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Cub Scout Pack 144
(River Grove, Illinois)
 
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Facts About Scouting


First Eagle Scout Medal
First Eagle Scout
Medal Awarded to
Arthur Eldred in 1912

No matter what the age of your son, there is adventure around the corner. Scouting offers them the opportunity to explore the outdoors, learn lessons and hobbies that will carry them throughout their life and help turn them into intelligent, well rounded adults. 

For Every One Hundred Boys Who Join Scouting:

  • Four will become Eagle Scouts (a huge achievement and the highest Scout Rank - 2 million boys have reached Eagle in 100 years - less than 1% of the male population)
  • Rarely will one be brought before juvenile court...
  • Twelve will have their first contact with a church
  • One will enter the clergy
  • Eighteen will develop hobbies that will last through their entire adult life
  • Five will earn their church’s religious award
  • Eight will enter a vocation that was learned through the merit badge system
  • One will use his Scouting skills to save a life!
  • Seventeen will be future Scout volunteers

BSA's 2012 marks 100 years of Boy Scouts' highest rank, Eagle Scout Link

Famous Eagle Scouts


  • Hank Aaron - Baseball Player - Home Run King
    Hank Aaron
    Neil Armstrong - Astronaut - First Man on Moon
    Neil Armstrong
    Michael Bloomberg - Mayor of New York City
    Michael Bloomberg
    Arthur Eldred - First Eagle Scout
    Arthur R. Eldred
    Gerald R. Ford - U.S. President
    Gerald R. Ford
    Gary Locke - First Chinese-American Governor
    Gary Locke
    Guion Bluford - NASA astronaut
    Guion Bluford
    Ross Perot - Billionaire Businessman
    Ross Perot
    Rick Perry - Governor of Texas
    Rick Perry
    Steven Spielberg - Movie Producer
    Steven Spielberg
    Sam Walton - Founder of Wal-Mart
    Sam Walton
    Hank Aaron - Baseball player, home run king - the Mobile Press Register quoted Hank as saying that the greatest positive influence in his life was his involvement in scouting
  • Gary L. Ackerman - U.S. Representative from NY
  • Bill Alexander - U.S. Representative from Arkansas
  • Lamar Alexander - Lawyer, Governor of Tennessee, Secretary of Education, presidential candidate
  • Neil Armstrong - astronaut, first man on moon, from Wapakoneta, OH
  • Willie Banks - Olympic & world record holding track star
  • Albert Belle - baseball player
  • Charles E. Bennett - U.S. Representative from Florida
  • William Bennett - Secretary of Education
  • Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. - Treasury Secretary & U.S. Representative from Texas
  • Michael Bloomberg - Mayor of New York City, founder of Bloomberg News
  • Bill Bradley - Pro basketball star and U.S. Senator from NJ
  • James Brady - Press Secretary to President Reagan
  • Stephen Breyer - US Supreme Court Justice
  • Milton A. Caniff - Comic strip artist "Steve Canyon"
  • Barber B. Conable - President, World Bank
  • John W. Creighton, Jr. - President & CEO of Weyerhaeuser Company
  • William E. Dannemeyer - U.S. Representative from Cal.
  • William Devries - M.D., transplanted first artificial heart
  • Michael Dukakis - Governor of Massachusetts, presidential candidate
  • LTC Aquilla James Dyess - WWII Marine & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Arthur R. Eldred - First Eagle Scout
  • Daniel J. Evans - Senator and Governor of Washington
  • David Farabee - Texas State Representative
  • Robert Edward Femoyer - WWII Army Air Force Navigator & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey - WWII Submarine Commander & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Thomas Foley - Speaker of the House and U.S. Representative from Washington
  • Gerald Ford - U.S. President (1st Eagle to be President) (deceased)
  • Steven Fossett - Flew solo nonstop around the world in a hot air balloon and in an ultralight airplane, won the Chicago to Mackinaw boat races, competed in the Iditarod dog race, and competed in several iron man triathlons, and among other things lived the Scouting mottos both Cub and Boy Scout by doing his best and being prepared (deceased)
