As seven Scouts waited in the wings to receive their organization’s highest honor, leaders of Western Springs Boy Scout Troop 12 called the gathering in late February at First Congregational Church in Western Springs a historic occasion.
For one thing, the seven would become the latest of Troop 12’s 203 Eagle Scouts.
“This is also the 100-year anniversary of Troop 12,” Troop Leader Dane Robinson said.
The Scouts achieving Eagle Scout status were Tyler and Lachlan Gantt, Luke Gough, John Pogue, Quinn Robinson, Aaron Rothman and JJ Svelnis.
“This group of boys were Cub Scouts together and they all play varsity sports, in addition to Scouting,” Robinson said.
Robinson acknowledged that under 4% of those who begin Scouting wind up as Eagle Scouts, but he noted the importance of the experience even for those who don’t make it.
“The big thing is finding boys who are interested in being outdoors and making sure they have friends that are part of the troop,” he said. “So when we do the campouts and activities, they’re able to participate in that.”
Each of the new Eagles had to undertake a project before receiving their badge.
“I contacted the local Catholic Charities and there’s a homeless shelter in Villa Park,” Quinn Robinson, a Benet Academy senior and the Troop Leader’s son, said. “They had no place for their residents to go outside, so me and the Troop, we built two wooden benches from scratch. … We built them, stained them and took them over and laid down some mulch so they’d have a place to be in the sum with their kids and not have to be cooped up inside all day.”
Lachlan Gantt helped improve the grounds of his church, Western Springs Baptist.
“I built a walkway for the exit, near the nursery, through what was a garden, so there would be an exit in case of an emergency,” he said.
Lachlan’s brother Tyler’s project reached across the ocean to the community of Kampala, Uganda.
“I collected donations from the community,” he said. “I collected tooth brushes, toothpaste, toiletries like washcloths and deodorant. There’s a program run by a family friend that lives in Uganda that helps people trying to get jobs and leave the slums. I raised a bunch of money ($1,500) and I shipped the toiletries to the people in Uganda. It was helpful to them … if they didn’t have the hygiene from what I had collected, they couldn’t get a job or a job interview.”
Lyons Township High School senior Aaron Rothman delved into nature for his Eagle Scout project.
“I refurbished a butterfly garden at Field Park Elementary School,” he said. “Their gardens were all really run down and I had been talking to a family friend that was very into monarch conservation, so I worked with her to refurbish their entire garden. We pulled out all the weeds, relaid all the mulch and sand, put a walking path through the middle of it, put up a bunch of plants for parts of the Monarch life cycle. We also put educational signs up.”
Parents of the new Eagle Scouts couldn’t contain their happiness and pride.
“I’m incredibly proud,” Lynn Anne Gantt said after the ceremony, noting that her two other sons and two nephews also have reached Eagle Scout status. “It’s a lot of work for the boys; it’s very difficult to do. They’re all different kinds of people with different strengths and weaknesses. To have all of them go has been a moment of pride. … To have that tradition in my family, it makes me very proud.”
Gantt said as a single mom, “Scouts was incredibly important to us as far as providing that outdoor experience and learning skills that I would not be able to teach them. All four of my boys cook, all four of them do their own laundry. … All four of them are very adept at running their lives.”
Aaron Rothman’s mother Sarah echoed Gantt’s sentiments.
“We are so proud of him,” she said. “He put in a lot of hard work and learned so much. His love of hiking and the outdoors, the skills he’s learned …cooking and responsibility. There’s a cooking badge!”
Luke Gough’s mom Kari was happy for the LTHS senior.
“We’re so proud of him,” she said. “I think it was quite a journey from the beginning of Cub Scouts until now. He worked really hard and made endless friendships that he’ll have forever and it’s exciting for him to celebrate this accomplishment with all of his friends and family.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
