NESA.org
™ THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE FOR EAGLE SCOUTS
SPRING 2017
EXCLUSIVE
BRAVERY IN
BOSTON
How an Eagle Scout helped take down a terrorist. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Eagle Shines on Madam Secretary KOA’s Former CEO Gives Back to Scouting BSA Partners With Chamber of Commerce NESA Sends Explorers Across the Globe
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SHOW YOUR SCOUT SPIRIT Check out this great series of National Eagle Scout Association neckerchiefs to celebrate this year’s jamboree! From Eagle Scouts to Life Members and those who have been recognized as Outstanding and Distinguished Eagles, everyone can find one to wear at the jamboree. To see them all in more detail, please visit the NESA store.
Visit nesastore.org for more great gift ideas!
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Eagles’ Call
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On the Cover
On page 10, an Eagle Scout FBI agent shares how the Scout motto, Be Prepared, helped him successfully negotiate with the Boston Marathon bomber during a time of crisis. Cover photograph by Walter P. Calahan.
NATIONAL EAGLE SCOUT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT Frank Tsuru DIRECTOR Dustin Farris
NESA COMMITTEE Glenn Adams, Steve Bowen, Rick Bragga, Dr. David Briscoe, Howard Bulloch, Ray Capp, Dan Coberly, Clark W. Fetridge, Forrest Gertin, Dr. Ken King, Dr. Michael Manyak, Lou Paulson, Rich Pfaltzgraff, Todd R. Plotner, Congressman Pete Sessions, Joe Weingarten Regents consist of more than 600 life members of NESA who are recipients of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
Contents
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Michael Goldman MANAGING EDITOR Paula Murphey SENIOR EDITOR Bryan Wendell SENIOR WRITER Aaron Derr ASSOCIATE EDITORS Gretchen Sparling Clay Swartz SENIOR DIGITAL EDITOR Bryan Wursten DIGITAL EDITOR Keith Faber COPY EDITOR Lauren Billman EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Adryn Shackelford SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Cassie Dooley, Brittany Hale, Ryan Larson, Jeff Laughlin, Mark Ray
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Facing Terror By Mark Ray
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As Seen on TV By Bryan Wendell
FROM TOP: GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF THE ZIMMERMAN FAMILY; WALTER P. CALAHAN; W. GARTH DOWLING
HONORARY PRESIDENT, BSA PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Donald Trump PRESIDENT, BSA Randall L. Stephenson NATIONAL COMMISSIONER Charles W. Dahlquist, II CHIEF SCOUT EXECUTIVE Michael Surbaugh MAGAZINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE David Talbot (Chairman) Ethan Draddy, James G. Elliott, Allen Pusey, Beth Reynolds, Paul Sammon, Jeff Stoffer, Alair Townsend, Jonathan Withington FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE: (866) 584-6589 ADVERTISING INFORMATION: (212) 532-0985 ADVERTISING OFFICES: 1040 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, SUITE 16A, NEW YORK, NY 10018
scoutingworks@scouting.org
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Read the exclusive, previously untold complete story of how one Eagle Scout helped bring Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to justice. Learn how Evan Roe, the sardonic son on Madam Secretary, juggles two roles: Scout and star.
CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR John Stewart NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Jay Stuart SENIOR ADVERTISING MANAGERS Bob Lusk (Southern Region) Patricia Santangelo (Northeast Region) ADVERTISING MANAGERS Brian Cabanban (Central Region) Tanya Mitchell (Western Region) PRINT AD PRODUCTION MANAGERS Lisa Hott (Scouting and Eagles’ Call ) Leah Myers (Boys’ Life) DIGITAL AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Patrice Eulin MARKETING & RESEARCH Jillian Foley (Marketing Specialist) Jennifer Chan (Research Analyst) SALES & MARKETING ASSISTANT Karie Sconyers CIRCULATION MANAGER Judy Bramlett
VOL. 43, NO. 1
Features
DESIGN DIRECTOR Eric Ottinger PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR W. Garth Dowling ART DIRECTORS Elizabeth Hardaway Morgan Kevin Hurley PHOTO EDITOR Edna J. Lemons PRODUCTION MANAGER Lenore Bonno IMAGING ARTIST Marcie Rodriguez
SPRING 2017
Departments
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2 News From the Trailhead 3 Members 6 Community 8 Lifestyle 18 Achievements
Eagles’ Call magazine (ISSN 2373-7026) is published four times a year by the Boy Scouts of America, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Lane, P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079. Issues are Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Copyright © 2017 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Eagles’ Call magazine may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. For submission guidelines, go to nesa.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to Eagles’ Call magazine, P.O. Box 152401, Irving, TX 75015-2401. Online address changes: nesa.org/eaglescall_subscriber.html. Send other correspondence to NESA, S322 Boy Scouts of America, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Lane, P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079 or eaglescoutmag@scouting.org. Printed and bound by Quad/Graphics.
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NESA.org
Visit NESA online to submit your Eagle Scout projects, see more Eagle achievements, apply for scholarships and more.
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News From the Trailhead
SPRING 2017
Eagles’ Call
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Dustin Farris (left), NESA director, and Frank Tsuru, NESA president.
From the Director
ROGER MORGAN/BSA FILE PHOTO
A former general manager once said, “My interest is in the future. I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” Sounds like a good idea. The youth we serve in Scouting are going to spend a lifetime influenced by the values, habits, interest and spiritual growth they experience now. Lots of people play a part in building this future — parents, schools and places of worship. Scouting serves all three of these foundations of society. It’s not uncommon to hear a successful leader say, “I was a Scout and I’ll never forget it” or “I don’t remember my teachers’ names, but I remember my Scout leader” or “I use skills from Scouting every day.” As a Scouter, you help shape the future. My guess is that you do this more than you know. As we look ahead to summer — a time when so many valuable Scouting memories are made — NESA aims to help shape the future of Scouts at the 2017 National Jamboree. NESA’s exhibit at the jamboree will play host to Eagle Scout VIPs (“very important presenters”) who will interact with Scouts, helping them work on merit badges related to their fields of expertise. The exhibit will welcome all visitors, not just Eagle Scouts, and will distribute “Future Eagle Scout” pins to young Scouts who pledge to obtain Scouting’s highest rank. If you plan to visit the jamboree, be sure to visit the NESA exhibit in Legacy Village at the Walter Scott Summit Center. And if you can’t make it, be sure to follow the action at NESA’s Facebook page. Recently, I was asked to complete a report for NESA committee members on what’s new with the Boy Scouts of America. After giving it some thought, I decided the most important “new” things on which I should report aren’t the new training materials, program improvements or even camp development. I thought, instead, about the life that was saved through Scouting skills; the new units that were organized and what they mean to boys and families; the experience of young people mastering a mile swim, passing an Eagle Scout Board of Review, or facing a fear and riding the zip line at the jamboree — these are the important new things. All of these things, and many more like them, are the real new experiences of Scouting — experiences that help build the futures of young people. I hope to see you on the trail. Once an Eagle Always an Eagle,
Dustin Farris
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From the President
It can be easy to become apathetic toward the ever-present needs to raise money or take on more responsibilities to help keep your council moving. I’d like to share with you how I reinvigorated my drive for such activities. A few years ago, the Sam Houston Area Council held its annual Scout Show at NRG Stadium in Houston. I planned a 45-minute window to make an appearance, look at a row of exhibits and quickly head to the golf course to make my tee time. As I walked down one aisle of the outdoor exhibits and tried some chili, I thought I’d go down a second aisle to try some venison sausage and then one more to get some fresh-squeezed lemonade. My tee time was fast approaching, but I just had to take a peek inside the exhibit hall. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw: row after row of exhibitors, including packs, troops, Venturing crews and Explorer posts, enthusiastically showing off the work they had put in to their booths. What really caught my eye was the most incredible Pinewood Derby track that I have ever seen. I nervously looked at my watch, knowing that it was going to be nearly impossible to get to the golf course on time. But I had to watch a few races. My 45-minute appearance turned into three full hours! What was it that caused me to stay at the Scout Show so long? The answer is easy: I was caught up in the excitement and energy of everyone participating. Why am I sharing this story with you? The 2017 National Jamboree at West Virginia’s Summit Bechtel Reserve is fast approaching. I guarantee you will have a similar experience. You will get re-energized like I did and truly understand the reason you are raising money or taking on more of a role in Scouting. As an Eagle Scout, your mission is to give back to all of those who got you to where you are now. We need your involvement. Go to bsajamboree.org and register for the 2017 National Jamboree to be held July 19-28. After that, you will understand why you participate in the nation’s greatest organization, the Boy Scouts of America! In Scouting,
Frank Tsuru
EAGLES’ CALL
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Thomas J. Donohue / NESA at Jamboree // MEMBERS
A Common Goal New Partnership Addresses Critical Skills Gap.
