Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Brad Parker, Eagle Scout
May 8, 2007
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

This evening, we saw a new scout bridge to our troop. Those were his first steps down the boy scout trail, a trail which can take many different and varied paths, but always with the goals of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. This Saturday evening, right here in this room, we will have an Eagle Court of Honor for a young man who bridged to Troop 325 as a boy 8 years ago. This ceremony will mark the end of his trail as a Boy Scout and the beginning of his trail into life, as an Eagle Scout.

Brad Parker joined Troop 325 in 1999. That was the year before my son joined the troop, and about 6 years before I ever even considered being Scoutmaster. As I learned a little about Brad's history within the troop, I discovered that all the other boys that joined with him and who were in his first patrol, dropped out little by little for various reasons. But Brad stuck with it. He made new friends, joined new patrols, and continued down the trail. He recognized the values of scouting.

If you ask Brad if he considers himself a leader, he'd probably say "No". In fact, we haven't seen him up here much, giving instructions or making announcements or yelling so that he can be heard over other scouts. But a good leader is one who leads by example. And by that measure, Brad is indeed an excellent leader. During his time with the troop, Brad has served in numerous positions including Patrol Leader, Assistant Patrol Leader, Scribe and Quartermaster, and as Troop Quartermaster for two terms. He stepped in as SPL for Summer Camp when most of the Leadership Patrol went to National Jamboree, and he did an excellent job. He has continued to help our troop as Assistant Scoutmaster since earning the rank of Eagle last year. Just this past weekend, he was the assistant cook on staff for the District Camporee. He continues to be active in the Order of the Arrow, holding various leadership positions in the Lodge and the Section.

A couple of years ago at summer camp, he had a schedule filled with Merit Badge Classes and was on his way to earning a total of 42, exactly double the number needed to earn Eagle. I remember one of badges he signed up for but didn't complete - Insect Study. It wasn't until he was in the class that he discovered that one of the requirements was to "collect and mount 50 different species" of insects. As Brad said "That's a lot of bugs!" And that was a fact that I used in the trivia contest at last year's Midway.

Brad has received several awards in his years of scouting, but perhaps the most prestigious is the fact that he is the first scout in the 47 year history of Troop 325 to earn the "Triple Crown" of scouting by attending all three Boy Scout High Adventure camps: Philmont in New Mexico, Seabase in Florida, and Northern Tier on the border of Minnesota and Canada. This is no small task. But as if that's not enough, he plans an attending Northern Tier yet again this summer. He continues to lead, by example.

I remember when I called Brad up here last year, at the first meeting after his Eagle Board of Review, to announce the fact that he had earned the rank of Eagle. I saw a confidence in his step and on his face that I had not seen before. It was the confidence of an Eagle Scout, knowing that he had achieved a goal that fewer than 2% of all scouts achieve. I have gotten to know Brad well enough to know that he will not take his responsibilities as an Eagle lightly. He is honest, trustworthy, and of good moral character. He is a guy you can count on to do the right thing, even if it is not popular. I am proud to have Brad in our troop and hope that he stays, helps out, and continues to lead us by his example.

Let's all give Brad a round of applause.