Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Scott Crisel Eagle Court Of Honor
August 10, 2000
George Denise, Scoutmaster

Eleven Scouts joined Troop 325 in 1993. Christopher Denise, John Oh, Paul Jansen, Donald Gagliasso, Nick Harrison, Michael Rodriguez, Mark Slykhouse, James Anderson, Peter Hoover, Timmy Wilson, and Scott Crisel. (There was one other boy that came from Pack 317 with Peter, Timmy and Scott, but since he only came to a few meetings and never registered, we won't count him.) Of those eleven, eight are still in the troop, and seven have achieved Eagle. That's a pretty impressive record: that eleven boys would begin something together in 1993 and eight would still be together seven years later. In fact, in this day and age, it is almost unheard of. The average time spent working for the same company in Silicon Valley is under three years. The average person in the Silicon Valley has lived here less than five years. The average length of home ownership nationally is just over five years. So that eight of eleven boys are still together in Scouting after seven years is pretty amazing!

But that's not the half of it!

In this country, one in four boys will become a Scout. Of these, one-third will drop out their first year. Of those remaining, one-third will drop out each year thereafter. Fewer than one in ten will still be registered as a Scout when he reaches the age of eighteen. Only slightly more than one in 100 will achieve the rank of Eagle.

OK, so these are an unusual group of boys. While other boys became interested in other things, and gradually lost interest in Scouting, these boys stayed with it. I suppose that could mean they are a more conservative group of boys. They might be boys from families that do not move around a lot. Perhaps they just didn't develop other interests. But that's not exactly true. Among the eight, we have boys who were top students (five were recognized for their achievements at their high school graduation, for example). Three earned scholarships. Three were heavily involved in sports. Five had jobs. One had his own business. One moved to Michigan, but still registers with our troop each year and comes "home" every summer. All eight were and are involved in other programs, either through school or outside of school. These are busy guys!

To get a better idea of what it means to remain in Scouting and to achieve Eagle, about four years ago, the Boy Scouts of America commissioned Louis Harris & Associates to conduct a nationwide study to investigate the values of men and boys in America. Louis Harris is one of the top pollsters in America. You may have heard of Harris Polls, they are regularly featured in the news. Anyway, the study also evaluated the impact that Scouting has made on their success in later life. Several old truths were found still to be true. While one in four boys in this country, just 25%, are involved in Scouting, former Scouts make up 85% of airline pilots, 85% of the FBI, 75% of military academy graduates, 72% of Rhodes Scholars, 70% of those who appear in Who's Who, and 65% of US Congressman.

In the general population, 83% graduate from high school. Of those who were Scouts, 98% graduate from high school. In the general population, 16% graduate from college. Of those who were Eagle Scouts, 40% graduate from college. In the general population, 17% of households have combined incomes of $50,000 or greater (this was in 1996). Of households headed by Eagle Scouts, 33% have a combined income of $50,000 or greater.

Of the 12 men who have stood on the surface of the moon, eleven are Eagle Scouts.

What kind of person, at the age of 10, or 11, or 12, sets out on a course that will typically take five, or six, or seven years to complete? A course that requires completion of seven ranks, each one requiring many hours of study and preparation to complete, developing skills in camping, use of woods tools, fire building, meal planning and preparation, first aid, CPR, use of knots and lashings, personal fitness, wilderness survival, citizenship, and leadership. A course that requires twenty-one merit badges with more advanced study in camping, citizenship, emergency preparedness, environmental science, personal fitness, personal management, sports, advanced first aid, and so much more, each badge averaging ten to twelve hours of study, often with many hours more for preparation. And in Scott's case, going on to earn 28 more than the required, for a total of 49 merit badges all together. Then, after all of that, they had to plan, lead, and carry out with others a project "of significant benefit to the community" that typically takes over 100 hours to complete. Then write the entire project up to exacting specifications and be review by a board of from five to ten adults for up to an hour or more.

Is it any wonder that many Scouts in later years value their achievement of Eagle over their college degree?

Scott, you have achieved something less than 1/4 of 1% of the population have achieved. And which correlates very highly with success in later life. Earlier, it was said you are a "marked man." Because you are an Eagle Scout, we and others expect more of you now. You have a reputation to live up to. I know you won't disappoint us.