This year is a special year of service for the Tweedy family of Hannibal.
Dr. Philip Tweedy is celebrating his 20th year as an internal medicine specialist with Blessing Health Hannibal. And one of his sons, 13-year-old Nathan, is celebrating his selection as one of the five Tom Sawyers who join with five Becky Thatchers to serve as ambassadors for America’s Hometown at events around the city, state and country through July 4, 2024.
Anyone who questions the drive and determination of today’s youth – who are concerned that maybe they spend too much time on their electronic devices and not enough time really communicating – has not had the pleasure of meeting Nathan “Tom Sawyer” Tweedy.
“It’s a good program,“ he said. “You get to meet a lot of people and you have fun.”
Nathan – as Tom Sawyer - has enjoyed meeting passengers from around the world as they disembark from riverboats that dock in Hannibal for the day - and other visitors to the town to where Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, moved at the age of 4 - as they stroll through the historic district or visit Mark Twain Cave.
Nathan competed for his position – writing and giving a speech, taking a test, being interviewed and judged on his interpersonal abilities. He knows the skills he has and continues to develop from this experience will last a lifetime.
“It makes it easier to speak to people who you don’t know, and to a big audience. It gets rid of the stage fright,” Nathan said.
The oldest of the three Tweedy boys was also a Tom Sawyer. That was seven years ago.
“Nathan kind of caught us by surprise,” Dr. Tweedy said. “He came to us and expressed his interest in applying to the program. We were very happy.”
“I am proud to represent Hannibal as an ambassador,” Nathan added.
Nathan and his dad are not the only Tweedys serving their hometown.
“My wife Tory is the one who puts in a lot of time and effort to get Nathan to all of the activities that he needs to attend,” the doctor said. “She helped him with his preparation for the speech, examination and interview. We wouldn’t be able to do it without her efforts.”
So, we’ll close this story on the service of the Tweedy family to their hometown with a quote from Mark Twain’s Autobiography, in honor of Tory’s contributions: “There is nothing comparable to the endurance of a woman. In military life she would tire out an army of men, either in camp or on the march.”