Troop 86 has its second Eagle Scout in less than a year

Local high school junior Greg Ellenberger became only the second Boy Scout in the last two decades from Troop 86 of Onaway to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. He joins last year?s recipient Alan Anderson, who ended a two-decade absence of merit recipients.

Before Anderson, the last scout to earn the highest advancement in scouting was Onaway businessman Brian Janeczek.

To earn the Eagle Scout rank, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements of leadership, service, and outdoor skills.

Ellenberger, who is the son of Bob and Norma Ellenberger, officially earned the rank December 29 after completing a community service project at St. Paul Catholic Church in Onaway. He proposed to the church and members of the Thunder Head District the placing of two flag poles and a lighting system in front of the church building on Washington Avenue.

While one flag pole would be for the U.S. flag, the other would be for a specially designed flag to celebrate the church?s centennial.

ONCE ELLENBERGER received approval to move forward with the project, work started in July 2005. He received onsite help from fellow Troop 86 scouts and financial support from the Knights of Columbus, St. Paul Men?s Club, and the St. Paul Altar Society. Ellenberger worked with Barry Fitzpatrick, who had been working on the landscape layout at the church.

?We hooked up the wiring to the main light sensors so that they would all turn on at the same time at night, and were shut off during the day,? said Ellenberger. Ellenberger also received assistance with some of the electrical work from Dan LaLonde of D & D Electric.

After 30 hours of labor and 30 hours of paperwork, the project was completed in November. Ellenberger reported back to the Thunder Head District board, and soon after was elevated to the rank of Eagle Scout.

The recently placed flags flapped in the breeze Wednesday as the warm, bright sunshine sharpened the colors of the new flags.

?It was hard but you had to put the time into it. It is worth it in the long run and I?m happy that I have it,? said Ellenberger of receiving the merit.

THE RANK of Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance and not every young man who joins a Boy Scout troop earns the Eagle Scout rank; only four perce

nt of all Boy Scouts do so. This represents more than one million Boy Scouts who have earned the rank since 1911.

Of the 120 merits available in scouting, 21 must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout. Of this group, 12 badges are required, including first aid, citizenship in the world, communications, environmental science, personal fitness, personal management, camping, and family life.

Ellenberger said personal management was probably one of the more difficult to earn. ?It involved dealing with money and expenses over a three-month period,? he said. ?It involved a lot of paperwork and time.?

He also is required to attend a Scoutmaster conference and hold a position of leadership in the troop. Well-know Eagle Scout recipients include: Olympian Willie Banks. Former president Gerald R. Ford, Secretary of Defense Donald Runsfeld, Apollo astronaut James A Lovell Jr., balloonist J. Stephen Fossett, Pulitzer Prize writer Harrison Salisbury, businessman H. Ross Perot, as well as academy award-winning film editor Michael Kahn.

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