On Monday, March 18th, Troop 2 held a special Eagle Scout Court Of Honor for Austin O'Connor, a recent Eagle scout from Troop 194 of Bedford, MA.
Austin is a friend of Troop 2, and our scouts met him when we camped in Bedford in October 2011, and again at SOAR in October 2012. His dad, Jon "Boots" O'Connor received his Eagle Scout rank from Troop 2 in 1970, along with George Winters, Donald Bulens, and Paul Crawford Jr.. At the bottom of this posting there is a photo from that ceremony, and a group photo of those young men from last night.
Jon's mother, Vilma, has been a long supporter of our troop, and it was important that she see her grandson honored by our troop at the Weymouth Heights Club.
In attendance were several guests, some men who were scouts in the Troop with Boots, including Eagle Scout Matt Conlon, Eagle Scout Kurt Boettcher, Peter Ventri, and Eagle Scout Glenn Warren, and other distinguished guests such as Harold Porter, Eagle Scout Jim Hamilton, and Eagle Scout John Murphy Jr. Several other attendees, including John and Jim Kelley, John Murphy, and David Brummett, Mike Harper, Jonathan Briggs, Mike McCabe and Rob Jeanjaquet joined us for the evening and helped with the hall and festivities.
After the presentation of rank, former scoutmaster Jim Hamilton presented Austin with a certificate honoring his achievement from the pack he is cubmaster of in Rockland, and a silver dollar in memory of his parents who are long time supporters of our Troop. Troop 2 presented Austin with a neckerchief slide and presented Vilma with a corsage and Eagle scout necklace.
Our drum corps did a fantastic job, performing old favorites Bass Street Beat, Number 2, and Bugle Street Beat for the O'Connors, after which we took several group photos including all scouts, all present and former Troop 2 scouts, and all Troop 2 Eagles present (16). We ended the night with cake, and then our Scoutmaster David Chase, Jon O'Connor, and his son Austin led us in the closing ceremony.
It was a great honor and privilege for us to present this rank advancement to Austin, and to say Thank You to Mrs. O'Connor.
Thanks to all of the adult leaders who helped us this evening. Many hands made light work!
Awaiting the ceremony
From left to right - George Winters, Donald Bulens, Paul Crawford, and Jon O'Connor.
