Two Marple Newtown Seniors Honored By Rep. Meehan and Former Flyer Bob Kelly

ASTON–On Wednesday evening at Neuman University in Aston, U.S. Representative Pat Meehan (R-7) and former Flyers great Bob Kelly honored 34 high school seniors from across the district for their excellence on the field and in the classroom on behalf of the Congressional Scholar-Athlete Program.

The program, in its 16th year locally, invited each high school in Meehan's Seventh Congressional District to nominate a senior boy and girl who have made extraordinary academic and athletic contributions. A total of 19 schools participated.

The two student athletes chosen to be honored were Denise McKeown, a varsity basketball player who helped the this year, and Kurt Johnson, a varsity baseball player who helped the team make it to and then the .

After dinner was served to the honorees and their families, Meehan took the podium and promised the assembled that while many of their athletic careers may end in high school, the lessons they've learned on the playing field will serve them well throughout their lives. Losing, he told them, is especially instructive.

"Sports give you an opportunity to find out a lot about yourself," the congressman said. "When you're unable to reach the goal you've set for yourself, but find it within yourself to go back there—to recommit, to refocus—and to try one more time, [you grow]. Because in life, you learn a lot more about yourself when you lose than when you win."

Meehan added that young people, especially those as gifted as the honorees, have a great deal of responsibility—both to themselves and to larger causes.

"We live in a remarkable country. A country that has developed because of the great things that people have done before us. For each and every one of us there is a responsibility to hand it down to the next generation as good, if not better, than we found it," Meehan said.

"I hope you embrace that challenge."

Meehan then turned the floor over to the two-time Stanley Cup champion Kelly—but not before sharing with the audience the history he and the former-Flyer have. According to Meehan, the two first met several decades ago when the tail-end of Kelly's playing career and his brief, pre-law school stint as an NHL referee overlapped.

"And Bob didn't see eye-to-eye with me then, let me tell you," Meehan joked.

Kelly, who wore a large, gold championship ring on his right hand, congratulated the young men and women on their achievements, then, after the politician had extolled the virtues of sport, the old athlete emphasized the importance of education.

"You're going to go absolutely nowhere without a good education. If you don't have that education, those degrees, your opportunities are very, very limited," Kelly said.

Kelly added that, on the field and in life, cooperation is requisite to success. He told the seniors to pick good people to surround themselves with and to trust them.

"If you don't have a team, if you're not a team player, it's a pretty lonely road out there," Kelly said. "In life, no matter what field you enter, you're going to need each other."

Radnor High School senior Jeremy Kim was one of the 34 scholar-athletes who was praised and lectured on Wednesday. The Stanford-bound Kim, who wrestled and played baseball for the Red Raiders, said he was flattered by the attention.

"My athletic director at Radnor really set everything up, and now I'm here," said Kim. "It's really incredible to be honored like this and to get this kind of public recognition."