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istinguished Eagle Scout Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, often calls America “a nation of people without jobs and jobs without people.” The numbers back him up. Late last year, America had 5.6 million open jobs and 7.9 million people looking for work. The problem, of course, is that many of those millions of job-seekers don’t have the skills those open jobs require. To help fill the so-called skills gap, the U.S. Chamber recently announced a new partnership — not with a vocational school, a university system or a trade union, but with the Boy Scouts of America. The group asks local affiliates to promote Exploring, the BSA’s career-readiness program, to their member businesses. “The U.S. Chamber and the Boy Scouts of America are natural partners in efforts to create opportunities for Americans and
build a stronger workforce,” Donohue says. “Through the Exploring program, the Boy Scouts of America can bring to the table young people who are eager to learn and succeed, and the business community can bring the jobs.” Although Exploring is perhaps best known for working with police and fire departments, the program — administered by the BSA’s Learning for Life affiliate — actually operates across a dozen career clusters, including arts and humanities and social services. And as a Scouting program, Exploring focuses on more than just hard skills. Problem-solving, communication, leadership and teamwork are taught alongside how to operate arc welders, interview witnesses and prepare airplanes for flight. “The Exploring program is more than an internship or job-shadowing program; it’s an opportunity for young adults to form relationships with a future employer or
mentor who can guide them in the right direction toward their chosen career,” says Dr. Diane Thornton, Exploring’s national director. “Exploring also teaches young adults about the importance of developing leadership and character before entering the workplace — which helps these kids make smart decisions about their future.” Donohue has seen how the BSA develops leadership and character. He joined a Scout troop on Long Island at age 12 and quickly found a place to learn leadership skills he still uses today. He served on staff at Camp Wauwepex, helped build Onteora Scout Reservation during college summers and served as a BSA field executive after graduation. Each of his three sons — Tom Jr., Keith and John — is an Eagle Scout. To learn more about Exploring and how your business can get involved, visit exploring.org
NESA at the Jamboree
Heading to the 2017 National Jamboree? Don't Miss the NESA Exhibit!
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t least 15,000 people dropped by the NESA tent at the 2013 National Jamboree. Some mingled with VIPs (“very inspirational presenters”), some became NESA members, some learned more about NESA’s scholarship program and some helped carve a 20-foot “Scout pole” out back. The NESA tent will return for this summer’s 2017 National Jamboree with all the same features and then some. And you can follow much of the action on NESA’s Facebook page. While you won’t be able to help carve this year’s Scout pole from your living room, you will be able to see videos and purchase exclusive merchandise. Check it out at facebook.com/ NationalEagleScoutAssociationBSA
It's not too late to register for the 2017 National Jamboree. Go to bsajamboree.org to sign up today.
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MEMBERS // World Explorers
There and Back Again NESA Sends Its World Explorers to Far Reaches of the Globe.
scuba diver, I got to go along with some of the crew on a dive to replace some underwater data-collection trackers,” Bruce Berger says. “This was a very difficult dive due to the current, depth and duration of the dive, but it was a great learning experience for me both as a scientist and a diver.”
NESA EAGLE SCOUT AMAZON BIOLOGISTS Joseph Barnett, Dalton Blanchard, Charles Moodispaw and Liam O’Connor
The Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador seeks to promote understanding of rainforest ecosystems through education, research and ecotourism. This year, four Eagle Scouts spent a week at the station, where they helped operate a camera-trap system used to monitor wildlife populations. One goal: to capture monkeys visiting a salt lick. “Unfortunately, we did not get any monkeys, but we did get videos of a paca, which is a larger rodent with the body shape like a guinea pig,” Dalton Blanchard says. The Eagle Scouts did far more than just set up cameras: They observed toucans and macaws from the station’s 45-metertall canopy tower; they hiked around the station in search of reptiles and amphibians; and they climbed Pichincha, an active volcano near Ecuador’s capital, Quito.
NESA EAGLE SCOUT GALÁPAGOS BIOLOGISTS Bruce Berger and Samuel Huang
The pair focused primarily on helping to capture, examine, tag and release 200-pound green sea turtles. “Also, since I am certified as an advanced 4
The Eagle Scouts didn’t spend all their time in and around the water; they also got to experience the laid-back island culture on San Cristóbal. “I spoke Spanish almost exclusively for the two weeks and learned a lot about the history of the islands and the lives of its current inhabitants from chatting with the locals,” Samuel Huang says.
NESA EAGLE SCOUT PALEOANTHROPOLOGISTS Matt James and Lucas Summar
In 2013, Distinguished Eagle Scout Lee Berger made an amazing discovery: a new early human species he dubbed Homo naledi in South Africa’s Rising Star cave
system. Three years later, two Eagle Scout Explorers traveled to South Africa to learn more about Berger’s work and assist other researchers who were building on his discovery. “Australian geologists were collecting rock samples from throughout the cave to help date the fossils,” Matt James says. “Luke and I used chisels and an angle grinder to remove a fist-sized chunk of flowstone from the cave wall.”
NESA EXPEDITION SURVIVALISTS Benjamin Harden, Nicholas Henry, Atticus McCoy, Thomas Quintero, William Rabuse and Nathan Smith
Instead of exploring pristine environments or conducting scientific experiments, six Eagle Scouts participated in a specially designed survival course built to prepare them for the challenges of expedition life. Held in the Puerto Rican rainforest, the school was run by five former U.S. Special Forces soldiers. “From a simulated situation in which we had to deal with an ‘injury’ under the worst possible conditions to thinking critically while determining what some tracks we were reading meant, the whole group was constantly on its collective toes,” Ben Harden says.
NESA EAGLE SCOUT SPELEOLOGISTS Michael Schweizer, Jake Tholen, Derek Von Nieda and Matthew Weir
While some Americans might think the world’s greatest wonders are found only on distant continents, the world’s most extensive cave system, Mammoth Cave, lies under the gently rolling hills of south-central Kentucky. Last sum-
COURTESY OF MICHAEL MANYAK (5)
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agle Scouts have been exploring the unknown since Eagle Scout Paul Siple traveled to Antarctica with Admiral Richard Byrd in the 1920s as a BSA representative. (Siple later co-created the concept of the wind-chill factor.) The experience of Scouts like Siple inspired NESA Vice President and Explorers Club National Fellow Dr. Michael J. Manyak to launch the NESA World Explorers Program in 2012. In 2016, a record 18 Eagle Scouts participated in scientific missions in North America, the Caribbean, South America and Africa. Here’s an overview of what they accomplished.