  • Murphy J. (Mike) Foster - Governor of Louisiana
  • Robert M. Gates - Director of Central Intelligence (CIA) and Sec'y. of Defense
  • Richard A. Gephardt - U.S. Representative from Missouri, Minority Leader
  • Michael Kahn - stage director, Oscar winning film editor
  • William Henry Keeler - Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Baltimore
  • Dr. Alfred Kinsey - insect biologist, human behavior researcher
  • John Koncak - basketball player
  • Sheldon Leonard - actor, director, producer, 3 time Emmy award winner
  • Steven W. Lindsey - Astronaut - He was the pilot for STS-95 when John Glenn returned to space as a Senator. He made Eagle in Troop 161 in Temple City, California.
  • Gary Locke, Governor of the State of Washington, the first Chinese-American Governor in the contiguous United States, and selected as a Distinguished Eagle Scout by NESA
  • James Lovell - Navy pilot and astronaut, President of National Eagle Scout Association. Flew on Gemini 7, 12 & Apollo 8, 13 At one time had seen more sunrises than any other human being
  • Guion Bluford Jr. - Colonel, United States Air Force, NASA astronaut
  • Richard Lugar - Senator from Indiana (presidential candidate 1996)
  • J. Willard Marriott, Jr. - President, Marriott Corp.
  • CDR William McCool, USN - Astronaut, Pilot of U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia
  • W. Walter Menninger - Physician, civil servant
  • Michael Moore - Author and filmmaker, nominated for an Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine"
  • Jim Mora - NFL football coach
  • Oswald "Ozzie" Nelson - actor
  • Sam Nunn - U.S. Senator from Georgia
  • Ellison Onizuka - Astronaut aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger (deceased)
  • Steve Oswald - Astronaut, Navy Rear Admiral
  • Mitchell Paige - walked 200 miles to enlist in Marines on his 18th birthday in 1936, retired as a Colonel, Medal of Honor. Presented his Eagle award in 2003 after it was verified that he'd not received it in 1936 because he'd joined the Marines. (deceased)
  • Francis J. Parater - nominated for Sainthood by Diocese of Richmond, VA. died at age 22 in 1920 in Rome, while at seminary.
  • H. Ross Perot - Self-made billionaire and presidential candidate
  • Rick Perry - Governor, State of Texas
  • J. J. Pickle - U.S. Representative from Texas, proudly displays his Eagle plaque inside his office
  • Samuel R. Pierce - Former Sec. Housing & Urban Development
  • Frederick Reines - Nobel Prize winner in Physics
  • Gary Rogers - Chairman and CEO of Dreyer's Ice Cream
  • Jim Rogers - CEO of Kampgrounds of America (KOA)
  • Mike Rowe - Star of "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe" on the Discovery Channel
  • Donald Rumsfeld - Secretary of Defense
  • Harrison Salisbury - Pulitzer Prize winning author
  • James Sanderson - Vice Admiral, US Navy (Ret), Deputy Chief US Atlantic Fleet
  • Dr. Benjamin Lewis Salomon - WWII Army front line surgeon & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Jeff Sessions - Senator from Alabama
  • William Sessions - FBI director
  • Sam Skinner - Secretary of Energy during the Bush administration and now CEO of Commonwealth Edison
  • Steven Spielberg - Movie producer, from Scottsdale, AZ, made a movie of his troop while getting Photography MB. Helped to design requirements for the cinematography MB.
  • Wallace Stegner - Writer and college professor, won Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for "Angle of Repose"
  • Percy Sutton - Attorney, Chairman of the Board of City Broadcasting Corp.
  • John Tesh - TV celebrity and pianist
  • Meldrim Thomson, Jr. - 3 term governor of New Hampshire (deceased)
  • Leo K. Thorsness - Vietnam War Air Force Colonel, POW, & Medal of Honor recipient
  • Sam Walton - Founder, Wal-Mart (deceased)
  • Togo West - Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • Edward O. Wilson - Pellegrino University Professor and curator of entomology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
  • Jay Zeamer Jr. - WWII Army Air Force pilot & Medal of Honor recipient (deceased)
  • Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. - Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations

