Ten Scouts Gain Eagle Rank

Troop 1 East Greenwich celebrated a bumper crop of new Eagle Scouts Saturday afternoon — a record 10 young men attained the rank of Eagle during a ceremony in the auditorium at East Greenwich High School in front of family and friends.

Also in attendence were Town Councilors Michael Isaacs and Mark Gee and state senators Dawson Hodgson and Glen Shibley, state Atty. General Peter Kilmartin and Fire Chief Peter Henrikson. The stars of the day, however, were the scouts themselves. Becoming an Eagle Scout is the highest rank a boy can achieve in scouting and one that must be reached before he turns 18.

Each new Eagle addressed the audience, thanking parents for the sometimes-needed kick in the pants and recalling beloved camping trips, good friends, and the occasional snafu. For Assistant Scoutmaster Al Ross, the ceremony was special for two reasons — one, he had watched these 10 young men grow up in scouting. And, two, one of the 10 was his son.

“I am so very proud of the Eagle Scouts from Troop 1, and from every troop. Becoming an Eagle requires significant time, energy, effort and desire. Making this ceremony particularly meaningful to me was the presence of my own son, Brian. In addition, as an adult leader in the Troop, it has been my privilege to watch the scouts work hard and succeed in achieving this goal. They had the support of family, friends, and the troop, but each scout had to go beyond what is expected of a teenager to achieve this exclusive rank.”

According to Ross, while this ceremony marks an end of sorts, it is not the end.

“Now that they are Eagle Scouts, much will continue to be expected of them,” he said. “In fact, becoming an Eagle is just the beginning!”

The new Eagle Scouts of Troop 1 are Cliff Cardi, Robert Carlson, Thomas DeCesare, Conor Fallon, Kamran Jones, William Larcom, Carl Lebovitz, Neal Pyne, Brian Ross and Derrick Soares. Tom Mattos is the Scoutmaster.