The past two days my posts have been about British people who have had prestigious honors bestowed on them. Maggie Smith was given a CBE award [Commander of the Order of the British Empire] in 1970, and made a Dame in 1990 [the female equivalent of the honor of knighthood]. She was honored again by Queen Elizabeth II in October 2014 when she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor - one of Britain's top honors.
[Internet Photo]
Alastair Bruce, has a long list of titles and honors, including an OBE award [Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire] he received in 2010.
Julian Fellowes was made a Life Peer [House of Lords] of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is formally known as Baron Fellowes of West Stafford. To us who love Downton Abbey, however, we honor him for being the creator and writer of the series! As much as I admire all these individuals, I will never meet any of them personally.
I've been waiting for just the right time to blog about another fine man of integrity and character who was honored with an OBE award, that I have had the pleasure of meeting. His name is Paul Mascarenas. I first met him and his lovely wife, Ruth, in 2007, and will always be grateful for the circumstances that allowed our paths to cross. Paul and Ruth were both born and raised in England, which in itself made me like them from the get-go!
I blogged about having lunch with Ruth last month, and the post can be viewed here. I asked her to bring photos of Paul's OBE ceremony held at Buckingham Palace, and as I looked at the lovely photos, I asked if I could share Paul's honor on my blog - to which I was graciously granted permission.
Before Paul's recent retirement, he was Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Ford Motor Company, which is what brought him and his family to the United States. It's because of his service to the auto industry that he received the OBE honor.
They didn't know until the night before the ceremony that Queen Elizabeth II was in Germany and wouldn't be presenting the award, but it was actually very fitting that HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal gave the award, because she had given Paul his diploma from London's King's College years earlier, which she acknowledged during the ceremony.
Paul once told me that he used to keep a supply of tea at his desk for those who stopped by wanting a good cup of tea. Just another reason to hold him in high esteem! ;-)
I enjoyed hearing about the interior of Buckingham Palace, because on all three of my visits to London the Queen was in residence, so the palace couldn't be toured. A renovation of the palace began last year since the palace was in need of significant modernization of plumbing, rewiring, asbestos removal and redecorating. It's on my bucket list to tour someday. Have you ever toured Buckingham Palace?
I blogged about having lunch with Ruth last month, and the post can be viewed here. I asked her to bring photos of Paul's OBE ceremony held at Buckingham Palace, and as I looked at the lovely photos, I asked if I could share Paul's honor on my blog - to which I was graciously granted permission.
Before Paul's recent retirement, he was Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Ford Motor Company, which is what brought him and his family to the United States. It's because of his service to the auto industry that he received the OBE honor.
They didn't know until the night before the ceremony that Queen Elizabeth II was in Germany and wouldn't be presenting the award, but it was actually very fitting that HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal gave the award, because she had given Paul his diploma from London's King's College years earlier, which she acknowledged during the ceremony.
Paul and Ruth are both so humble and unassuming. No one could be more deserving of this honor than Paul. Congratulations, Paul, and God's blessings on all your future endeavors!
Paul and Ruth with their beautiful daughters, Emily [L] and Anna [R].
Paul once told me that he used to keep a supply of tea at his desk for those who stopped by wanting a good cup of tea. Just another reason to hold him in high esteem! ;-)
I enjoyed hearing about the interior of Buckingham Palace, because on all three of my visits to London the Queen was in residence, so the palace couldn't be toured. A renovation of the palace began last year since the palace was in need of significant modernization of plumbing, rewiring, asbestos removal and redecorating. It's on my bucket list to tour someday. Have you ever toured Buckingham Palace?
Congratulations to Paul on this high honor! I'm glad your paths crossed with this lovely couple.
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