By Mary Meaux
The News staff writer
GROVES — When hundreds of volunteers descended upon Sabine Pass to help Hurricane Ike victims clean debris from their homes and yards, Erney Hunt was there.
When children are in need of a guiding hand or a shoulder to cry on, Erney Hunt is there.
When a young man, born with no arms, wanted to learn to swim and needed someone to believe in him, Erney Hunt was there.
But for Hunt, 62, his good deeds are a way of teaching young boys leadership skills and respect for themselves and others in hopes they will one day “pay it forward.”
For him, the slogan of the Boy Scouts — “do a good turn daily” — is a way of life.
Hunt has spent the past 54 years in scouting and doesn’t plan on quitting any time soon. Little issues such as cancer, weekly chemotherapy treatments and the necessity for a colostomy bag don’t get in his way.
“His compassion,” his wife of 41 years, Melba Hunt, said describing what is special about her soul mate. “His loyalty to kids he can help and mold for the future. The strength he has. He has more strength than me.”
There’s no doubt Hunt has instilled values in others. At their home in Groves Melba walked to a shelf and brought back a framed poem written by one of the scouts of Troop 86 in Groves. The child called Hunt an inspiration; a person who mends broken hearts, handles problems and solves troubles.
Some of the scouts in his troop come from broken homes and what Hunt teaches them helps in their daily life.
“Here, they learn to work together, either with kids the same age or older,” he said. “And they learn respect for older people and for others.”
Outdoor activities such as cooking eggs and bacon in a paper sack and an egg on a stick are activities the boys will take with them and teach others.
“We teach them if you can cook on an open fire then you can help your mother cook at home,” he said.
The three promises of the scouting oath — “duty to God and country, duty to other people and duty to self” are important parts of Hunt’s teachings.
The youth spent most of a recent Saturday cleaning three houses, picking up debris, cutting a tree and even doing dishes, he said.
“If everybody did these things we wouldn’t have war and wouldn’t need a police force,” he said. “Pay it forward. That’s what they (scouts) did in Sabine Pass.”
Even after enduring almost eight years of chemotherapy — he’s still in treatment — Hunt has weathered other health related problems with a smile and a joke.
“I’ve had eight back surgeries, triple bypass heart surgery and three bouts of cancer,” he said. “I don’t get the cold or flu like other people, I get the big stuff.”
He proudly proclaimed he is not one to sit around and feel sorry for himself because “his mom and dad didn’t.”
His mother, who gave birth to 15 children in a 21 year span, underwent three major heart surgeries in her life and died during the last surgery. She is one of Hunt’s inspirations. Both parents were big into scouting, Little League Baseball, girl’s softball and other youth orientated programs, he said.
Melba said that her husbands health problems have never dampened his love for scouting.
“It seems sometimes life is unfair but for this man, by proving to himself and to others with a positive attitude, anything is possible,” she said.
But Hunt is human after all and during rare times he entertains thoughts of missing a scouting meeting.
“One time about 21 years ago I was disgusted, things were on my nerves and in my mind I was thinking that one day I would give this up,” he said.
Then came the camp-out. Two new scouts asked if they cold sleep under the stars instead of their tent. Hunt agreed and the boys made their beds outside.
“When I woke up the next morning, God must have set this up this way, I was getting out of my tent and looked over. The look on their faces was “thank God I’m still here and nothing ate me.” That gave me another 20 years. Two years ago I got the poem from my scout and that gave me another 20 years.”
Honesty is important for Hunt and his scouts know of his cancer and of the colostomy bag he must wear. He even joked with them about saving money on toilet paper.
But what really feels good is to have a scout come back to him, maybe 10 years down the road, and tell Hunt what he has accomplished. His voice cracks as he tells of one such instance.
Gabby was a “thalidomide baby,” born without arms. His mother had taken the drug during pregnancy in the 1960’s and found out, like thousands of other women, the drug would cause serious birth defects.
The young Port Arthuran wanted to try a mile swim and Hunt agreed. One of Hunt’s brothers swan alongside Gabby and the monumental task for a success.
Then one day a decade or so later Hunt needed to buy additional memory for his computer, and it was “expensive back then,” he added. Gabby had moved off and was the owner of a successful computer business. The part was ordered and the scoutmaster drove to Gabby’s business but Gabby, now an adult, declined to charge Hunt for the part.
Tears welled up in Hunt’s eyes as he relayed Gabby’s words, “You didn’t have to do all the things you did for me.”
Hunt’ accomplishments are numerous, from serving as a Red Cross Swimming Coach and being named Groves Father of the Year, to a long list of scouting awards, it’s obvious this man will not stop in his quest to help others.
“I feel I’m down here for a reason and will do everything I can while I’m here,” he said. “When God takes me I’ll know I’ve done it all.”
