Scouting, Volume 78, Number 6, November-December 1990 Page: 54
58, [24] p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Eagle Projects (from page 32)
volunteers set up shop early one Saturday
in November, 1989. They fingerprinted
children from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. "We
fingerprinted at least 121 children," he
reported. It averaged out to one child
every three minutes.
"The line was so long," he said. "I'm
sure we missed counting a few." His
project was a big success and one that
could be duplicated across the nation.
Obviously service to the community
takes many other forms, heartwarming in
nature and deserving of recognition. The
Eagle project of Brian Miller of Troop
588, Columbus, Ohio, is deserving. His
story began on a cold December morning
when he was training to take over a paper
route. At 4:45 a.m. he was riding his bike
toward the home of a fellow Scout when
he smelled smoke.
"I looked to the left and saw that the
Sharon Woods Baptist Church was on
fire. Flames were gushing from every
window. Bushes and shrubbery were
burning on the front lawn. In the parking
lot across from the fire there was a Red
Cross van handing out coffee and food to
the firemen. Station WCMH was already
on the scene getting ready to send a live
shot back to the studio."
After finishing his paper route, Brian
returned to the site of the fire and stayed
most of the day. Even though he didn't
belong to the church, he wanted to help in
its rebuilding. So he made an appoint-
ment with the pastor to discuss what
Scouts might do to help.
"We discussed how the Scouts could
help in rebuilding the church," Brian
said. "We finally decided that it would be
best if the Scouts helped maintain a clean
construction site. I was told that I could
keep any unwanted wood to recycle in
various ways."
Teams of Scouts under Brian's direction
cleaned up the site, salvaging usable ma-
terials for recycling. They were able to
provide hand-made toys for the needy,
materials for the local crafts program,
and plaques for orthopedically-handi-
capped children. His project stretched out
over 18 months and delayed his advance-
ment to Eagle. But it was well worth the
effort, for it showed how a boy could be a
leader in a service program dominated by
adults.
Another Scout used his talents as a de-
signer and builder for a professional-look-
ing project. Christopher M. Davis built a
lakeside shelter at the Asbury Methodist
Homes for senior citizens in Gaithers-
burg, Md. Christopher, a member of
Troop 489, gave the shelter a concrete
54
deck, handcrafted benches and planters,
and a slatted roof. In appreciation for his
and his crew's skill and hard work, he was
honored at the shelter's dedication cere-
mony.
Billy H. Gluff, II, of Troop 613,
Winter Park, Fla., worked in the field on
conservation. His Eagle project was de-
signed to help save the American kestrel,
also known as the sparrow hawk. A bud-
ding industrialist, Billy planned to build
50 birdhouses and donate them to the Au-
dubon Society in Maitland, Fla.
"My method," he wrote in his pro-
posal, "will be the assembly line." He
separated the Scouts into small groups-
markers, cutters, finishers, assemblers,
etc. The finished products were trans-
ported by van to the Audubon House in
Maitland.
Afterwards he said, "I contacted the
person in charge of publicity in our troop
and asked her to write a report on the
project."
Now that's delegating.
Are you listening, Detroit?
In Hackettstown, N.J., William
Thomas of Troop 154 embarked on a
man-sized project. He noticed that the
fire hydrants in Mansfield Township
needed upgrading; about 100 of them re-
quired fresh paint. He also felt that an
identifying stencil ought to be painted on
the road near each hydrant.
Bill decided to lend a hand—well, a
number of hands. He organized and su-
pervised Troop 154, which soon was
chipping and painting throughout the
township. Local officials were mighty
impressed with his efforts.
"Well done!" wrote the fire company.
"As you know, the marking of fire hy-
drants on the road helps us find these
water sources in an emergency during the
winter when snow plows bury them...
Also the maintenance on the plugs will
not only better the appearance of the hy-
drants but will also ensure a working
water source in the event we need one."
The executive director of the Hacketts-
town Municipal Utilities Authority wrote
a letter of appreciation: "Your leadership
skills were obvious upon noting the plan-
ning involved and the quality of the work
which was performed by you and the
other Scouts under your direction."
Sometimes a youngster demonstrates
unusual, even superhuman, strength of
character or courage to become an Eagle.
Two such examples follow.
David Ruch of Troop 485 of Westlake
Village, Calif., chose an Eagle project in
which he had to relive a terrifying experi-
ence. When he was five years old a can of
kerosene exploded, engulfing him and his
sister in flames. His sister died and he was
horribly burned and scarred. Since then
he has undergone 10 separate operations
to restore his upper body.
The average person would bury that
experience deep within himself. David,
with incredible force of character, has
used it to help others. For his Eagle
project, he visited elementary schools to
present a program called "Firesafety in
the Home." The program included a
movie in which David, at age 11, had been
one of the narrators. He also demon-
strated in person and with help of his
Scouts, the Stop, Drop, and Roll method
which had saved his life as a five-year-
old.
The program acquired an extra dimen-
sion when David threw it open to com-
ments from the floor. Children asked
probing questions about his disfigure-
ment and its effect on him.
"Going through elementary school
wasn't easy," he told one audience. "Kids
made fun of me. I'm talking about anyone
with a mark on his face, whether they're
disabled or a little different. People stare
and laugh and it hurts."
His young audience was deeply moved
by his history of mental and physical an-
guish. His honesty when facing people
and delivering the safety message was a
message in itself. He went from school to
school, reaching more than 1,800 pupils
and impressing them with the need for
sane safety in the home.
A year or so later, a neighborhood fire
destroyed several houses. A TV inter-
viewer asked one young girl how her fam-
ily escaped the fast-moving flames. Her
answer: "A Boy Scout visited our school
and taught us how to plan and get out of
our house in case of fire."
Could there be a finer testimonial to
David?
Another truly inspiring and heroic
Eagle is Eugene Jeppson of Troop 204,
Park Valley, Utah, who was born with
November-December 1990 «| Scouting
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 78, Number 6, November-December 1990, periodical, November 1990; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353650/m1/78/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.