BSA's 10 Things to Know About Eagle Scouts Link

Famous Scouts


George W. Bush - U.S. President

  • Richard Dean Anderson - taught Reptile Study, actor
  • Charles F. Barber - CEO of American Smelting & refining
  • Jimmy Buffett - musician and singer
  • George W. Bush - Cub Scout, President of the United States
  • Bill Clinton - Cub Scout, President of the United States
  • Walter Cronkite - newsman
  • Harrison Ford - Life, taught Reptile Study, actor "Indiana Jones" & "Han Solo"
  • Bill Gates - Life, founder of Microsoft Corp.
  • Richard Gere - Actor
  • David Hartman - TV personality
  • Dan Jansen - Olympic Gold Medal - Speed Skating
  • Bruce Jenner - Olympic Gold Medal - Decathlon
  • John F Kennedy - First US President who was a Scout

Scanned image of a letter written by John F Kennedy to his father asking for a raise in his allowance so he can pay for Scouting

  • Branford Marsalis - Life Scout, Jazz musician
  • Norman Y. Mineta - Mayor of San Jose, CA, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Commerce. Japanese-American, spent WWII in an internment camp in Wyoming, where he met Alan Simpson. (see below)
  • Sir Paul McCartney - Rock N Roll, Beatles (UK)
  • Jim Morrison - Rock N Roll
  • Merlin Olson - Pro football player and sportscaster
  • Eddie Rabbitt - Country & Western singer
  • John Ritter - actor, son of singer Tex Ritter (deceased)
  • Richard Roundtree - actor
  • Nolan Ryan - pro baseball pitcher
  • Alberto Salazar - Life, 3 time winner NY marathon
  • John Schneider - Actor, Dukes of Hazard
  • Alan Simpson - US Senator from Wyoming. - Boy Scout in Cody Wyoming, where he visited fellow Scouts in a Japanese-American internment camp, and met Norman Mineta (see above), who became his life-long friend. Helped pass the Japanese-American Compensation Act.
  • Howard K. Smith - TV newsman
  • Mark Spitz - winner of 7 Olympic Gold Medals in swimming
  • James Stewart - actor, USAF Brig. General, B-17 pilot in WWII
  • George Strait - Singer
  • George Takei - actor, Mr. Sulu of Star Trek
  • Joe Theisman - Life, former QB, Washington Redskins
  • Peter Uberroth - Cub Scout, Commissioner of Baseball
  • Paul Winfield - Cub Scout, Actor

US Supreme Court:

  • Mr. Justice Stephen Breyer is an Eagle Scout
  • Mr. Justice Antonin Scalia was Boy Scouts in their youth
  • Mr. Justice Anthony Kennedy was Boy Scouts in their youth 
Bill Clinton - U.S. President
George W. Bush Bill Clinton

Bill Gates - Founder of  Microsoft

John F. Kennedy - U.S. President

Bill Gates

John F. Kennedy

Branford Marsalis - Jazz Musician

Nolan Ryan - Baseball Pitcher
Branford Marsalis Nolan Ryan
Alberto Salazar - Won 3 NY Marathon James Stewart - Actor - USAF General
Alberto Salazar James Stewart
Antonin Scalia - U.S. Supreme Court Judge Anthony Kennedy - U.S. Supreme Court Judge
Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy

Scouting and NASA


Of the 312 pilots and scientists selected as astronauts since 1959, at least 207 have been identified as having been Scouts or active in Scouting. The list includes 39 Eagle Scouts, 25 Life Scouts, 14 Star Scouts, 26 First Class Scouts, 17 Second Class Scouts, 13 Tenderfoot Scouts, 3 Explorers, 25 Cub Scouts, 10 Webelos Scouts, 1 King’s Scout, 2 Wolf Scouts, and 32 with unknown ranks, including 27 who were Girl Scouts.

