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Digging in Troop 42 members work together on Vickers' Eagle Scout project
NEVADA, Mo. -- It's a special year for any Boy Scout member on a quest to become an Eagle Scout -- it's the 100th anniversary of the inception of the Boy Scout rank.
This year, those who achieve the rank will earn a special insignia as a 100th year Eagle Scout, said Troop 42 scoutmaster Walt Coffer.
Regardless of when they earn the rank, those who become Eagle Scouts are in good company. According to www.scouting.org, more than 2 million young men have become Eagle Scouts. The first was Arthur Eldred, in 1912. Forty astronauts, including William McCool, who piloted the Columbia space shuttle lost in re-entry Feb. 1, 2003; Ellison Onizuka of the space shuttle Challenger, which broke apart just after its launch in January 1986, Roger Bruce Chaffee and Gus Grissom who died in a fire aboard Apollo 1; Jim Lovell and William Anders, from the first manned flight around the moon on Apollo 8; and Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to walk on the moon, July 20, 1969. One U.S. president, Gerald Ford, also was an Eagle Scout.
Becoming an Eagle Scout is a tough task, and Coffer noted that "It's not just one person doing an Eagle Scout project. They really want them to do a significant leadership project."
This year, David Vickers, with the help of many other members of the troop, is leading the effort to construct a sidewalk that cuts through a median in the parking lot at the Osage Prairie YMCA in Nevada.
Vickers said that when it's wet, patrons must either trudge across the soggy median or walk around it; and he'd like to solve that problem for community members.
Some landscaping also will be included in the project.
This summer, hot weather and dry conditions added challenges to the effort -- the ground was extremely hard, and the weather wasn't appropriate for pouring concrete anyway. But scouts, with other support from the community have been forging ahead.
And it's not the first Eagle Scout project to be undertaken on the YMCA's grounds.
Dan Lovinger's project involved the planting of several trees. A forester helped choose appropriate trees for the site, and under Lovinger's leadership the trees were planted and watered until they were well established. His father, Dr. Warren Lovinger, recalled, "It was hot that summer, too."
Other troop members, Johnathan Palmer and Myles Coffer also may pursue the rank of Eagle Scout, but their projects are still in the planning stages.
Palmer, Coffer, Vickers and John Hunter also presented information about scouting and Troop 42 activities at a Nevada Rotary Club luncheon in August.
The troop's history goes back to 1931, when it was first sponsored by the United Methodist Church in Nevada..
Since then, many have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and their names appear on a plaque at the church.
Scouts learn all sorts of things and take part in all sorts of experiences, from outdoor skills, camping and hiking to aspects of community living and business concepts.
A total of 130 merit badges can be earned; leaders said the purpose of the badges is to encourage the scouts to experience a wide variety of activities, learning about life and discovering new skills and interests along the way. Some of the badges are required to become an Eagle Scout. According to www.scouting.org, they are: Camping, citizenship in the community, citizenship in the nation, citizenship in the world, communications, swimming or hiking or cycling, emergency preparedness or lifesaving, environmental science, family life, first aid, lifesaving, personal fitness, and personal management.
Once the Eagle Scout candidate has fulfilled these and other requirements, he must pass a board review to complete the process.