HANCEVILLE — It was an emotional day at the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Boy Scout Troop 352 in Hanceville.

Four young men were awarded Scouting’s highest honor at the First United Methodist Church in Hanceville Feb. 17. The ceremony was opened with a welcome to all by Scoutmaster Bill Brewer. The attendees were then asked to join in the Pledge of Allegiance which was then followed by an invocation prayer provided by Brother Paul Campbell, pastor at the church.

The festivities were initiated by Brewer with a congratulatory presentation of a specialized Eagle Scout neckerchief and a commemorative Eagle Scout Case knife to each of the candidates.

Brother David Bryant (BSA Troop 321 Sacred Heart Church ) of Saint Bernard Abbey, Cullman served as the master of ceremonies. He charged each of the young men with the task of furthering the character traits set forth by all Eagle Scouts before them. And gave caution to their actions tarnishing and diminishing the efforts of Scouts everywhere.

Following the acceptance of their charge and recitation of their oath, the boys were then presented Scouting’s highest merits. Each boy was pinned with the Eagle Scout award by their mothers. Who in turn were awarded a mothers’ pin in thanks for all of their matronly sacrifices.

Certificates of achievement were then presented by the fathers to their sons. And in return were presented with a tie pin in recognition of the lessons and values contributed by a father to his son.

As a requirement for Eagle, the candidate is required to obtain letters of reference from those in the community. These were presented to the mothers by Brewer as documentation to the character of these young men as perceived by others.

Brewer was then presented with a plaque by Assistant Scoutmaster Dale Simmons and Troop Charter Executive Eddie Edmonds, in recognition for the time and efforts spent in leading these boys to this plateau.

The ceremony was closed with a benediction by Donald Schwarzhoff, Director of Youth Ministries for the Diocese of Birmingham. The afternoon concluded with a light social.

With only an estimated four percent of all Scouts ever earning the Eagle rank, these young men are to be commended for their outstanding contributions and performances.

Recipients of this high honor are:

Zachary Scott is the son of DeAnn Ferrell of Hanceville and Officer Stephen Scott of Warrior. Zac is a senior at Hanceville High School who has ambitions of pursuing a military career and becoming a Navy Seal. His contributory Eagle Scout project was performed for the Lions Club International in Hanceville. Zac designed and constructed folding chair dollies to aid the members of the Lions Club with setup and cleanup for events held at the Lions’ hall. He retro-fitted existing skids with casters and handles to facilitate the movement of folding chairs within the hall. Zac also constructed new carts of a smaller design to ease the setup of chairs by reducing the number and weight of each set of chairs to be erected.

Tyler Edmonds is the son of Shelia and Eddie Edmonds of Garden City. Tyler is also a senior at Hanceville High and a talented musician. His future plans involve attending Wallace State College to pursue a career in music performance and production. Tyler’s project was performed for the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham.  His efforts were utilized in the design and construction of covered firewood and trash storage units to be used at Camp Tekakwitha. Camp “T” is a reclamation project currently underway by the diocese to revitalize an abandoned church camp near Remlap. The camp is open to all Boy and Girl Scout troops as well as other groups for youth ministry.  

Tyler’s storage units were placed throughout the campsites at Camp “T” for the purpose of providing cut and covered firewood for use by visiting campers as well as confined trash containers guarding from nature’s bandits.

Lucas Simmons is the son of Kim and Dale Simmons of the Gilleyville area of Hanceville. Lucas is a junior at Hanceville High School. His Eagle project was also performed for the Diocese of Birmingham and also at Camp “T”. Lucas designed and constructed a prayer and reflection garden overlooking the lake at Camp Tekakwitha. Perennial vegetation was planted and mulched within an excavated area which was then surrounded by a retaining wall. The reflection garden includes statues of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Billy Brewer is the son of Diann and Bill Brewer of the Johnson’s Crossing area of Hanceville. Billy is a senior at Hanceville High School and has been accepted to the University of North Alabama. His future plans are to pursue a career of combined interests in business and music. Billy’s project was additionally performed at Camp “T”. He demolished and reclaimed an existing pump house foundation. A new structure was then designed and constructed to house the water system for the camp. A new tool storage shed was incorporated into the design with interior and exterior lighting and insulation. Billy salvaged water storage tanks, and other scrap metal items from the camp, to help fund the project.