EAGLES’ CALL
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NESA Committee Spotlight / Scouting Alumni Association // MEMBERS
mer, four Eagle Scouts joined the Cave Research Foundation, along with Bill Steele, retired NESA director and worldrenowned caver, on a 10-day trip to study Mammoth Cave and nearby Onyx Cave, separate caves that might someday be linked by speleologists. They extended
NESA Committee Spotlight:
COURTESY OF MICHAEL MANYAK (5)
Montana Council, Great Falls, Mont.
If Montana were a metropolitan area, it would fall right between Honolulu and Tulsa on the U.S. population list. But it’s America’s fourth-largest state, nearly as big as California and more than half the size of Texas. That sprawling geography — all of which the Montana Council covers — presents some special challenges to the Montana Council’s NESA committee. Formed in fall 2014, MT-NESA is working to gradually build an infrastructure to support Scouting and Eagle Scouts across the Treasure State. “You’ve got to take this with baby steps,” says Steve Bowen, who chairs the committee and is a member of the national NESA committee. Step one for Bowen was to identify NESA chairmen in the council’s western, central and eastern service areas, each of which covers five districts. Like politics,
the world record for the longest cave. “My overall experience of this opportunity was most certainly a fantastic one,” Michael Schweizer says. “Never did I imagine that I would be on the frontier of cave exploration, assisting in the mapping and surveying of passages that would lead to an increase in length for the already record-holding cave system.”
Visit nesa.org and follow NESA on Facebook for information on this year’s World Explorers Program opportunities. all Scouting is local, so these chairmen are focusing on local events, much like the council does with its executive board, which rotates meeting locations. “They don’t get everybody to drive 500 miles from the west side of the state to the east side for a Saturday morning meeting,” he says. MT-NESA is also using the Distinguished Eagle Scout and NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout awards to recognize exemplary men and garner publicity for Scouting. Last summer, for example, the committee presented the DESA to Chief Judge Dana L. Christensen of the United States District Court for the District of Montana, garnering positive publicity. In just two years, the committee has presented four NOESAs and two DESAs. “That’s quite a bit for a council that only has 8,000 Scouts and 3,000 volunteers,” Bowen says. The committee also oversees the “Report to the State” presentation made to Montana’s governor, which updates him on the status of Scouting in the state each year. In addition, the council actively promotes MT-NESA directly to new Eagle Scouts through a letter inserted in Eagle Scout Award packets and through its electronic newsletter, an effort Bowen thinks will soon pay off. “The enthusiasm of newly re-engaged Eagle Scouts — from 14 to 70-plus years old — is palpable and will have positive effects down the road,” he says.
RECONNECT AND REAP SAVINGS Are you a Scouting alumnus? Whether you were a Scout as a youth or are currently involved in Scouting as a registered adult volunteer, you qualify as a Scouting Alumni Association member. Registration is free, but if you spring for the Pathfinder level membership ($35), you gain access to special discounts, including: A one-time 10 percent discount at Scout shops or scoutstuff.org 15 percent off oil changes at Firestone 40 percent off any regularly priced pizza at Papa John’s Pizza Register and find more info, including a complete list of discounts, at scouting.org/ alumni
NESA LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBERS Larry Beauchamp Heart of America Council Jeffrey H. Goldsmith Northern New Jersey Council Donald P. Harris Pathway to Adventure Council David W. Hundt Lincoln Trails Council Capt. Don McMackin (Ret.) Long Beach Area Council Scott A. Phillips Palmetto Council Paul Frederick Reins Tidewater Council David C. Whitney Greater St. Louis Area Council
JOIN THE NESA LEGACY SOCIETY By making a contribution to the national NESA endowment, you will help fund Eagle Scout scholarships, NESA committee service grants, career networking opportunities and more. (Note: You must first become a James E. West Fellow in your local council.) Visit nesa.org/PDF/542-121.pdf to make a contribution. All NESA LEGACY SOCIETY FELLOWS will be recognized with a unique certificate, a pin to wear on the James E. West knot and name recognition in the pages of Eagles’ Call magazine.
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COMMUNITY // Eagle Scout Projects
Scouting for Food
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ew Jersey is among the country’s most affluent states, yet 11 percent of its residents live in poverty. Jack Zimmerman of Dumont, N.J., knows something about the problem, having volunteered for years with CUMAC, Passaic County’s largest food-distribution agency. For his Eagle project, Jack did even more. He raised $11,266, recruited about 200 volunteers and packed 47,124 meals for CUMAC’s feeding program in a single day. A FIRM FOUNDATION: The year before Jack completed his Eagle project, his church, Calvary United Methodist Church, held a similar food-packing program. Jack was inspired and decided to do something similar for his Eagle project. Clockwise from top left: Meal kit ingredients included rice, beans, and vitamin and mineral packets. Fellow Scouts assembled boxes for meal distribution. Jack helped a volunteer restock rice on the meal assembly line. Volunteers used a heat sealer to securely close bags of food for the meal kits.
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Eagle Scout Jack Zimmerman from New Jersey led more than 200 volunteers as they packaged 47,124 meals distributed to community members in need.
FROM LEFT: COURTESY OF THE ZIMMERMAN FAMILY (6); COURTESY OF THE KRUT FAMILY; COURTESY OF THE DOUGLAS FAMILY; COURTESY OF THE LITTLETON FAMILY
Regional Adams Award Winner Fights Hunger in New Jersey.
EAGLES’ CALL
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Eagle Scout Projects // COMMUNITY
Take a Bow
OTHER NOTABLE EAGLE PROJECTS
California Eagle Scout’s Project Was Child’s Play.
FROM LEFT: COURTESY OF THE ZIMMERMAN FAMILY (6); COURTESY OF THE KRUT FAMILY; COURTESY OF THE DOUGLAS FAMILY; COURTESY OF THE LITTLETON FAMILY
G RAISING CASH: Jack visited a dozen houses of worship and talked to several businesses to raise money for the project. One weekend, his barber shop donated $1 per haircut. Every dollar counted, because a donor who had underwritten half the cost of the previous project was unable to help. “I really wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it, but I just kept on going and asking for help and support,” Jack says. RECRUITING WORKERS: Jack reached out to past volunteers, members of his church and area Girl Scout troops. “Then I had almost my entire Boy Scout troop and their families come out to help me,” he says. All told, he had enough workers to set up seven assembly lines, each with 12 volunteers. SUPERFOOD AND CELLOPHANE: Jack’s volunteers filled 7,854 bags with rice, beans, soy powder, and vitamin and mineral packets. Each shrink-wrapped bag contained six servings of food containing 10 grams of protein and 21 vitamins and minerals — all at the cost of $0.25 per serving. The raw materials came from the Outreach Program, an Iowa-based nonprofit organization that worked with Iowa State University’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition to develop its formula. FAST ACTION: CUMAC distributed Jack’s food very quickly. “They said all my meals were distributed within three months,” he says. PROUDEST MOMENT: “I wish everybody could do this at some point in their life, because it really is an amazing thing to see all these people packaging meals for those who really do need it,” Jack says. “It’s just amazing; it sounds cliché, but it really is.”
abe Krut knows firsthand the power of theater. The Del Mar, Calif., resident started acting with North Coast Repertory in the third grade and has seen how theater can boost a young person’s skills and self-esteem. When he began looking for an Eagle project, Gabe first thought about building something for North Coast Repertory — but then, he says, “I realized a greater gift I could give would be to introduce other kids to theater, to give them the opportunity to find this thing that I find so inspiring.”
So he contacted the Family Recovery Center in Oceanside, where women work to overcome substance abuse and where a dozen or so kids are typically in residence. During summer 2015, he ran a weeklong theater camp. The kids at FRC learned theater skills, built sets and rehearsed their own plays. At the end of the week, the campers put on a show for their moms and FRC staff — some 30 audience members. Although Gabe met his Eagle project goals with just one camp, this summer will mark the third annual TaDa! Theater Camp.
