An Eagle Court of Honor was held last Sunday at the Elks lodge in Jefferson for Austin Wailes, 17, son of Andrea and Brett Wailes of Scranton.
The Court of Honor was performed by members of Boy Scout Troop 534, with Austin’s younger brother Nathan Wailes as senior patrol leader.
Fewer than 2 percent of active Boy Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle. A candidate for Eagle must earn at least 21 merit badges, demonstrate that he lives by the principles of the scout oath and scout law, and complete a project that shows leadership abilities.
Wailes’ Eagle scout project was to reconstruct the stairs to the basement at the Elks lodge, the Boy Scouts’ and Cub Scouts’ meeting place. The new steps are safer and easier to use. According to Wailes, his inspiration for the project came from a fellow Scout who broke his leg and struggled to get down the stairs.
The Elks funded Wailes’ project. Elks lodge exalted ruler Bill Allen read a letter from the Elks grand exalted ruler during the Court of Honor.
Wailes thanked scout leaders Scott Johnson, Tim Gettler, Kurt Krieger and Kurt Higgins and gave a special thank you to JoAnne Schnebly, David Wright and Jim Gerdes.
He is a senior at Greene County High School. He plans to attend Iowa State University and major in an engineering field.