Of the 27 men to travel to the moon on the Apollo 9 through Apollo 17 missions, 24 were Scouts, including 11 of the 12 men who physically walked on the moon's surface, and all three members of the crew of Apollo 13.

All three of the astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire, four of the seven who died in the Challenger launch explosion, and five of the seven who died in the Columbia re-entry explosion were Scouts.

NASA and Scouting History Link

Eagle Scouts:

ADAMSON, James C.  
ARMSTRONG, Neil A. first man to walk on the Moon, Apollo 11 mission, July 20, 1969
BAGIAN, James P.  
BLUFORD, Guion S. Jr.  
BOWERSOX, Kenneth D.  
BRADY, Charles E.  
CARR, Gerald P.  
CARTER, Manley Lanier "Sonny" Jr.  
CHAFFEE, Roger B. died in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan 27, 1967
CHAMITOFF, Gregory Errol  
COVEY, Richard O.  
CREIGHTON, John O.  
DUKE, Charles M., Jr. walked on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission
EISELE, Donn F.  
FORRESTER, Patrick G.  
FOSSUM, Michael E.  
FULLERTON, Charles G.  
GREGORY, William G.  
GRIGGS, S. David  
HOFFMAN, Jeffrey A.  
JOHNSON, Gregory H.  
JONES, Thomas D.  
LEE, Mark C.  
LIND, Don L.  
LINDSEY, Steven W.  
LOVELL, James A. Jr. flew to the moon on the Apollo 13 mission
McCOOL, William C. died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
McCULLEY, Michael J.  
O'LEARY, Brian T.  
ONIZUKA, Ellison S. died when Challenger exploded on Jan 28, 1986
OSWALD, Stephen S.  
PARAZYNSKI, Scott E.  
PETTIT, Donald R.  
REIGHTLER, Kenneth S. Jr.  
SEARFOSS, Richard A.  
SEE, Elliot M. Jr.  
TANNER, Joseph R.  
TRULY, Richard H.  
WALKER, David M

King's Scout (equivalent to Eagle Scout):

LLEWELLYN, John A.

Life Scouts:

ANDERS, William A.  
BAKER, Michael A.  
BASSETT, Charles A. II  
BRAND, Vance D.  
BRIDGES, Roy D. Jr.  
BROWN, David M. died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
CASPER, John H.  
COOPER, L. Gordon Jr.  
EVANS, Ronald E. orbited the moon on Apollo 17
FABIAN, John M.  
GARDNER, Guy S.  
GIVENS, Edward G. Jr.  
GREGORY, Frederick D.  
KREGEL, Kevin R.  
LOW, G. David  
MATTINGLY, Thomas K. II orbited the moon on Apollo 16
McARTHUR, William S. Jr.  
MITCHELL, Edgar D. walked on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission
POINDEXTER, Alan G.  
ROBINSON, Stephen K.  
SCOTT, David R. orbited the moon on Apollo 9, walked on the Moon during Apollo 15
SPRING, Sherwood C.  
SPRINGER, Robert C.  
VAN HOFTEN, James, D. A.  
WILLIAMS, Clifton C. Jr.  

Star Scouts:

BARRY, Daniel T.  
CAMERON, Kenneth D.  
ENGLAND, Anthony W.  
FISHER, William F.  
GARRIOTT, Owen K.  
GIBSON, Robert L.  
GORDON, Richard F. Jr. orbited the moon on Apollo 12
GRISSOM, Virgil I. (Gus) died in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan 27, 1967
HAISE, Fred W. Jr. flew to the moon on the Apollo 13 mission
LOUNGE, John M. "Mike"  
McNAIR, Ronald E. died when Challenger exploded on Jan 28, 1986
NOGUCHI, Soichi  
STAFFORD, Thomas P. orbited the moon on Apollo 10
WILLIAMS, Jeffrey N.  

