Devoting his energy

Thomas McLurkin has not only found the key to balancing his work life as a deputy city attorney with home life as a father of five children, but still manages to find the time to serve his community.

McLurkin’s service to the city of Glendale and the surrounding areas all started with a remark made on his report card in the sixth grade, he said.

His teacher, Virginia Bobo Kiser, who is now his mother-in-law, wrote that McLurkin was not working to his potential.

“That comment did not set well with me,” he said. “You would think that something like that would just roll off the back of a sixth-grader, but it really hurt. That comment has stuck with me to the point where I don’t necessarily hearken back to the exact words, but I always ask myself ‘have I done all that I can do?’ ”

In 2009, McLurkin was elected as the first black council president of the Verdugo Hills region of the Boy Scouts of America. The council includes portions of La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Glendale, Eagle Rock and Burbank. McLurkin’s council also includes the Homenetmen Scouts, the Armenian arm of the organization.

His primary objective for his one-year term is to bring the Homenetmen program closer to that of the Boy Scouts so that eventually they can become true Eagle Scouts, a rank McLurkin received as a member of Troop 238 in Los Angeles.

“I would like the Homenetmen boys to receive the same recognition that the boys receive in the American Eagle Scout program. They deserve the benefits and accolades for their work and service in the community,” McLurkin said.

McLurkin is the ideal Scout volunteer, said Jon Maeda, who serves as the Verdugo Hills Council’s executive director.

It’s quite unusual for an Eagle Scout to continue his work with scouting for as long as McLurkin has, Maeda added.

“He has taken service very seriously, which is a major part of the Scout oath,” Maeda said. “He is a great guy to work with and be around.”

Along with his efforts with the Boy Scouts, McLurkin has also given time to the fundraising committee for the Hillsides Home for Children in Pasadena.

Between 1988 and 1992, he was responsible for raising money to help the organization continue its efforts to stop child abuse and provide children with a safe environment, he said.