Heroic Teen Who Drowned Honored By Enfield Boy Scout's Project

ENFIELD, CT — The little-known story of a Boy Scout's heroic attempt to rescue two friends from drowning in Shaker Pines Lake more than a century ago became the focus of an intensive Eagle badge project for a local teen, one which could help save lives.

Max Dumont, 17, a senior at Enfield High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 108 in Hazardville, lives near the lake and decided to dedicate his Eagle badge project to memorializing the story of Edward Goodnow, as well as installing a pair of lifesaving stations at two access points to the water.

Goodnow was a 16-year-old Boy Scout from Troop 14 in Springfield, Mass., who worked in a tobacco field near the lake. On Aug. 29, 1917, he and a pair of friends decided to cool off by taking a swim in the lake. Unfortunately, his friends were not good swimmers and got a little too far out, prompting Goodnow to attempt to save them.

Goodnow was able to rescue one friend, bringing him safely to the shore, then went back to retrieve the other. However, they both got pulled under the water and drowned.

Goodnow was buried in Locust Hill Cemetery in Montague, Mass., and was posthumously awarded the Gold Honor Award For Heroism, one of the first four scouts given that citation by the Boy Scouts of America, which had been chartered just seven years earlier in 1910.

In 2017, the Western Massachusetts Council of Boy Scouts of America hosted the Edward S. Goodnow Centennial Court of Honor on the 100th anniversary of his heroic deed. His gravestone, which is shared with his father, had a new epitaph added by his family:

"A Boy Scout Hero Who Gave His Life For Another"

Dumont and two other scouts attended the ceremony, along with assistant Scoutmaster Rick Gorman. He became inspired to ensure that Goodnow's story be remembered forever, while at the same time promoting water safety at his neighboring lake.

He approached members of the board of the Shaker Pines Lake Association, an alliance of homeowners, and made a presentation about his idea.

"Nobody knew what I was talking about, but they found it really interesting," he said.

Dumont began fundraising for his project mainly by collecting returnable bottles and cans, as well as a few small donations. He raised about $1,100, and began constructing a pair of lifesaving stations at two common access routes at opposite ends of the lake. Each station contains a lifesaving buoy with 100 feet of rope, instructions on how to save someone from drowning and tips on swimming and boating safety.

The other part of the project was creating a plaque giving a brief summation of Goodnow's heroic efforts. It was designed by Enfield-based Awards & More, and permanently mounted on a beautiful stone obtained from a family friend who owns a nearby quarry.

Total cost of his project was about $900, and Dumont said any remaining monies will be donated to the Shaker Pines Lake Association.

(Left) Edward Goodnow as a member of Troop 14 in Springfield. (Center) Goodnow in a family photo taken just two weeks prior to his death; his Gold Honor Award For Heroism is also displayed. (Right) Goodnow's gravestone in Montague, Mass., with a newly-added epitaph commemorating his selfless deed. (Courtesy of Goodnow family via findagrave.com)