Even More Projects If you’re looking for more great Eagle Scout projects, visit eagleprojects.boyslife.org. There you’ll find thumbnail descriptions of dozens of actual projects from around the country. You can also add your project to the database.
SHANE MICHAEL DOUGLAS WATERLOO, ILL.
For his Eagle project, Shane Michael Douglas placed bronze markers on the graves of 99 Civil War veterans in his community. The graves — including the final resting place of one Confederate soldier who moved to Waterloo after the war — were scattered across three local cemeteries. Placing the markers was the easy part of Shane’s project; the hard part was identifying the gravesites. Twenty headstones were missing, and many others had become illegible through years of exposure to the elements. Local genealogists pitched in to help, poring over church and cemetery records and decades-old photographs. Shane placed the final markers April 9, 2015 — 150 years after the Civil War ended. “These plaques will serve as a visible sign of acknowledgement and gratitude for the sacrifices these veterans made and give them the recognition they have long deserved,” Shane says.
LOGAN LOUIS LITTLETON ALBANY, GA.
Logan Littleton has been a horseman since he was 5. So when he heard about Dancing Cloud Farm Horse Rescue at a horse show, he knew he’d found his Eagle project beneficiary. Located in Ochlocknee, Ga., the organization rehabilitates abused and neglected horses, and then places them in adoptive homes across the country. Part of the rehabilitation process is desensitizing horses to noise and touch. To facilitate that process, Logan built several obstacle-trainers for Dancing Cloud. Among them: wooden bridges, “trees” made of pool noodles, cavalettis (small jumps that simulate downed tree limbs on a trail) — and the “car wash,” which is a wooden structure covered with a crinkly and noisy tarp. “Obstacles such as these help the horse and human learn to communicate with each other and trust each other,” Logan says. And they help the horse understand not all humans are abusive.
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LIFESTYLE // Jim Rogers / John Baumann
Honor Camper How an Eagle Scout at KOA Spreads the Joy of Camping.
“Camp gives us a sense of normalcy in this not-so-normal brain-tumor world,” wrote one parent. “I can’t even explain exactly what the gift of a stay at this amazing camp has done for us; the smiles on the faces of my children are simply a gift,” wrote another. “The letters make you want to cry,” Rogers says. The letters also fuel his continued involvement with the KOA Care Camps Trust, which raises funds to support dozens
of camps throughout North America for children with cancer. Begun as a franchisee project in 1984, KOA Care Camps raised nearly $1.5 million in 2015, allowing more than 40,000 cancer patients and their families to attend 112 different camps in the U.S. and Canada. “The most significant thing of it all is it’s all free,” Rogers says. “None of the 40,000 campers paid.” As an Eagle Scout, Rogers deeply understands the power of camping. “Nature gives us the opportunity to get back and be very sincere in our time together,” he says. “Whether we’re trying to help someone heal and creating hope with memories at care camps, or we’re taking young men and women into the outdoors in Scouting … it’s very wholesome; it’s very patriotic. And I get a great deal of joy from trying to help facilitate that.” Under Rogers’ guidance, KOA Care Camps has developed relationships with the American Cancer Society, the Children’s Oncology Camping Association International and the National RV Dealers Association. And that’s just the beginning. “I am working with our board to try to convince the RV dealer and campground industry that Care Camps should be their
national charity,” he says. “We’re looking at a need that far exceeds what we are able to raise each year.” When he’s not working to expand the reach of KOA Care Camps, Rogers is working to expand the reach of Scouting. The former president of the BSA’s Western Region, he serves on the National Executive Board and provides leadership to the Second Century Society and the Nevada Area Council. Last May, he received the Silver Buffalo Award, Scouting’s highest adult honor. (Scouting is a family affair for him: All the males in two generations of his family are Eagle Scouts, including his three sons.) Rogers says Scouting values have always guided his work, but that became especially clear after he appeared in an episode of the CBS reality show Undercover Boss. (The episode first aired in January 2013 and has been repeated in syndication.) “I’ve actually been at a Boy Scout meeting where my compatriots pulled out every reference to Scouting values that was in the show,” he says. “It was funny the way the guys took the time to create that. “The Scout Law, the hard work of doing your best every day — all those things are inculcated into the way I conduct my personal life and my professional life.”
a Pinewood Derby on Saturday. On Monday — a day off for most musicians — he would be back at his day job, meeting with school principals or launching a new Cub Scout pack. “I’m not sure how I did it for so long,” he says. “I wonder if I took some years off my life.” Baumann left his day job in fall 2015 and has been growing his reputation and fan base ever since. He played nearly 140 shows in his
first year after going full-time, landed a featured artist slot at the Steamboat Music Fest and had his song, “Gulf Moon,” recorded by Kenny Chesney, a four-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. That doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing Baumann in an arena near you anytime soon. Rather than chase commercial success, he is committed to writing and performing his songs his way. “It might take seven to 10 years to get where I want to go, but I’m enjoying it and feel like I’m having a lot more success being me than trying to be a ‘hat act,’ ” he says. After releasing two EPs, High Plains Alchemy and Departures, Baumann is releasing a full-length self-titled album this spring. “This is like a coming-of-age record,” he says. Visit johnbaumannmusic.com for more.
Worth Noting Eagle Scout, Former District Executive Chases Musical Stardom.
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p-and-coming country musicians face all sorts of challenges: cutthroat competition, predatory managers, fickle band members and vans that break down at the most inopportune moments. For nearly three years, Texas singer-songwriter and Eagle Scout John Baumann faced a unique challenge: working full-time as a Scouting district executive while launching his music career. On a typical Friday, Baumann attended a Rotary Club meeting and turned in weekly reports before hitting the road for a weekend of shows punctuated by a return to Austin for 8
Ar CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: COURTESY OF MICHAEL CLAPP; KOA (3); JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES
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n his 16 years as president and CEO of Kampgrounds of America — better known as KOA — Distinguished Eagle Scout Jim Rogers got plenty of mail. None of it touched the nowretired executive as much as the letters from families that had attended cancer camps funded in part by KOA’s charitable arm.
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Daniel Summerhays // LIFESTYLE
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Five Questions On … Golf
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Daniel Summerhays, PGA Tour Professional Competing in This Year’s Masters.
fter finishing third in the 2016 PGA Championship, Eagle Scout Daniel Summerhays got the prize every pro golfer dreams about: a spot at the Masters. That major tournament — the most-watched event in golf — will be April 6-9 at Augusta National Golf Club. Summerhays received Scouting’s highest honor Jan. 20, 2002, as a member of Crew 9885 of the Great Salt Lake Council. Eagles’ Call caught up with him to talk about the sport he’s turned into a career. WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE TO PLAY IN YOUR
FIRST MASTERS? A realization of a lifelong
dream. I’ve always dreamed of playing it, and I really can’t wait. WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR CADDIE TALK
ABOUT? We try and have a lot of fun, keep it light. There’s so much to focus on as far as wind and yardage and club selection and
strategy that we have fun talking about that kind of stuff. We’ve turned what may seem like monotonous work into a good time. WHAT’S A TYPICAL TOURNAMENT WEEK
LIKE? I arrive Monday, get to the course and
register. Tuesday is a practice day. And then Wednesday is pro-am day, so I’ll usually be paired with three or four amateurs, and we’ll go and play a four-and-a-half-hour round together. And then the tournament starts Thursday through Sunday, and I’ll either travel Sunday night or Monday morning and start the whole process again. ANY TIPS FOR LOWERING YOUR GOLF SCORE?
