Published July 30, 2020
This is the fifth, and final, installment in a continuing series of articles about the legacy of service to the community left by Wakefield’s Eagle Scouts.
By JEFF CRUMP
KEVIN WHITE led a project to renovate storage space at the Senior Center. His team built shelves and a rolling cart for exercise equipment. (Courtesy Photos)
WAKEFIELD — A scout must earn a minimum of 21merit badges on his journey to Eagle, and 13 of them must come from a required list.
Of those 13, three are dedicated to citizenship: Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World. Inspired by their work on these badges, many Eagle scouts choose to give back to their community through their Eagle Service Leadership Project. In 2014, Connor Shine built the shed at the Dobbins Tennis Courts. In 2012, Kevin White built a closet and fixed up other storage space at the Senior Center. Also in 2012,Connor Miller built out a storage closet at First Parish Congregational Church.
Raised planting beds were built in three locations over the years. In addition to Connor Henry’s garden at the Dolbeare school, Grant Simpson built a raised garden at the Lincoln School Senior Residence in 2013 and John Marando built one at the Harts Hill complex in 2015. Residents can easily reach into the raised beds to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Who knows, perhaps the produce that comes out of these gardens might inspire some cooking: the Cooking merit badge was made an Eagle requirement in 2014.
The Safety merit badge isn’t required for Eagle, but maybe it should be. In 2014, Alex Mansour installed hundreds of reflectors on telephone poles throughout town. In 2019, Joe Bernabeo installed additional reflectors on busy streets. One set of reflectors was installed on a pole right next to one that had recently been hit by a car.
In 2012, James Taurasi installed flexible reflectors on fire hydrants around town. These reflectors allow for better visibility both at night and during the winter when they might be buried in a snowbank. Ian Schwartz took care of another big set of hydrants 2014.
Bradley Robinson took a different approach in 2011, getting his inspiration from the Eagle-required Environmental Science merit badge. Bradley installed stickers on storm drains that lead to drinking water reservoirs, reminding us all of the fragility of our water supply.
Wakefield’s Eagle Scouts have been dedicated to their hometown since the troop was founded in 1928. We hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at the projects over the last decade, and that you now better appreciate the passion and energy that went into them and how they make Wakefield a better place to live. Keep an eye out for them when you’re out and about. And rest assured that Troop 701’s legacy will continue on in the future.
