Hawthorne Boy Scout Troop Honors Three More Eagle Scouts
Eagle Scout ceremonies in most Boy Scout troops are relatively infrequent. For Hawthorne Troop 1, seeing members achieve the highest honor in scouting has become an annual celebration.
Last Saturday afternoon, Troop 1 saw three more of its scouts attain the coveted rank with a special ceremony at the Valhalla United Methodist Church. John (Chip) Douville Jr., Devon Haywood and Michael McLynn were the latest to join the exclusive group in front of more than 100 friends, relatives, dignitaries and members of the scouting community.
“From a personal standpoint, the three scouts being honored today who are achieving the rank of Eagle Scout are truly, truly exceptional,” said Mount Pleasant Supervisor Joan Maybury.
While an estimated 2 to 4 percent of all Boy Scouts nationwide become an Eagle Scout, the percentage of boys in Troop 1 is undoubtedly much higher, particularly in recent years. Since 2003, at least two scouts from the troop have been honored every year. Some years there’s been an even greater showing, with a high of eight scouts reaching the rank in 2009. Since 1998, the roster of Eagle Scouts in Troop 1 now includes 57 names.
The tradition of excellence in Troop 1 may be one motivating factor, but this year’s honorees have something else in common: each have had close family members actively involved in scouting. Haywood, now a freshman at Keene State College in New Hampshire after graduating from Westlake High School last year, mentioned how he used to tag along when his older brother, Brendan, went to Cub Scout meetings when they were small. Three years ago Brendan also became one of the Troop 1 Eagle Scouts.
“I always had an interest in scouting,” said Haywood, who graduated from Westlake High School last year. “It just seemed that the Cub Scouts were having fun together.”
The scouts mentioned how their families played key roles in achieving their rank and recognized their dads as their mentors, bestowing them with special pins during the ceremony.
Troop 1 also doesn’t make it easier on its scouts. While Boy Scouts of America requires 12 merit badges earned to qualify for Eagle Scout, the troop asks that its members obtain at least 21, said Troop Master Ed Vogel.
Of course, none of the scouts would have achieved the rank without completing an extensive Eagle Scout project and then having the finished product approved by a board of review. Each scout enlisted a group of volunteers to complete their project.
Douville, currently a junior at Westlake, who earned the rank more than a year ahead of most Eagle Scouts, worked with the Town of Mount Pleasant to complete an extensive cleanup of Banks Cemetery in Pleasantville. The cemetery had been abandoned for years and had been plagued by fallen trees and overgrowth of foliage that obscured many of its gravestones.
Through Douville’s efforts, the town, which was required to assume upkeep of the cemetery, has contracted with a company to do landscaping at the site, Maybury said.
Haywood made improvements at American Legion’s Gilbert Rauh Post 1547 in Thornwood, making the area around the memorial site more appealing for the public. His work included a 300-square-foot paver patio with handicapped accessibility, a memorial stone, plantings, painting and cleaning of the bell and its stand, and general cleanup.
McLynn, also a Westlake grad who is now in his first year at the University of Alabama, created a meditation area in the Valhalla United Methodist Church’s backyard. His work included construction of a slate labyrinth, cleanup and plantings to beautify the grounds. He and his family are parishioners at the church.
Mount Pleasant resident Drew McFadden, commander of the American, lauded all three scouts for their commitment and excellence, saying that their experiences on the way to Eagle Scout put them ahead of most of their peers.
“You learn how to do things, get things done, meet objectives, leadership, the things that most people never have a chance to do,” he said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
