On Sunday, I gave my eldest son an additional name: Soaring Eagle.
We held a Court of Honor for him and six other new Eagle Scouts.
Of the other six, I have known three of them since they were five years old. The others I met when they were in 5th grade. All seven of them are among the finest kids you’d ever hope to know. Two are National Merit Scholar finalists; all will be attending college next year. Looking at that group is enough to give you hope for the future.
What happens to a Scout? For every 100 boys who join Scouting, records indicate that:
RARELY will one be brought before the juvenile court system
2 will become Eagle Scouts
17 will become future Scout volunteers
12 will have their first contact with a church
1 will enter the clergy
5 will earn their church award
18 will develop a hobby that will last through their adult life
8 will enter a vocation that was learned through the merit badge system
1 will use his Scouting skills to save his own life
1 will use his Scouting skills to save the life of another personScouting’s alumni record is equally impressive. A recent nation- wide survey of high schools revealed the following information:
85% of student council presidents were Scouts
89% of senior class presidents were Scouts
80% of junior class presidents were Scouts
75% of school publication editors were Scouts
71% of football captains were ScoutsScouts also account for:
64% of Air Force Academy graduates
68% of West Point graduates
70% of Annapolis graduates
72% of Rhodes Scholars
85% of F.B.I. agents
26 of the first 29 astronauts
I could not possibly be more proud of my son right now.