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Courts of honor, boards of review and service projects that took months of planning. Scouters wrote about the journey to Eagle from every angle, from the first rank advancement to the speech at the ceremony.
917 posts · 2008–2020
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Late December brings a spate of year-in-review lists. While overused, they are a handy way to recap the year that was. One way to look back on 2016 in Scouting is by seeing which Bryan on Scouting blog posts were most popular.
Rex Tillerson, a Distinguished Eagle Scout, Silver Buffalo Award recipient and past national president of the Boy Scouts of America, has been nominated to be the nation's next secretary of state. Tillerson, upon Senate confirmation, would be the latest Distinguished Eagle Scout to reach a cabinet position.
Sometimes, it's like night and day. You look at a spot of land before an Eagle Scout candidate has completed his project there. Then you look at that exact same spot after the project is done. The transformation is so stunning that you're tempted to ask whether you have entered a parallel universe.
John H. Glenn Jr., the first American to orbit the Earth, a Silver Buffalo Award recipient and the father of an Eagle Scout, has died. He was 95. Glenn was never a Scout, but his son, David, is an Eagle Scout.
From the start, the Eagle Scout court of honor for Brian O'Rourke III in Cambridge, Mass., was destined to be special. Brian's grandfather, Glen McLaughlin, traveled all the way from California to be there. There was a slideshow that had many in tears.
It must've been pretty dusty in the room when Tom Lalor read the poem he had written for his stepson Jonathan. Everyone in the whole place got a little misty-eyed. Lalor read his poem, which you can see below, at Troop 251's Eagle Scout court of honor in Larimer, Pa.
Updated for 2017 Why is the symbol for the Alumnus of the Year Award an acorn? Because the individuals who receive this award at the national, council and — beginning next year — the regional level plant seeds for trees under which they may never sit.
The completion of any journey toward Eagle is commendable, but when a young man overcomes additional challenges to become an Eagle Scout, it transcends even the extraordinary and becomes truly inspiring. Such is the case for Scout Jack S., who managed to finish his Eagle Scout project and Eagle journey while battling cancer.
At certain critical points in a Boy Scout's journey through the program, he's asked to stop and think. He looks back on where he's been and looks ahead to where he's going. We call it the board of review. The board of review is a chance for adults to talk with the Scout about what…
Story contributed by Taylor Olmstead, Marketing Coordinator at the Atlanta Area Council David S. is an Eagle Scout from Johns Creek, Georgia. But you probably know him as the dancing Equipment Manager cheering on the Clemson Tigers from the sidelines.
The real heroes at Bungie , the videogame company behind sci-fi blockbusters Halo and Destiny , don't wear armor. They're guys like Matthew Ward, Eagle Scout and the company's cinematic director, who wore an untucked button-up, jeans and red sneakers when we interviewed him earlier this year.
As they consider Eagle project ideas during the planning stages for an Eagle Scout project, many Scouts run through a series of thoughts about what might work. Indeed, part of the process requires a Scout to weigh a number of options concerning feasibility and logistics for any particular project.
At first, Danny Etling didn't understand why his mom kept pushing him to stay in Scouting. Sure, he enjoyed camping and earning merit badges, but the four-star football prospect didn't exactly have an abundance of free time in high school.
Zachary Fortuna knows all too well the struggles a young person faces when battling cancer. His little cousin, Chris, was diagnosed at age 4 with advanced-stage neuroblastoma, a cancer of the adrenal glands. Zachary noticed that whenever Chris, now 6, was feeling down, a toy would quickly put a smile on his face.
As a scoutmaster I did not plan any Eagle courts of honor. After all, that was not my job. The Eagle Scout plans his court of honor with the help of his parents. I did give advice and help a bit when asked, but I usually stayed away from the planning.
Looking for Eagle Scout service project ideas? Look no further than Boys' Life ‘s new Eagle Scout Project Showcase . The site includes more than 101 Eagle Scout projects that visitors can browse by keyword, category and location. And you can submit your own project - or that of a Scout in your troop - to add it…
Tonight I had the pleasure of sitting behind a young man as his advocate at his Eagle Scout Board of Review. I have sat behind many young men as they answered questions and talked to t he board about leadership and their Scouting experience.
