Boy Scout Troop 1102 awards five new Eagle Scouts - Elijah Burton, Evan Derrick, David Papach, Zachary Smith and William Trent

Send a link to a friend  Share

[September 27, 2019]  LINCOLN - On Sunday afternoon five young men from Boy Scout Troop 1102 in Lincoln were recognized as having earned their Eagle Scout designation. The Eagle is the highest ranking status in the Boy Scout organization and it is an honor that is shared with many very well established people across our country.

Those being added to that status locally were Elijah Burton, Evan Derrick, David Papach, Zachary Smith and William Trent.

The advancement ceremony was held at the Lincoln Knights of Columbus and began with lunch and dessert before the official ceremony.



Mike Meador served as the emcee for the program and after lunch welcomed everyone and asked that Randy Mullin lead the prayer for the day.

 

After the prayer, Scout Master Ed Robison was the first to speak. He said that the purpose of the day was to honor the five scouts who have worked so hard to achieve their Eagle Scout rank.

He asked first to have all who have already earned their Eagle Scout rank to rise.

Robison then spoke about his history with the five honorees. He said their first camp outs at Kickapoo Park they were not prepared for the adventure before them. For many of the boys it is their first experience camping and they go through a lot of transition. Some don’t sleep, some want to go home, and it takes a lot of effort to keep them for the night. But, they make progress along the way.

One of their biggest accomplishments early in their scout career is the Pilgrimage hike, which is over 20 miles. He said they all made it and it was a grueling trip.

Robison recalled some of the experiences he had with each boy. Elijah Burton was very unprepared for his first campout, but he grew into it, made several Pilgrimages and was an asset at Philmont. He said one of the favorite memories was that Elijah always wanted to rise early at the campouts so he could have coffee with Robison.

Evan Derrick always pushed himself and worked to go above and beyond. Evan would load down his own backpack with items from the other scouts because he needed to prove he could carry a pack as heavy as Robison’s, and he did.

Robison described David Papach as “High energy’ and “high adventure.” He added that there was no one in the room who could be more spiritual than David. He is also fearless and always out front, leading the way. He recalled a time when they were on a big hike, and Robison said they were at the base of some cliffs and he said aloud that perhaps it wouldn’t be a good idea to try to climb then, only to look up and see that David was already there, and was pointing out the way so that others could join him.

Zachary Smith is the scout Robison says has perhaps grown the most over the years. He never backs down from a challenge and he never quits. Robison recalled how thrilled Zachary was to finish his first Pilgrimage and said he gave the leader a giant hug in celebration.



Zachary, like many of the others, was able to go to Philmont with his dad. They climbed to the top of Mount Phillips together. Robison said it was always all or none, so they stood together at the top of the mountain and celebrated their accomplishment.

Robison noted that in the time he has been with the five new Eagles, they have shared so many great experiences that it cannot possibly all be put into a 10 minute speech.

About William Trent, Robison said that when Will joined the scouts he stated clearly that his primary objective was to become an Eagle. Trent showed great leadership and was always helping the others, he always volunteers for extra work and he always gets his work done.

Robison drew concluded, “All of these boys have totally earned their rank.” He went on to say that they would be a tremendous asset to society and their communities. Robison also noted that it is a group effort, parents play a large role in the success of their scout career. Also, he noted that the club itself does not succeed without the dedication of the leaders and the assistant leaders.

Meador then recalled a story about David Papach. He said that the group was at Elephant Rock in Missouri. They had arrived and were just relaxing in the picnic area for a bit. The boys were “running free.” Meador said that the guys have a buddy system and are not to go exploring alone. But by-and-by, David’s buddy came to the picnic area and announced that David was lost. He said that Evan (Derrick) got a bit excited about the missing scout. He grabbed a stranger, a lady there, and she called the sheriff. Meador said that there was a hum all over the picnic area that a boy was lost. Meador said he wasn’t lost, he had just wondered off, but there was a sense of panic. The sheriff’s deputies showed up and were talking about searches when out of the wood came David, happy as a lark for having had a chance to explore.