HOW DO YOU KEEP FROM GETTING FRUS-
TRATED AFTER A BAD SHOT? You go through
a process. You are able to analyze it objectively. You make a subtle correction, and then you get excited for the next shot. The nice thing about golf and the nice thing about life is there’s always another shot, there’s always another day.
Correct speed on a putt is about 12 inches past the cup. Practice your chipping a lot. That’s where most strokes are lost for an amateur golfer, so spend more time on your short game. Find a good instructor. And know that swing speed and distance come from body rotation.
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: COURTESY OF MICHAEL CLAPP; KOA (3); JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES
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Facing Terror
Exclusive: The previously untold complete story of how one Eagle Scout helped bring Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to justice. By Mark Ray Photographs by Walter P. Calahan
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His crisis-negotiation skills helped him bring the Boston Marathon bomber to justice, but this FBI agent says he is most proud of being an Eagle Scout.
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“Of my mild accomplishments — Eagle Scout, West Point, airborne ranger in the Army, FBI special agent, operator on the Hostage Rescue Team — what I tell Scouts and my sons I’m the most proud of is being an Eagle Scout.” where near Watertown. It’s a neighborhood so peaceful that police officers rarely fire their guns outside the practice range. The unmarked car pulled into the parking lot at the Arsenal Project mall, where local, state and federal agencies had set up a command post. “There must have been 1,000-plus law-enforcement officers in that parking lot,” Houston says. At about 7 p.m., Houston heard a fusillade of gunfire nearby — something he hadn’t heard since being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan — and saw an FBI agent sprinting toward a Hostage Rescue Team vehicle. “You rarely see an HRT guy sprinting from the Command Post, so it had to be something big,” Houston says. He grabbed his helmet and vest, and joined the team for another drive through deserted streets.
THE SUSPECT IN THE BOAT
The vehicle soon arrived a few houses down from 67 Franklin St. There, homeowner David Henneberry had taken advantage of the recently relaxed Shelterin-Place alert to check on his boat, the Slip Away II, in his backyard. Noticing the tarp covering the boat was out of place, Henneberry climbed a ladder, looked inside and discovered Tsarnaev lying in a pool of blood. He called 911 and hundreds of police officers surrounded the location. A brief but intense shootout had ensued — the noise Houston had heard — before Boston Police Superintendent William Evans shouted, “Hold your fire!” After a canister of tear gas failed to get Tsarnaev out of the boat, law-enforcement officers tried commanding him from a loudspeaker to “come out.” The Massachusetts State Police attempted to extract him by driving their armored BearCat vehicle up to the boat, but were unable to flip it over. Through it all, Tsarnaev didn’t respond. At that point, the FBI took the lead of a chaotic scene and occupied the inner perimeter positions. The FBI HRT tried using nonlethal flashbang devices, which give off intense noise and light flashes, but those didn’t elicit a response. So Houston, along with his two FBI colleagues, prepared to do what seemed
DAVID L. RYAN/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES
O
n Friday, April 19, 2013, an unmarked car slipped quickly and quietly through the streets of Boston. There was no need for a siren, because the streets were empty — except for the hundreds of vehicles representing an alphabet soup of law-enforcement agencies. Each of those vehicles, like this one, was on the trail of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect from the Boston Marathon bombings the previous Monday. “It was like a zombie apocalypse movie,” says FBI crisis negotiator and Eagle Scout Russ Houston, the driver in the unmarked car. “No one was out on the streets. No one was walking their dogs. It’s normally a bustling city full of people, but everyone was inside their homes.” Houston has received threats because of some previous casework, so Eagles’ Call agreed to preserve his anonymity and identify him with a pseudonym. People were in their homes because of an extraordinary “Shelter-in-Place” alert issued by the governor. After a massive manhunt that included false alarms, countless tips, a carjacking, a high-speed chase, the murder of an MIT police officer and the death of suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, police believed their remaining suspect was some-
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impossible: Use words and not weapons. They would try to talk the desperate, wounded, murderous Tsarnaev out of the boat without additional violence. “In the back of my mind, I thought, ‘He killed innocent men, women, children and police. No way is he going to surrender,’ but I was duty-bound to give it my best shot,” Houston says.
WORDS, NOT WEAPONS
Houston entered an adjacent house and climbed to a second-story bedroom where he could see inside the boat. He was close enough that he didn’t need a bullhorn and was well within small-arms range if Tsarnaev decided to shoot. Houston took cover and opened the window. With 400 officers and agents looking on and FBI headquarters monitoring from an aircraft above, Houston spoke to Tsarnaev — not even sure the young man was listening. “This is [Russ], with the police,” he said. “I’m here to talk to you.” And so the delicate dance began. Houston demonstrated empathy, saying he recognized Tsarnaev was hurt and scared and confused. This went on for 10 minutes, and there was no response. “You don’t want to sound like a parrot, so you find different ways to send the same message,” Houston says. As time ticked by, there was overwhelming pressure to resolve the situation tactically — knowing Tsarnaev might have
Opposite page: An aerial view of the boat where one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was found.
firearms or explosives with him in the boat. Many likely didn’t want to see Tsarnaev emerge from the boat alive — not after what he had done. But the FBI recognized the intelligence-gathering value of a living suspect. HRT’s motto, “To Save Lives,” is ingrained in every HRT operator. Finally, after another few minutes of one-way communication attempting to elicit a response, Tsarnaev groaned. “That was a huge relief,” Houston says. “I can’t describe it, but after a few minutes I had a weird feeling he was listening.” Now that he’d established two-way communication, Houston moved to step two: building rapport. The negotiation team’s goal was to persuade Tsarnaev to surrender and exit the boat peacefully. Houston contrasted aloud the conditions in the boat with those outside. In the boat, Tsarnaev was alone and scared and hurt. Outside, there was medical help and people who cared for him. In
DAVID L. RYAN/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES
‘THIS EAGLE NEVER QUITS’ Russ Houston enjoyed an idyllic childhood in San Diego, where the large military presence makes patriotism second nature. Among his earliest memories: jets from the “Top Gun” school at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar screaming across the sky. Houston’s father, uncle and older brother were all Eagle Scouts, so his odds of earning Scouting’s highest honor were high. Just to be sure, his mother laid down the law with this incentive: no driver’s license until he earned Eagle. The incentive worked, and he reached Scouting’s highest rank before his 15th birthday. After high school, Houston followed his older brother to West Point, where he struggled academically throughout his plebe year. A class clown, he found the regimentation of military life stifling. Despite the challenges he faced, he didn’t quit. He graduated in the top 20 percent of his class. He then entered the Army for five years, serving
with his brother in the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Along the way, he completed Airborne and Ranger schools. Despite his Army success, Houston longed to work for the FBI, where he could serve his country but shed some of the trappings of military life. But getting there wasn’t easy. “When I first applied, I was told I was noncompetitive,” he says. He focused on improving himself, earned his master’s degree and got accepted. Houston visited the 2013 National Jamboree to share the story about the Boston Marathon bombing. His message was simple: “This Eagle never quits. I learned in Scouting that hard work plus opportunity usually equals success,” he said. “Of my mild accomplishments — Eagle Scout, West Point, airborne ranger in the Army, FBI special agent, operator on the Hostage Rescue Team — what I tell Scouts and my sons I’m the most proud of is being an Eagle Scout.”
particular, Houston invoked Tsarnaev’s high school wrestling coach. Houston had contacted the coach earlier to learn about Tsarnaev — so as to Be Prepared. Tsarnaev finally responded — “water” — which made Houston elated. “If the subject wants or needs something from law enforcement, that’s perfect. Now we’re negotiating,” he says. The only catch, of course, was that Tsarnaev couldn’t have water or anything else if he didn’t get out of the boat. “I can’t move,” Tsarnaev said repeatedly. “We’re not going to come on the boat,” Houston replied. The refusal was more than just negotiating; no one knew whether Tsarnaev had guns, a suicide vest or another bomb.
