So to inspire his Native American ROTC students, he arranged a trip to Honolulu to participate in the 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade and festivities Jan. 15.

But when his students met with Hawai'i ROTC students, it was Nance who was inspired.

"This ended up being a cultural connection," said Nance, who co-runs the ROTC program at Hopi High School in Keams Canyon, about 70 miles northeast of Winslow, AZ. A resident of Ahwatukee Foothills near Phoenix, Nance makes the 5-hour commute every week.

"We went there (Hawai'i) for the parade, but when we had an exchange with the other kids, that's when the magic really happened," Nance said.

The 32 Hopi High ROTC students who qualified for the Hawai'i trip forged a quick bond with ROTC students from Wai'anae High School.

"It was interesting to see how much likeness there was between the Hawaiian kids and the Hopi kids. You could take away their uniforms and you wouldn't know the difference," he said. "It was joy to be part of that."

The groups performed native dances for each other, exchanged native food and romped in the ocean together.

"We're bringing them all together, which is what King was all about," said Nance, whose history of community service dates to the 1970s, when he joined Big Brothers.

Nance signed up for the program shortly after moving to Phoenix from Pennsylvania in 1976 for a track scholarship at Phoenix College. He was matched with an 8-year-old boy who is now a father and still an important part of Nance's life.

Despite the long commute to work and being away from his family during the week, Nance says it may be difficult to leave Hopi High.