The next portion of the ceremony included members of the lower scout levels who worked on lighting the candles on the Eagle Trail.

The Eagle Trail was symbolized by a wooden bridge placed in front of the stage area at the Knights of Columbus. The young scouts each were given long candles and at specific intervals during the Eagle reading, the boys took turns lighting the votive candles on the first half of the trail.

The candles were to represent the spirit of scouting.

Doug Hovel came forward and read passages that applied to each candle as it was lit.

When the first half of the bridge was lit, the Eagle prospects were called to the front of the room. Each Eagle was given a candle. They crossed the bridge and then lit candles on the second half of the bridge to signify the completion of their journey.

Assistant Leader Autum Robison was charged with certifying that each of the five scouts had fulfilled their Eagle requirements. She did so.

Finally, the five scouts were presented with their Eagle designations and plaques to mark the occasion. The awards were presented to the boys by Robison with happy smiles and big hugs for each.

The scouts were then called upon to do the honors of placing pins on their parents and grandparents beginning with mothers, then fathers, then grandparents.

[to top of second column]

 

The final event of the day was the presentation of Mentor pins by the boys to the men of their choice who they felt had influenced them and helped them the most on the journey to Eagle.

Elijah Burton



Burton chose two mentors, his father Joel and his Scout Leader Ed Robison. Burton said that the pins could not signify all that the two men meant to him or had done for him.



He said Robison always encouraged him and pushed him. He made sure that Elijah was on track, earning all his badges along the way and keeping him from dying on the camping trips. Joel was a tremendous support, always encouraging and always waiting there for him when he came home from a trip.



Burton said he also had a pin for Chris Graue, who wasn’t able to attend on Sunday.

Evan Derrick



Evan Derrick began by thanking the many people from parents to grandparents to leaders and fellow scouts who have influenced his life and been part of his progress through his scouting career.



Evan chose Doug Hovel as his mentor and had also awarded Hovel with the father pin during parent pinning. He said that Hovel had influenced him greatly helping him to see what was important and who he wanted to be in life. He said sometimes they argued, but they always came back together and supported each other. He looked forward to having Hovel continue supporting him in all that he strives to do throughout his life.

David Papach



David Papach chose Mike Meador, Ed Robison and his dad Ray Papach.



David noted that the three have been with him every step of his scouting career. He said that his dad supported him through thick and thin and was always the one who pushed him to succeed. Robison was a great leader who supports his guys, and is a best friend. Meador has also been a large influence in David’s life and the new Eagle said he would always be very grateful for everything Meador has done to assist him along his journey.



Zachary Smith



Smith chose his dad David, and Ray Papach. Smith recalled that he transferred into the Lincoln Pack at about the same time as the Papach family moved to the area. They came to scouts together as newbies and throughout the years Papach has become a leader in the scouts who is respected and highly thought of by all, including Smith. He said Papach was a great help and influence and that he would always be grateful.



His dad, David Smith, has been a tremendous support for Zachary for his entire life, and has seen him through all the adversities of life and scouting as well as the good times. Zachary said he could not have succeeded without the support of his dad.

William Trent



Lastly, Will Trent chose as his mentors Mike Meador and Scout Leader McCraith who was not present Sunday. Will kept his statements short saying that he had actually worked with five scout masters and all had influenced his success and journey to Eagle. He chose those two because they have been with him all along the way, even when their own sons had aged out of the troops these leaders stayed on working and helping him and others to grow in their scouting careers.

The last event of the day was a presentation by Troop Committee Chair Kristen Green, who said that each of the five Eagles would be given a packet of congratulatory letters from various government officials from the President of the United States to state and local leaders.

With the retiring of the colors, the afternoon was concluded.

Congratulations to all five young men for their hard work and dedication. While they now join an elite group of scouts, only about three percent of the total membership, they also join an elite group of Logan County Scouts. The Lincoln troop 1102 has produced a large number of Eagles over the years, with generally at least one or more achieving the status every year or so.


[Nila Smith]

 

Back to top