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION
After another 20 minutes, Houston convinced Tsarnaev to drag himself toward the edge of the boat. He could only crawl a foot or so at a time. Houston told him to pull himself up, and he talked Tsarnaev into putting one leg over the side of the boat. Using words alone, Houston was getting Tsarnaev to do what he previously said he couldn’t. The next goal was getting Tsarnaev onto the ground, so the negotiation team coordinated with the tactical officers to point their weapons’ red lasers on the boat trailer’s mud guards. Tsarnaev could focus on these dots and see a path to follow out of the boat. Then things stopped. Tsarnaev had used all his energy and could not swing his injured leg over the side of the boat. Houston motivated Tsarnaev to display his hands and raise his shirt to show he wasn’t holding a weapon or wearing explosives. However, he was sitting precariously on the edge, appearing as if he might lose consciousness at any moment and fall back into the boat. The HRT team leader then directed a combined law-enforcement tactical team to approach the now-compliant Tsarnaev, and then handcuff and arrest him. A few minutes later, Houston joined Tsarnaev for an ambulance trip to Beth Israel Hospital. Houston then caught a ride to his hotel. “We went through a roadblock, and the people rushed around the Boston police car,” Houston recalls. “They shook the car in jubilation, shouting ‘USA! USA!’ It was quite moving.”
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“You can’t survive in Scouting without cooperation, and you can’t survive in acting without cooperation.”
Madam Secretary films in New York, giving Evan Roe quick access to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park. He loves New York but speaks fondly of Scout trips to the beaches and forests of California.
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ON THE WEB
Go behind the scenes with Evan Roe in an exclusive video at nesa.org
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AS SEEN ★ ON TV BY BRYA N W E N DE L L / P H OTO G R A P H S BY W. G A R T H D O W L I N G
★
Evan Roe, the sardonic son on ‘Madam Secretary,’ juggles two roles: Scout and star.
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t’s trite but true: Evan Roe isn’t like the person he portrays on television. On the CBS drama Madam Secretary, the 17-year-old Eagle Scout plays the title character’s combative, snarky teenage son. Jason McCord is the offspring of Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) and her husband, Henry (Tim Daly). And Jason is no Eagle Scout. While Elizabeth deals with complex geopolitical problems, Jason places parenting problems in her path. He’s expelled from private school, goes to parties behind his parents’ backs and takes political positions that directly contrast with his mother’s. “He does the things a lot of typical teens would,” Evan says, “but in the elevated position Elizabeth is in, the stakes have become raised.” Evan is anything but a typical teen. He buys flowers for his girlfriend on her birthday (but has to rush to get them after his Eagles’ Call photo shoot runs long). He takes high school classes (but online so he can study during breaks in
his TV schedule). He’s an Eagle Scout (but his board of review was completed via Skype because his troop is in California and he works in New York). There have been sacrifices and tough decisions few teenagers must make. Evan had to turn down a Philmont trek because of his filming schedule for Madam Secretary. But he refused to make the
ultimate sacrifice chosen by many young people who find early success on the stage or the sports field: He refused to drop out of Scouting. “I think Scouting is a more flexible program than a lot of people realize,” he says. “I was a Life Scout, and I’d worked on it for seven years. I was so close to the finish line; it seemed pointless to give up.”
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THE EARLY STAGES
Evan was born to entertain. He acted in school plays. He wrote a comic strip for his elementary school. And when he was 10, he spent days making stop-motion videos out of Legos. “That just kind of blossomed into all this,” he says. “And if you’re a performer, just let that happen. The only real thing stopping you is yourself.” Evan had a few smaller TV appearances before Madam Secretary, but the CBS show — on broadcast TV and averaging more than 8 million viewers an episode — represents a new level of success. Evan was a Life Scout when Madam Secretary tapped him to join the family. The show films in New York, so Evan had to leave San Diego and Troop 750 behind. Evan was determined not to cut his Scouting career short. TV show or no TV show, he was earning Eagle. Lacking only his Eagle Scout service project, Evan identified a project site, crafted a plan and wrangled volunteers — all from three time zones away. His dad, Chris, was still in California and became Evan’s hands and feet, making frequent Home Depot runs to gather supplies Evan picked out online. “I had to plan the entire thing remotely,” he says. “I had to do everything through my friends, my dad
and my Scoutmaster, Steve Greene.” It was so well planned that when Evan flew in to complete the actual project — building a shade structure at Batiquitos Lagoon — he had so many volunteers, they finished in half the time expected.
A GOOD REVIEW
The producers of Madam Secretary were willing to rearrange Evan’s shooting schedule so he could fly back to California to complete his Eagle Scout board of review — the final step to earning Eagle — but his troop committee had another idea.
COURTESY OF THE ROE FAMILY (2); © CBS
Before each take, members of the crew perform tasks to prepare the scene. For Evan Roe, this means makeup touch-ups, costume adjustments and hair trimming. Even when he’s not on set, Evan frequently finds himself in the camera’s eye, granting interviews to outlets like WCBS-TV in New York (this page, bottom right).
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Why not complete the board of review via Skype? The practice is approved by the BSA, assuming the council approves, and it would save Evan a cross-country flight. “They were very accommodating with me,” Evan says. Chris gives Evan and Evan’s hospitable Scout leaders credit for finding a plan that worked. “The road to Eagle is not as complicated or scary as most people think,” Chris says.
Left: Téa Leoni and Tim Daly portray Evan Roe’s parents on Madam Secretary. This column, top: Evan Roe says his real-life parents, including his dad, Chris, helped keep him focused on both Scouting and his acting career. Bottom: Evan unveils a plaque after finishing his Eagle project: a shade structure at Batiquitos Lagoon in California.
COURTESY OF THE ROE FAMILY (2); © CBS
REAL FAKE POLITICS
Evan is still a year away from voting age, but he says his time on Madam Secretary has given him a hands-on lesson in politics. The writers import real-world issues into the show, and Evan must study current events to understand how his character might react. “I know what the chief of staff does. I know what the secretary of state does,” he says. “It’s given me this insight into Washington that teenagers don’t have, and I like it.” Speaking of Washington, when Evan gives a tour of the White House, it’s a little different from the one offered to school groups or Scout troops. For starters, he asks that you step onto a square of sticky paper to make sure you don’t track in dust. Inside, all the furniture is covered with plastic sheeting. And looking up, you see rows and rows of lights where the ceiling should be. Behind another set of heavy double doors is the McCord house, where Evan shows how each wall of his fake family’s home can be pulled away and replaced by a camera.
Outside the kitchen windows, day turns into night and sun into rain at the press of a button. The staircase leads nowhere. None of these TV tricks are obvious on the show, but they’re obvious to Evan, who says he enjoys heading outside — the real outside — after a long day of shooting. “Being in Scouting gives me an appreciation for the outdoors and this love for camping I kind of didn’t know I had,” he says. And when he does get to shoot outside, on location? “I know I can make my performance much more authentic,” he says, “because I know how to behave in the outdoors.”
FAMILIES — REAL AND OTHERWISE
Small groups must cooperate to thrive. Evan says that’s true of a Scout patrol, of a family and of a group of actors pretending to be a family. He says collaboration skills honed in Scouting serve him well in his career. “You can’t survive in Scouting without
cooperation,” he says, “and you can’t survive in acting without cooperation.” Unscripted words of wisdom from the youngest member of the cast. Despite being the lone under-18 actor on a show watched mainly by adults, Evan says he still has time to goof off and be a kid. “I have friends here in New York City,” he says. “I still maintain connections with my Scouting friends, all the way across the country.” His parents, meanwhile, get to soak it all in from the couch. Their role has transitioned from chaperone to cheerleader. When Evan turned 16, union rules permitted him to be on set alone. “The last couple years, he’s gone from being a kid whose mom and dad had to help him learn his lines and get him to the stage on time to being completely selfsustaining,” Chris says. “It’s pretty fun to sit down on the couch and turn on the TV on a Sunday night, and there he is on broadcast television. We feel really fortunate.”