Y et A nother E agle P roject was completed this past weekend in our community. This one was interesting, useful, and fun to help with. Our elementary school just invested in an outdoor classroom this summer, spending tens of thousands of dollars on landscaping natural seating into a bowl-shaped area of the forest on…
Note: This is the 18th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe. That's why I asked to see Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos - the same photos prospective Eagles…
Much is made of earning Eagle Scout, and for good reason. However, each year, thousands of young men in Scouting age out of the program without reaching the rank of Eagle, and many of them have an experience in Scouting that is just as valuable, if not more so, than others who make it all…
In a new interview with Eagles' Call magazine, Distinguished Eagle Scout and former defense secretary Dr. Robert M. Gates shares his thoughts on leadership and the value of Scouting. Read the full interview in the Fall 2016 issue of Eagles' Call , the official magazine of the National Eagle Scout Association.
Eagle Scout David Blair won a gold medal and extended his own world record in the men's discus F44 on Friday at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Blair, whom I profiled last week , hurled the discus 64.11 meters - breaking his previous world record of 63.61 meters, set in May.
Note: This is the 17th in an occasional series where I share Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos. See the complete collection here . To fully understand the impact Eagle Scout projects have on communities, you need to see to believe. That's why I asked to see Eagle Scout project before-and-after photos - the same photos prospective Eagles…
Eagle Scouts, Scouting professionals and volunteers celebrated 92-year-old John Prince with an Eagle Scout court of honor 75 years after he earned Scouting's highest honor. Price achieved the rank in 1941, just as the world was erupting in war. His Scoutmaster, John Mehltretter, came to Prince's Bayonne, N.J., home, congratulated him and handed him his…
Eagle Scouts become CEOs, scientists and soldiers. They also become Broncos, Ravens, Dolphins, Redskins, Chiefs, Texans and Chargers. A search of the NFL's 2016 active rosters - nearly 1,700 players in all - turns up a number of Eagle Scouts. These guys are living proof that great things start in Scouting.
Everywhere David Blair goes, he sees people staring at his club foot, which he calls his "skinny, atrophied leg." "It's humorous for me because they don't know I can see their eyes, because they are busy looking at my leg," he says.
Joshua Allen and his family were on vacation in the Stanislaus National Forest near Yosemite National Park when Josh fell over a waterfall and needed to be rescued. He later learned he had broken nine ribs and punctured his lung.
In one memorable passage from The Boys in the Boat , Daniel James Brown compares the 1936 U.S. Olympic rowing team to an orchestra. "If one fellow in an orchestra was playing out of tune, or playing at a different tempo, the whole piece would naturally be ruined," he writes.
Elijah Hood's life is full of compelling contrasts. There's the Elijah Hood who runs through (not around) defenders, ruthlessly punishing anyone who gets in his way on the football field. The 6-foot, 220-pounder amassed 1,463 yards - 16th most in the country - and 17 touchdowns for the North Carolina Tar Heels last season.
Thomas Donohue, a Distinguished Eagle Scout who is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has a message for the 3 million businesses - companies large and small - who are members of the Chamber. He says Exploring , the BSA's hands-on career-development program for young people ages 14 to 21, is a powerful tool for…
Jared Ward is an elite-level marathon racer, a statistics professor at BYU, a father of two and a member of Team USA's 2016 Olympic team. So, yeah. The 27-year-old has experienced some incredible things in his life. That makes it all the more remarkable to hear him say this: "Some of my best memories came…
Finishing the longest track and field race in the Olympics takes perseverance. Same with finishing the journey toward becoming an Eagle Scout. Just ask John Nunn - one of the few to have done both. Nunn, 38, is an Eagle Scout who will compete in Friday's 50-kilometer race walk at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
We've heard from Ryan Held, the Eagle Scout who won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics and says Scouting gave him a welcome respite from the stress of competitive swimming. Now we get to hear from his parents, who say both of their Eagle Scout sons are proof that Scouting helps prepare young people…
Swim, bike, run … and earn the highest award in Scouting. All in a life's work for Greg Billington, an Eagle Scout who will compete in Thursday's Olympic triathlon. Billington, 27, says you don't have to be Superman (or, in his case, Aquaman) to succeed in school, sports and Scouts.
