During the November board meeting, we formally transferred the role of Executive Director from Mary Rogers to Prescott Benson.
In true Sherwood Forest fashion, this moment was marked by a symbolic ceremony.
Mary shared the significance of four items that have been displayed in her office: a bird, a cedar chip, a rock, and an arrow. Each of the items represent the Villages of Sherwood Forest.
The bird symbolizes Shire Village where each cabin is named after different animals, the cedar chip represents Sycamore where the cabins are named after trees, the rock was unearthed during the building of Summit Village, and the arrow represents the Osage Indians, who Shantoah is named for.
These four items were passed from Mary Rogers to Ted Isaacs, the first Board President during Mary’s tenure as Executive Director. Ted then passed the items to Marjorie Melton, our current Board President, who finally gave them to Prescott Benson. The talismans are for Prescott to keep during his time at Sherwood Forest and eventually pass down to the next Executive Director .
This moment marked the officially passing of the torch to Prescott. Upon receipt, he said “May the bird be recognized as a dove, a symbol of peace dwelling upon our Sherwood Family. The round chip of cedar representing a table where
all are welcome. The stone at first glance is unremarkable; however, with a slight rotation of the hand unfolds the stone to be a geode, transformed through time to bear minerals and dazzling crystallite shining in all its brilliance just like our youth.”
The Board gave Mary a glass statue etched with images of each of the talisman so she can always carry them with her.
We are thankful for Mary’s 53 years of commitment and service to Sherwood Forest.