Photos: 5 Local Boys Earn Scouting's Highest Ranking in Southold

SOUTHOLD, NY — Proud parents and friends beamed with joy Sunday at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor held at the American Legion in Southold to award five young men with Scouting's highest honor.

New Eagle Scouts Samuel Basel, Aidan Vandenburgh, Zachary Ellis, David Gammon, and Walker Sutton of Southold's Boy Scout Troop 6 all earned the rank of Eagle Scout, a distinction only four percent of Scouts ever achieve.

After the NJROTC led the color guard, Committee Chair Richard Vandenburgh welcomed the guests, followed by a candle lighting ceremony by the troop. Past Scoutmaster John Skabry recognized the Eagle Scouts.

Later in the ceremony, he and Troop 6 Scoutmaster Aileen Mazzei presented the Eagle Awards as the crowd watched with tears of pride.

During the event, elected officials including a representative for New York State Senator Ken LaValle, New York State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley and members of the Southold Rotary, the Troop's sponsoring organization, awarded the young men with proclamations.

Palumbo, whose said his son was currently away at a Boy Scout sleep-away camp in Maine, said the lessons learned, including the importance of helping one another, taking care of the elderly, and being a good person, are lifelong.

Assistant Scoutmaster Paul Hoyt said he was helping to set up at the recent Rotary lobster bash with his son; the pair then went for pizza after the event, where a father with his young son commented on their Boy Scout shirts and said his young son, in first grade, was set to join Cub Scouts.

"Those boys are just starting out," he said, adding that with the troop's young men set to become Eagle Scouts, "We've come full circle."

Hoyt remembered the sixth Scout who was not there to earn his Eagle Award: Ronan Guyer, a Southold High School freshman who died in 2012 after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing during a warm-up before the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cross country championships.

Hoyt said Guyer was forever a member of the troop who would have been surely earning his Eagle rank along with his friends.

Krupski acknowledged the effort and dedication of the boys, Scout volunteers, and parents poured into the Eagle Scout journey. "It's amazing," he said, urging the young men to come back to Southold and fill the shoes of current leaders in shaping the town's future.

Supervisor Russell noted the many famous individuals, including Neil Armstrong and Steven Spielberg, who were Eagle Scouts and had been mentioned earlier in the ceremony. "Add your names to that list because you've just become heroes in the eyes of all the people here today," he said.

In order to become Eagle Scouts, the young men rose through the ranks, earning merit badges and completing Eagle Scout projects.

Samuel Basel and Aidan Vandenburgh planned and coordinated the restoration of 30 stone mile markers along Route 25 in Southold Town. The mile markers, which start in Laurel and end at Orient Point, are marked with a New York State Legends and Lore sign. Sam and Aidan excavated, reset, and refurbished the stones under the guidance of a professional stone preservation expert. The markers had two functions: one was for marking out distance on postal routes. The other is for "wayfinding signs," which have the function of informing people of the surroundings in an unfamiliar environment.

Providing information at strategic points helps to guide individuals on the right path.

Zachary Ellis, meanwhile, planned, designed, and supervised the creation of a 300 square foot pollinator habitat, located on a stretch of land next to a pond at Peconic Landing in Greenport. Zach orchestrated the planning and planting, a four month process, under the guidance of an expert from the United States Department of Agriculture. Pollinator habitats are critical because without such gardens, many different species from bees to butterflies are predestined to become extinct, he said. Zach also put in a small mulched pathway and built two benches for the residents to sit, relax, and enjoy the nature.

David Gammon designed, built, and installed an amphitheater at Downs Preserve in Cutchogue. The amphitheater, with a rustic design of seven 15 foot benches and a podium made from milled logs, provides a place for instructors to lecture visitors and students in the outdoors at the preserve, adding to the beauty of the area, he said.

David also planted 12 holly bushes and several plants in the surrounding area to help keep the amphitheater secluded from the roadway. The project benefits the preserve by providing an aesthetically pleasing and more formal place for students to sit and learn.

Walker Sutton installed for benches at Skipper Horton Park on Main Road in Greenport. The installation of the benches was very labor intensive as the ground is all clay, he said. Walker also built two benches for later use by the town. The benches at the park provide an observation area for people to view the many species of wildlife around the pond and the creek. Walker also developed an app to make the trails at Downs Preserve in Cutchogue interactive. The interactive trail is the first on the East End. At 10 different points along the trail the viewer is able to pull up historical facts about the preserve and the structures on the property. The project benefits the preserve by providing students and visitors with historical facts about the area along the preserve.

Each of the new Eagle Scouts also presented his parents with pins, along with their mentors; they also gave Mazzei a bouquet of flowers and many warm hugs for her years of dedication.