Eight-man rowing, more than any other Olympic sport, rewards flawless teamwork. So it's exciting, though not shocking, to learn that one of the members of Team USA's eight-man rowing team is an Eagle Scout. Rob Munn, one of seven Eagle Scout Olympians in Rio, will race for gold in Saturday's finals.
Eagle Scout. Arrowman. Olympic gold medalist. Personable Today show guest. Is there anything Ryan Held can't do? The 21-year-old, who is one of seven Eagle Scouts on the 2016 U.S. Olympic roster , won a gold medal Sunday night as a member of Team USA's 4×100 freestyle relay team.
At the U.S Olympic Swimming Trials in June in Omaha, Neb., nobody was talking about Ryan Held. Even NBC's colorful analyst Rowdy Gaines, usually prone to hyperbole, called Held a "no-name." But there he was, on the blocks in the 100-meter freestyle final.
As the Eagle Scout on Team USA's beach volleyball team, Casey Patterson has built up quite a reputation. "I am the guy who has everything when we travel. I fix the net, court and anything else needed to travel the world," he says.
Know any Eagle Scouts who could use scholarships to help support some higher education? Good news! The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) Scholarship application process is now open. NESA has shared an overview with more details on its website . The application process for Eagle Scouts to access hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship money…
The National Eagle Scout Association wants to make college more affordable for more than 100 worthy Eagle Scouts across the country. The window for 2017 Eagle Scout scholarships opened Aug. 1, 2016, and will slam shut on Oct. 31, 2016.
The opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is happening this Friday. The historic day marks the start of some spectacular global competition that joins the best athletes from around the world – including at least seven Eagle Scouts representing the U.S team!
At least five members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team competing in Rio de Janeiro this month are Eagle Scouts, the National Eagle Scout Association has confirmed. Before they wore red, white and blue uniforms for Team USA, these men - two swimmers, a race walker, a triathlete and a beach volleyball player - wore the red…
Country singer-songwriter Ben Gallaher doesn't hide the fact that he's an Eagle Scout. He includes those 10 letters in his Twitter bio , on his Facebook page and on his official website . He also lives those 10 letters every day as he tours the country playing music in front of screaming crowds.
Scouts, Scouters and their friends and family are welcome to attend this year’s annual National Eagle Scout Heritage Celebration kickoff event to celebrate anyone and everyone who has earned Scouting’s highest rank. And guess what?! All Eagle Scouts receive free admission to the museum for the event and the entire week (Aug.
Brad Tilden runs his company like a real Eagle Scout. Makes sense, because the president and CEO of Alaska Airlines is a real Eagle Scout. In the viciously competitive airline industry, Tilden offers refreshing proof that nice guys can finish first.
Pokémon GO trainers are finding Pokémon, PokéStops and gyms at Boy Scout summer camps, Eagle Scout service project sites and local Boy Scout council offices. The discovery brings this crazily popular virtual game into the real world of Scouting. We've already talked about the importance of being safe when playing Pokémon GO.
Navy Cmdr. Frank Weisser, an Eagle Scout, will rejoin the Blue Angels as a solo pilot. He'll perform with the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration squadron as Blue Angel No. 6 - known as the "opposing solo pilot" - for the remainder of the 2016-2017 season.
If you're not careful, the effort to catch all the Pokémon for your Pokédex could leave you with a Poké-compound fracture. That's why the Eagle Scout who made headlines last year with a campaign against texting while driving is back with another important safety message.
Scoutmaster Bud Boyer of the North Florida Council (Photo credit: Ocala.com) Committed adult volunteers are paramount to the success of delivering the values-based programs the Boy Scouts of America aims to provide youth. Volunteers like Bud Boyer of the North Florida Council are a prime example of what it looks like to generously serve the…
I'll give you three good reasons to be excited about the future of Scouting. Their names are Nicholas, Anthony and Justin Neves. In January, this set of triplets from Troop 46 of Montgomery Township, N.J., received the Eagle Scout Award.
