5 Scouts From Pacifica Achieve Eagle Status

Five young men from the Pacifica Boy Scout Troop 29 were recognized Saturday, July 27, for achieving the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America, joining just four percent of all Scouts who achieve that rank.  

Frazer Bayley, Patrick Dunne, Jake Gellinger, Ben Gellinger, and Brogan Kellermann were honored at an Eagle Court of Honor at the American Legion Hall at 555 Buel Avenue in Pacifica.

Frazer Bayley graduated from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. He is scheduled to attend the University of Oregon in the fall where he will study Psychology. His Eagle project involved trash removal, landscaping and creating fire safety zones to support the fireworks booth at the Pacifica Moose Lodge.

Patrick Dunne graduated from Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco.  He is currently a student at the Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii.  For his Eagle project, Patrick planned and supervised the complete renovation of the parish library at St. Edmonds Church in Pacifica.

Jake Gellinger graduated from Pacifica's Terra Nova High School.  A current resident of Monrovia, California, Jake is working in the family business and studying at Citrus Junior College.  Also a member of the Terra Nova Band, to complete his Eagle project Jake supervised the acquisition and installation of benches outside the band room as part of a series of ongoing improvements at Terra Nova.

Ben Gellinger also graduated from Terra Nova High School and is currently completing general education requirements and studying Music at Skyline College.  His Eagle project also benefited Terra Nova, where he installed a raised garden box and wheelchair accessible path for use by special needs students at the school.  He also cleaned and landscaped a student rest area near the special education classroom.

Brogan Kellermann is also a Terra Nova graduate.  He will also attend the University of Oregon in the fall, where he will study Sports Management and Marketing.  Brogan's project benefitted the Pacifica Moose Lodge.  He planned and supervised the construction of a series of terraced steps and railing to enhance accessibility for mobility-impaired members to the Moose Lodge's horseshoe pits and outdoor activity area.  The project also involved installing a bench and score-board.

Established in 1938, Pacifica Boy Scout Troop 29, Discovery District, Pacific Skyline Council, is the oldest Boy Scout unit in Pacifica, and one of the oldest in the Bay Area. The Troop emphasizes leadership, as well as STEM education, recently launching a scout-built high power sounding rocket to three miles in altitude during a camping trip to the Black Rock Desert. The troop also provides opportunities for community service, and to achieve skills by earning scout ranks and merit badges all within a supportive parental community. 

Chartered by the Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge 1944, Pacifica, Troop 29 meets every Tuesday at 7 to 8 p.m. in the Moose Lodge Family Fun Center located at 776 Bradford Way, Pacifica. Troop 29 is a brother unit to Cub Scout Pack 9 and organizes 1-2 scout-led activities per month. 

Pacific Skyline Council serves youth from Daly City, South San Francisco and Brisbane in the north to Mountain View in the south, and from the bay to the coast on the San Francisco Peninsula.

For more information about Troop 29, contact Scoutmaster Al Burman (alburman@live.com) or Scout-Parent Coordinator William Kellermann (wtkjd@comcast.net). For more information about Pacific Skyline Council, Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.pacsky.org.