by Bea Peterson
In a ceremony at the Immaculate Conception Church Hall on Saturday, January 18, Kyle McCune, son of Brian and Margaret McCune, became an Eagle Scout.
Journey
The road to becoming an Eagle Scout is not an easy one. An applicant must progress through the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life Scout. He must be active in his troop for a period of at least six months after achieving Life rank. He must demonstrate that he lives by the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law in his daily life. His application for Eagle Scout must include the names of known individuals willing to provide recommendations on his behalf. He must earn a total of 21 merit badges or 10 more than he already has, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communication, Cooking, Personal Fitness, Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving, Environmental Science or Sustainability, Personal Management, Swimming or Hiking or Cycling, Camping and Family Life. Boy Scout Committee Chairman and Master of Ceremonies Bernie Davock pointed out that at the same time Kyle was working on his Eagle project, he completed life guard training.
Davock added that Kyle has actively served as a Troop leader for more than double the length of time required for Eagle.
Once Kyle chose his project, which was the cleaning and painting of the kitchen in the Armory, he had to submit his proposal and lengthy application to his Troop, to the Boy Scout Council in Albany, then the Council in Glens Falls, and on until it reached the Boy Scout National headquarters in Texas. Once it was approved, Kyle could start the project and document it.
For six months Kyle and about 20 volunteers, including members of Troop 63 and their parents, spent Saturdays and Sundays in the kitchen in the lower level of the Armory cleaning, sealing the brick walls then painting those walls, the ceiling and the floor as well as cleaning the huge oven, removing a sink and cleaning another, until everything was spick-and-span.
During the ceremony Kyle thanked those who made the project possible. That included HAYC3, H. Greenburg & Son, Hoosick True Value, Bianca’s Pizza, Pizza Bella, Tops, Home Depot, Walmart, the Eagles Club, HACA and Price Chopper.
His journey could not have been accomplished without the support of many. Kyle thanked his parents, the parents and Scouts of Troop 63 and his role model, Bernie Davock. He thanked all of his Scout Leaders, teachers, friends, family and everyone that helped make this day possible. A thank you stating “Because of your leadership, friendship, guidance, patience, encouragement and perseverance you have helped Kyle to conquer a trail that many others will not complete,” was written in the program.
Rensselaer County Legislator Stan Brownell presented Kyle with a commendation from the County. Brownell told Kyle that his leadership and mentoring skills will be useful to him all of his life. He reminded Kyle to always put on job applications and resumes and college applications that he is an Eagle Scout. He also reminded him to never forget where he came from.
Hoosick Falls Mayor David Borge told the gathering he was proud to be Village Mayor and proud to be at this event honoring Kyle. “Kyle,” he said, “is an example of the goodness, strength and morality of the Hoosick community.”
Kyle is the 65th Hoosick Scout to receive the rank of Eagle since 1937. That list includes many fathers and sons. He is the 17th Scout to receive Eagle since 2000. Only 3.85 percent of Boy Scouts achieve the Eagle rank.