First Class Scouts:

ALLEN, Joseph P.  
ANDERSON, Clayton C.  
BEAN, Alan L. walked on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission
BLOOMFIELD, Michael J.  
CAMARDA, Charles J.  
CLIFFORD, Michael R.  
COATS, Michael L.  
EDWARDS, Joe F. Jr.  
ENGLE, Joe H.  
FOREMAN, Michael J.  
FREEMAN, Theodore C.  
GARDNER, Dale A.  
GIBSON, Edward G.  
HAMMOND, L. Blaine Jr.  
HENIZE, Karl G.  
LINNEHAN, Richard M.  
NELSON, George D.  
OEFELEIN, William A.  
OVERMYER, Robert F.  
REILLY, James F.  
SCHIRRA, Walter M. Jr.  
SCHWEICKART, Russell L. orbited the moon on Apollo 9
SCOTT, Winston E.  
SHEPARD, Alan B. Jr. walked on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission
VEACH, Charles Lacy  
WORDEN, Alfred M. orbited the moon on Apollo 15

Second Class Scouts:

ALTMAN, Scott D.  
BOLDEN, Charles F. Jr.  
BUCHLI, James F.  
CARPENTER, M. Scott  
CERNAN, Eugene A. orbited the moon on Apollo 10, walked on the Moon during the Apollo 17
CULBERTSON, Frank L. Jr.  
HERRINGTON, John B.  
HUSBAND, Rick D. died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
MULLANE, Richard M.  
PARKER, Robert A. R.  
POGUE, William R.  
SHRIVER, Loren J.  
SWIGERT, John L. Jr. flew to the moon on the Apollo 13 mission
THORNTON, William E.  
WHITE, Edward H. II died in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan 27, 1967
WOODWARD, Neil W. III  
YOUNG, John W. orbited the moon on Apollo 10, walked on the Moon during the Apollo 16

Tenderfoot Scouts:

ALDRIN, Buzz walked on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission
BURSCH, Daniel W.  
FRICK, Stephen N.  
GARAN, Ronald J. Jr.  
HAWLEY, Steven A.  
KOPRA, Timothy L.  
LOUSMA, Jack R.  
LOVE, Stanley G.  
McDIVITT, James A. orbited the moon on Apollo 9
MICHEL, F. Curtis  
RICHARDS, Paul W.  
SCHMITT, Harrison H. walked on the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission
SMITH, Steven L.  

Explorers:

BARRATT, Michael R.

O'CONNOR, Bryan D.
WILLIAMS, Donald E.

Webelos Scouts:

ANDERSON, Michael P. died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
DREW, Alvin B.  
FINCKE, Edward Michael  
FORD, Kevin A.  
GORIE, Dominic L.  
KELLY, James M.  
LORIA, Christopher J.  
MASSIMINO, Michael J.  
NORIEGA, Carlos I.  
OLIVAS, John D.  

Cub Scouts:

ALLEN, Andrew M.  
BROWN, Curtis L. Jr.  
BURBANK, Daniel C.  
CAREY, Duane G.  
CONRAD, Charles Jr. walked on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission
DUFFY, Brian  
GERNHARDT, Michael L.  
HADFIELD, Chris A.  
HENRICKS, Terence T.  
HOBAUGH, Charles O.  
KELLY, Mark E.  
KELLY, Scott J.  
LEESTMA, David C.  
LOPEZ-ALEGRIA, Michael E.  
McBRIDE, Jon A.  
MEADE, Carl J.  
MUSGRAVE, Story  
PHILLIPS, John L.  
READDY, William F.  
ROMINGER, Kent  
SHEPHERD, William M.  
THOMAS, Donald A.  
THUOT, Pierre J.  
WILLIAMS, Dafydd (David) Rhys  
WOLF, David A.  

Wolf Scouts (equivalent to Cub Scout):

FOALE, Michael C.

SELLERS, Piers J.

The men listed above have done wonders with their lives and all have claimed to owe their achievements to something that they learned from scouting.  Boys who attain the rank of Eagle Scout are accepted more readily to US Military Academies, and other colleges and Universities.