***The following is a letter Charter Organization Representative – Kip Grosshans sent to all the families at Troop 53. Kip sat on the Eagle Board of Review for John and recounts the Trail to Eagle of Troop 53’s newest Eagle.
Greetings, Friends:
Without a doubt, last evening was a highlight in my 45+ years of Scouting! (And not just because I spent several hours with my good friends, Steve Segebrecht and Brian Van Schmus.)
It’s always a pleasure serving on an Eagle Scout Board of Review — hearing about the depth and breadth of a successful Scouting career directly from the Scout is an honor … a gift, really. Many thanks to Steve for including me as a member of the Board and for all his hard work on behalf of our Life-to-Eagle T-53 Scouts. And so sitting around a table with Brian, with Mark Gleeson & Rich Bailey, long-time Pelathe Scouters, along with Fr. Pogue, interim rector at Trinity Episcopal, to review and examine John Chumbley’s Trail to Eagle was an outstanding affirmation of why we commit the time to serving the next generation of America’s dads.
Hearing John’s honest and unvarnished assessment of his years in Scouting was pure “John Chumbley” in style and substance. His answers were clear and confident and I like to think the maturity he displayed was at least partly born from experiences he gained through Troop 53. Remembering the fifth-grade John Chumbley as I listened to John-as-young-man caused a smile or two … I’m smiling now. He handled an intimidating situation (sitting across the table from a *lot* of Eagle Scouts) with grace – especially after Mark reminded him that since he was already 18 years old, there would be no “do-over” if his Board of Review was not satisfactory.
Well, “satisfactory” does not begin to describe John’s conduct — and that’s why it will be such a highlight. Julia & Bryan deserve much credit, parents always do, but the real credit belongs to John and his ability to share insights from what he’s learned from his journey. John knows what every Eagle Scout knows — merit is the honest measure of any man’s ability to have an impact on our world. As he’s learned valuable lessons *and* he’s able to apply those lessons in his life, an Eagle Scout is uniquely positioned to move forward — giving back to Scouting even more than he has received.
For a little while last evening John Chumbley was *the* newest Eagle Scout in the United States. But for the rest of his life, he’ll be one of the best. On my honor, John clearly did his best and we were all proud to have been present as he completed his Scouting Trail to Eagle.
Cheers,
Kip
