrassed at times, by the recognition he’s received, Hollis has nonetheless devoted his life to the betterment of area children. He doesn’t like being told something can’t be done, and often goes the extra mile to prove that what was thought to be impossible is anything but.
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coming a cheerleader. Watching doctors make his daughter whole again was one reason Hollis committed much of his life to helping children, but it was far from the lone catalyst spurring his devotion. Another was preserving his father’s legacy of community involvement – the plans for developing the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Seaford-Laurel football game were laid in his boyhood home on Arch Street. But the biggest catalyst for Hollis was meeting the famed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. It was in the late 1980s during a bus trip to Salisbury. The objective for the day Continued to page nine
‘SPRING into PHYSICAL FITNESS’ A Day Long Festival For Health Awareness Saturday, April 17 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Hosted by Flex World Fitness 20930 DuPont Blvd. (Rt. 113) in the rear of Greystone Towers, Georgetown, Del.
Cycle-A-Thon
(Proceeds to benefit American Legion Post 28)
Post 28 Ladies Auxiliary will be collecting items for Care Packages to our Military. Stop by & donate an item or two: hard candy, cans of peanuts, beef jerky, chocolates, small packs of tissues, chewing gum, puzzle books, etc.
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Local Author James Diehl will be on-site signing copies of his books,
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He learned as a young father that just because something seems improbable doesn’t mean it can’t be done with a little extra effort and a lot of faith. “We were told our daughter, Jenny, had a birth defect in her hip when she was born and probably wouldn’t walk,” remembers Hollis. “Our last hope to correct it was to take her to A.I. DuPont Hospital, which my wife, Linda, did for 52 consecutive weeks. I’ll never forget when she was an infant, the doctor could put her hand above her knee, flick his wrist and dislocate her hip. But it just shows you the faithfulness of my wife.” Her hip later corrected, Jenny Hollis was an outstanding athlete at Seaford High School, playing field hockey as well as be-
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John Hollis, as the director of community relations for Nemours Health and Prevention Services, is shown in 2006 presenting a certificate of appreciation to Dr. Samuel K. Miller of Nanticoke Surgical Associates in Seaford for the use of part of their office suite. Hollis has a special heart for recognizing the efforts of others who play roles in helping improve the quality of life in the area. Photo by Ronald MacArthur
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