Glenn Jackson and John Scott are in the elite group to achieve the Eagle Scout rank in Eudora.
BY LUCIE KRISMAN
John Scott hopes the core traditions of being a Boy Scout remain the same for the next 75 years.
“I'm hoping we can continue teaching and having fun at the same time,” Scott said.
The Eudora Eagle Scout was among those to celebrate the organization’s tradition and history during a program earlier this month that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Boy Scouts in Eudora.
The program at the Eudora Community Museum featured Scout leader Glenn Jackson and a display put together by the Eudora Historical Society that showcased Scout community service and travel.
Jackson named the first community service project in 1969 as one of the easiest to spot.
“All you have to do is look outside City Hall and see that bell,” he said.
The program and the display named each of the 66 Eudora Eagle Scouts to date. Each version of the Boy Scouts uniform was also shown during the program.
The uniform of Emmett Wright, one of Eudora’s first Eagle Scouts, was donated as an addition to the display. Jackson cited the Boy Scout uniform as a timeless symbol of membership.
“Even if the style changes, you could still wear your old Scout outfit,” he said.
Eagle Scout Bill Vigneron recognized the significance of the changing styles of the Scout uniform throughout history.
Today, wearing the uniform has a different effect than it did before, Vigneron said. He’s seen the change in the organization since it began allowing members who are gay.
“We all have a responsibility to change as society does,” Vigneron said. “The Boy Scouts have been courageous at trying to keep up with society.”
The meaning of becoming a Scout was recognized as a crucial part of the history of the Boy Scouts in Eudora. Cub Scouts have the opportunity to join the Boy Scouts after their 11th birthday.
"The highlight of a Cub Scout should be the moment where they cross over and join the Scout troop," Jackson said. "That's our goal: to have a program that these boys think is the highlight of their life."