Jack Eddy

Leadership is a quality seen through the eyes, passion is fought with heart, and witnessing personal strength is an achievement of human nature at its best and is truly inspirational. I’m very blessed to know a man who emphasizes the word “hero” and is a long-time mentor that I also call a friend. Jack Eddy was the first to help me make my transformation from a quiet kid to a Petersburg High School student and he has played a significant and influential role in making me the person I am today. From coaching my teammates and myself for numerous state qualifying cross country seasons, to teaching my classmates and I the vast world of biology, Mr. Eddy has already gave me so much. And, even though at one time Parkinson’s had limited him to a wheelchair, and eventually an operating table, Mr. Eddy still has the fight of the strongest warrior. Whenever Mr. Eddy is absent my school feels empty without him hanging out with the students before class, seeing him tease the underclassmen in the halls, and playing with the lab equipment more than his own students do. He’s a real diamond in the rough for a community that’s smaller than most high schools. To say that Petersburg is lucky is an understatement. Mr. Eddy has been strongly involved with education, athletics, and the future of Alaska’s wildlife. He also has experience with law and justice, even wearing a badge for the Petersburg Police Department for over ten years. I would be considered fortunate if I could accomplish half of what Mr. Eddy has done. However, I believe that his recent successful surgery, allowing him to walk freely again, isn’t the inspirational part. It’s his love for his students that keeps him going to work everyday. And, I know for a fact that he still has many more brilliant ideas that will benefit the school, and teaching years left in him. He shows no sign of slowing down. Those are qualities of a hero.

I presented this very speech in Washington D.C.