U.S. citizenship is just one reason HCC's Clerius is thankful

Jean Eddy Clerius never met Myles Standish.

To be honest, he may have never heard of one of the more famous pilgrims, but it doesn’t mean that the Hagerstown Community College guard isn’t down with what Standish was feeling on this day oh so many years ago.


The turkey is going to taste a whole lot better — maybe even different — to Clerius today. Like the Plymouth Rock crowd, this will be a “first” Thanksgiving … a real first opportunity to make a grateful acknowledgment of all gifts, benefits and favors that have been received.

It will be the first time Clerius celebrates one of America’s most traditional of holidays in a traditional way — as an American.

Clerius, a Haitian native who moved to the United States in 2000, earned that indulgence on Oct. 26, when he was awarded United States citizenship.

Like the pilgrims, coming to America was an adventure for Clerius, complete with good, bad and uncertain times. But looking back, the trek was more than worth it.

“When it happened, I said, ‘This is really happening,’” Clerius said while sitting in the bleachers in HCC’s athletic complex. “It was shocking to me that I was that excited. A couple of years ago, it didn’t matter to me really, but as I matured, I really wanted to do it. Becoming a citizen gives me a lot of opportunity.”

That, in itself, is enough to give Clerius a full plate today. After he takes time to remember all the reasons to be thankful, it will be time to remember the people who have been there for him.

The list will include the city of Martinsburg, W.Va. — which is his adopted home — and its citizens. There will be individuals like Martinsburg basketball coach Dave Rogers and Paula Mills, Clerius’ ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, who adopted him as a “godmother.”

And there might even be room for HCC and its coaches and players, which are a huge part of his life now.

But tops on the list will be Maria Charles, Clerius’ mother.

“I’m thankful for the support my mom gave me because she was a single mom,” he said. “My mom is a hard-working lady and she always provided for me and my sisters.

“My mom wanted me to become a citizen because she worried I wouldn’t be able to get to the next level — that there would be no college and no high school diploma. She said to me, ‘I want you to be part of the United States. You will be a difference maker.’”

Thanks a lot

Some think Americans are like the young.

Youth (citizenship) is wasted on the young (citizens).

Many have a tendency to complain of what we don’t have and forget what we own.

“I can’t speak for others,” Clerius said. “A lot of people have things to be thankful for. But you never know how thankful you are for something until it’s taken away and you don’t have it.”

He carries the disposition that makes that statement believable.