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ACHIEVEMENTS // Bowl for Light / For God and Country
Illinois Eagle Scout Turns Darkness Into Light.
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hen Kasey Jednachowski took his own life in 2015 at age 23, Eagle Scout Jeremy Boothe was, like most of Jednachowski’s friends, shocked and saddened. He also was determined his friend’s death would not be in vain. The two Carol Stream, Ill., residents had bonded over countless bowling games, so Boothe decided he would plan an event to raise money for suicide prevention.
Summoning skills he’d learned during his Eagle project (collecting 1,000 pairs of shoes for a village in Romania), Boothe created a bowling event he dubbed Bowl for Kasey, Bowl for Light. He secured a location, collected raffle prizes — restaurant gift cards, a gym membership and more — and began promoting the event through Facebook. “Before I knew it, I had an 8-foot table filled with stuff from local businesses,” he says. Boothe’s first event, held in July 2015, raised $3,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The 2016 installment raised $4,000, and Boothe is planning for the fundraiser’s third installment in August. Why work so hard to honor a childhood friend? “The influence of Scouting, completing that big service project — mine was 300plus man-hours — that kind of mentality is ingrained in my being and values,” he says. “It just made sense.” 18
For God and Country
Many young men exchange their Scout uniforms for fatigues, dress blues or battle dress uniforms. NESA salutes the Eagle Scouts shown below who are serving our nation in all branches of the armed forces. Recognize another Eagle by completing the form found at nesa.org/eaglegodandcountry
2nd Lt. Nelson Collet U.S. Army
Pfc. Matthew T. Moss U.S. Marine Corps
Attended Princeton University as a recipient of an AROTC scholarship. Commissioned and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history. Serves with the 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard.
Completed his military occupation specialties training with Meritorious Mast and is stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Spc. Brian M. Crawford U.S. Army
Airman 1st Class William Price U.S. Air Force
Graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in law and justice. Participated in Operation Atlantic Resolve and Anakonda/ Eagle Forge 2016 in Poland. Stationed in Vicenza, Italy.
Graduated from basic training in September 2015 and from tech school in April 2016. While in tech school, he was the drillmaster for his drill team flight. He is stationed in England working on F-15s.
2nd Lt. Patrick J. Heller U.S. Army
Ensign Matthew Joseph Starr Serio U.S. Navy
Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned by his mentor and Scout leader, Col. Randy Rizor, who is serving in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Graduated from Miami University Honors Program in Oxford, Ohio, with a degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in naval science. Commissioned into the U.S. Navy and is serving on the USS Spruance (DDG 111) in San Diego, Calif.
Airman 1st Class Alexander J. Hersey U.S. Air Force Graduated basic training from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and is attending tech school in Wichita Falls, Texas, before stationing at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.
Lance Cpl. Nicholas William Lutkins U.S. Marine Corps Attended Radford University. Enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated from infantry school at Fort Geiger in North Carolina. Serves in the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Promoted to lance corporal.
Kyle J.M. Smith U.S. Coast Guard Graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in marine environmental science and commissioned as an ensign. Stationed in Seattle, Wash.
Ensign Richard E. Wheeler III U.S. Navy Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in international relations. During his time at the U.S. Naval Academy, he was a member of the USNA cycling team. Commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy, reporting to Pensacola, Fla., to begin training as a U.S. Navy pilot.
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Bowling Bonanza
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Once an Eagle ... / Awards & Recognition // ACHIEVEMENTS
Once an Eagle ... ... Always an Eagle. NESA remembers Eagle Scouts who have passed. Recognize the life of another Eagle by completing the form found at nesa.org/ eaglegonehome. This link also provides more information on how to make a Living Memorial donation in the name of a deceased Eagle. Reginald James BayonaSanderson, 86 Columbus, Ga. Eagle: 1949 Passed: January 2016 Vernon Kilton Crow, 82 Thornton, Colo. Eagle: 1952 Passed: July 2016 Matthew Jackson, 25 Lake Katrine, N.Y. Eagle: 2006 Passed: February 2016 Alan Roy Luksik, 68 Aurora, Colo. Eagle: 1963 Passed: July 28, 2016 Peter Kiran David Mattson, 17 Battle Ground, Wash. Eagle: 2011 Passed: June 2015 Douglas Winters McEniry, 61 Roswell, Ga. Eagle: 1968 Passed: Jan. 11, 2016 William Philip Morrissette IV, 37 Midlothian, Va. Eagle: 1993 Passed: April 2016 William A. Norton, 89 Marissa, Ill. Eagle: 1957 Passed: August 2015 Matthew William Thorpe, 37 Springfield, Ohio Eagle: 1992 Passed: July 2016
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Nathaniel (Nate) Woodring, 23 Evanston, Ill. Eagle: 2010 Passed: May 2016 Jedidiah Woomer, 19 Tonawanda, N.Y. Eagle: 2013 Passed: April 2015
Awards & Recognition Eagle Scouts shine, even after reaching the top honor in Scouting. NESA celebrates the achievements of the Eagle Scouts shown below. Recognize the success of an Eagle by completing the form found at nesa.org/eaglemagawards
Paul Avazier Havertown, Pa. Received 2016 American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Young Architect Award. Selected and recognized as a young architect of exceptional achievement for past accomplishment and future promise.
Cody Blackwell Ball Ground, Ga. Graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in chemical and biomolecular engineering. Employed as a quality engineer at the Auburn, Ala., location of an innovative company based in France.
Kevin Byrne Mahopac, N.Y. Elected as New York’s newest state assemblyman to represent the 94th Assembly District, which serves nearly 150,000 citizens and represents parts of Westchester and Putnam counties.
Christopher Fernando San Marcos, Calif. Selected by the American Legion Department of California as the California Legion Eagle Scout of the Year, in addition to Eagle Scout of the Year by the BSA’s Santa Margarita District in the San Diego Imperial Council.
Matthew Donald Forster Lexington, S.C. Graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor’s in construction science and management with a minor in business. He was a re-founding father and two-year president of the Phi Kappa Phi – Zeta Chapter. While in college, he continued to serve Scouting as SR5 section chief and is a recipient of the Centurion Award. He starts his career in Charlotte, N.C.
Col. John Halloran Jr. (Ret.) Lake Charles, La. Installed as the Vocations Vice President of the USA Council of Serra International. Halloran is responsible for fostering, promoting and affirming vocations programs for about 240 Serra Clubs in the U.S. He has served as a district governor for one year and as a regional director for two years, and is now in his sixth year as president of the Serra Club of Lake Charles.
Matthew R. Heron Columbia, Md. Graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering. He will be pursuing a master’s degree and doctorate at Georgia Tech.
Steven Long Boiling Springs, S.C. Elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives from District 37.
Geoffrey Miller Austin, Texas Despite his disability (arthrogryposis multiplex congenita), Miller earned his Doctor of Philosophy in mathematics education from Texas State University. His dissertation represented a pioneering effort to explore Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s positive psychology of the flow state to improve people’s problem-solving skills in groups.
Daniel B. Oerther Rolla, Mo. Received the Superior Achievement Award, the highest recognition for professional performance, from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists for his work to provide access to improved drinking water supplies and basic sanitation for 100,000 villagers in rural Guatemala.
