Local scout finishes Eagle work

Graham Skudstad got a late start on top Scouting rank

Boy Scouts Derek Snowden (left), Chris Snowden (foreground), Ian Meriedth (background) and Graham Skudstad working on the donated benches. Submitted

At that time he was 16 and held the rank of Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts Troop 10. He was five ranks away from earning his Eagle Scout.

A Scout needs to satisfy a slew of requirements in each rank before he reaches his 18th birthday in order to earn his Eagle Scout. Each rank typically carries 20 to 30 requirements (some can overlap). These requirements lead to merit badges and Scouts need 21 of them to achieve Eagle Scout. Graham was just 18 months away from his 18th birthday when he went to work in earnest on achieving the goal.

“He started from the bottom and did about eight years of work in about a year,” said Kyle Frazee, a Scout assistant with Graham’s troop. “He had the odds stacked against him, but he buckled down and got it done.”

Graham just recently finished his final requirement, four months shy of becoming 18.

As part of his Eagle Scout project, he and a few fellow Scouts refurbished six old redwood picnic tables that were donated by Florence Keller State Park as a way to make room for new ones. After the Scouts sanded down the wood, replaced rusty screws and water-sealed the tables, they were donated to Lighthouse Community Center and Church.

Graham’s troop is also wrapping up a week-long food and book drive at Lighthouse Community Center and Church. Books geared toward young children and non-perishable food items are being accepted at Lighthouse Community Church, 2455 Oliver Road, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today.

For more information call the center at 464-2825 or Graham at 464-2728.