Mark Andrew Ruedy Norman, Okla. Graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s in international studies (with an emphasis on Russian and Eastern European studies) and a bachelor’s in journalism.
Aaron T. Spivak, Ph.D. Mullica Hill, N.J. Received his Doctor of Philosophy in computational and systems biology in 2012. Worked for Glaxo Smith Kline for two years, and then received his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in Boston, Mass. Employed with Palkon Capitol Management in Miami Beach, Fla.
John Vrchota Lakefield, Minn. Graduated from University of Wisconsin, River Falls, with a Bachelor of Science in crop and soil science.
Kenneth Wong Newport Beach, Calif. Graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and began a residency in emergency medicine at New YorkPresbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
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ACHIEVEMENTS // Family Affair
Eagle Scouting Is a Family Affair
Scouting’s highest honor is best shared with other generations of family members. Join NESA in celebrating the families of Eagle Scouts shown below. Recognize the Eagles in your own family by completing the form found at nesa.org/eaglefamilyaffair
Barrus-Cenci Family Syracuse, N.Y.
Campbell Family Tavares, Fla.
Edwards Family Finksburg, Md.
Kyle Barrus (2015), Chris Cenci (1993) and Rudolph Cenci (1964)
Kathy Campbell, Sarah Campbell, Jonathan Campbell (2015) and Don Campbell (1981)
Bischoff Family Washougal, Wash.
Capio-DePasacreta Family Bridgeport, Conn.
Christopher C. Edwards (2014), Matthew C. Edwards (2014), Alexander C. Edwards (2014) and Charles N. Edwards (1970; deceased)
Jacob Bischoff (2013), Caleb Bischoff (2015), Brent Bischoff (1984), Joshua Bischoff (2015) and Isaac Bischoff (2011)
Joseph Capio (2015) and Ken DePasacreta (1987)
Comi Family Colchester, Vt.
Brown Family Rockford, Mich.
Colin Comi (1987), James Comi (2015) and Arthur Comi (1959) Ned Brown (1951), Andrew Brown (2015) and Stephen Brown (1973)
Delli Veneri Family Ridgewood, N.J.
Greiling Family Chesapeake, Va.
Sheldon Greiling (2010), Stephen Greiling (2012) and Seth Greiling (2015)
Guarno Family Jacksonville, Fla.
Peter Terrence Guarno (2010), Adam Christian Guarno (2008), Louis Guarno, Michael Andrew Guarno (2015), Dawn Guarno and Wiliam Victor Guarno (2004)
Hacker Family Alexandria, Minn.
Browning Family Locust Grove, Va.
Christian Delli Veneri (2012) and Justyn Delli Veneri (2014) C. Foster Browning (2016) and Christopher Browning Jr. (1972)
Dugan Family Lutz, Fla.
Jesse Hacker (2010), Kalin Hacker (2015) and Evan Hacker (2006)
Henderson-Morimoto-Snowiss Family Alamo, Calif., and Redondo Beach, Calif.
Burress Family San Angelo, Texas
Chase Dugan (2016) and Greg Dugan (1988)
Spencer Burress (2015) and Tom Burress (1976)
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EAGLES’ CALL
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Rand Morimoto (1980), Andrew Morimoto (2015), Noble Henderson (2014), David Snowiss (2014), Jeffrey Snowiss (2010) and Bruce Morimoto (1979)
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Family Affair // ACHIEVEMENTS
Kretzer Family New Berlin, Wis.
Perkins Family Vancouver, Wash.
Spendley-Zach Family East Brunswick, N.J.
Kyle Kretzer (2015) and Ryan Kretzer (2012)
Reed Perkins (2009), Jim Perkins (1973), Patrick Perkins (2015), John Perkins (2011) and Scott Perkins (1973)
Robert A. Zach (1988), Robert A. Zach Jr. (2012), Cameron L. Zach (2014), Zach T. Spendley (2015) and Alvin L. Zach Jr. (Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope)
Kubek Family Cleveland, Ohio
Ed Kubek (1978), Paul Kubek (1983), Mike Kubek (1986), Matt Mroczynski (2012), John Kubek (2015), Don Oleksy (1968), Frank Petrancek (1992), Dave Oleksy (1974), Kent Scheerer (2002; not pictured), Kyle Scheerer (2005; not pictured) and Anthony Kubek (1988; not pictured)
Reyes Family Alameda, Calif.
Benjamin Adam Reyes III (2015) and Benjamin T. Reyes II (1983)
Richards Family Evans, Ga.
Taylor Family Sarasota, Fla.
Jonathan B. Taylor (1981), Noah W. Taylor (2012), Paul D. Taylor (1955), Jacob D. Taylor (2016) and Matthew M. Taylor (1988)
Teter Family Roanoke, Ind.
Mathews Family McKinney, Texas
John W. Richards III (2006), John W. “Rick” Richards Jr. (1965) and Charles F. “Charlie” Richards (2015) Dan Mathews (1981) and Alec Mathews (2015)
McClintic-Woods Family Greensburg, Ind.
Schaefer Family Fort Mill, S.C.
Travis Teter (2009), Tyler Teter (2010), Trey Teter (2012) and Tanner Teter (2015)
Travers Family Shrewsbury, Mass.
Kevin Schaefer (1990) and Norman Schaefer (1955) Ronald W. Woods Jr. (1986), Reid William McClintic (2015) and Dr. Ronald W. Woods (1952)
Scheib Family Virginia Beach, Va.
Patel Family Fremont, Calif.
Sean Travers (2014), Johns Travers (1973) and Devin Travers (2015)
Zhu Family Coral Springs, Fla.
Pete Scheib (1989), Will Scheib (2015) and John Scheib (1986) Rohun Patel (2010) and Rahul Patel (2011) Jordan Zhu (2011), Herman Zhu (2009) and Matthew Zhu (2012)
SPRING 2017
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Become a member of the
NESA
Legacy Society Arthur Eldred was awarded the first Eagle Scout medal in 1912.
The NESA Legacy Society is the first opportunity to make a direct contribution to the national NESA endowment. The NESA endowment provides funding of Eagle Scout scholarships, service grants, and career networking and encouragement for all who wear the Eagle Scout badge. More than 5,000 scholarship applications are received each year, and more than 200 are awarded. This is in addition to NESA committee service grants, like the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. Fellowship in the NESA Legacy Society is open to any registered youth or adult Scouter who has been recognized as a James E. West Fellow. Contributions to the national NESA endowment should be in addition to your regular support of your council’s fundraising programs.
Join Today NESA Legacy Society members will be recognized with a unique Legacy Society certificate, a pin for uniform wear on the James E. West knot and name recognition in Eagles’ Call magazine sent to all NESA members. NESA Legacy Society pin.
nesa.org/legacy Remember, the first step to becoming a NESA Legacy Fellow is to become a James E. West Fellow in your local council. cut here
LEGACY SOCIETY APPLICATION The National Eagle Scout Association Recipient Name (as you would like it to appear on certificate)
Street Address
City
I AM THE RECIPIENT
Enclosed is my check in the amount of (minimum $1,000)
THIS IS AN ANONYMOUS GIFT I don’t want to be recognized publicly.
$
THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A GIFT presented to the recipient named at left, being made by: State
Zip
Our signatures below indicate the recipient is a James E. West Fellow and is eligible to become a NESA Legacy Society Fellow.
Council
Donor Name
Recipient/Donor
Street Address
Scout Executive
Date of James E. West Fellowship with local council
City
* For office use only. Acct.
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State
NESA Endowment
Zip
Please send this form and payment to: National Eagle Scout Association 1325 West Walnut Hill Lane P.O. Box 152079 Irving, TX 75015-2079
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