By Julie Conrey Record Staff Writer When Justin May crossed over to Boy Scout Troop 359 in Marthasville, he told his mother he wanted to earn his Eagle Scout badge by the time he was 15 years old. Then he went to work on achieving his goal. On Sunday that goal became a reality. He earned the Eagle Scout badge in a ceremony at Holy Rosary Catholic Church Activity Center just a few months shy of his 16th birthday. Why was attaining the rank important to him? “Everyone asks me this question,” he said. “It’s taught me great things about how to live life, become a leader and help people. It has so many different applications.” His mom, Denice, was elated and excited for her son. As his den leader from Tiger to Webelos Cub Scouts, she’s been with him since he started in Scouting. “He’s always been a very driven young man, an overachiever. He decided he wanted to be an Eagle Scout and he did it,” she said. “I think we’ll keep him,” quipped his dad Skip. “We’re proud of him. He’s worked hard to get here.” One of his parent’s special memories is the Soap Box Derby that took place on Main Street in Warrenton. Justin built a car from scratch at his leader’s house, Denice said. “We put a cushion in his seat so he could drive. He was so little.” Denice also remembers the first summer camp Justin attended. She and Skip went to parent’s night and found out Justin’s nickname was “Bull.” The leaders told the couple it never mattered what they asked Justin to do, if it was within his realm he figured it out. The rank of Eagle Scout is the highest rank attained by young men in Boy Scouts of America (BSA). An Eagle Scout must complete at least 21 merit badges; demonstrate spirit through the Boy Scout oath and law; service; leadership and completion of a project. Justin earned 25 merit badges, said Dave Chisholm, Troop 359 scoutmaster. Chisholm has been Justin’s leader for five years and is also an Eagle Scout. “I’m ecstatic. We’re a new troop and he is the second Eagle Scout. To make it this far is significant,” Chisolm said. He recalled when Justin first joined the troop he came in like gangbusters. “If anything I had to hold him back,” he said. “The trip is the most important part of the advancement.” Justin’s Eagle Scout project was renovating the Adoration Center at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. The church’s previous pastor, Fr. Thess, suggested the project and Justin took it on. He planned the renovations, and organized and directed a team of workers. Together, they replaced the steeple, made the benches in the center safer, and hired a painter to paint the inside of the small building. A landscaper spruced up the ground around it. The crew dismantled and stripped the paint from the railings around the center. It was repainted and bolted back into place. The project started July 2013 and was completed the day after Christmas. He funded the project with donations he solicited from Holy Rosary parishioners. The money paid for the renovations while the remainder was placed in a fund to take care of the center’s future needs. “They tripled what I asked for,” he said. Justin’s uncle, Harry Kessler, also an Eagle Scout, served as his mentor during the project. “He came up with the project and asked me to assist when I could. I’m extremely proud of him,” Kessler said. From 2011 to May 2014, approximately 2,000 young men have attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the BSA Greater St. Louis Area Council, said Dawn Ralls, program assistant for camping. A student at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School, Justin has a few years to think about college. Predictably, he has some plans. “I’d like to attend Georgia Tech and study pyrotechnics,” he said. He’s also considering a career in broadcasting. “I’m a pretty good speaker,” he said.
Justin May earned his Eagle Scout badge at a ceremony held Sunday, May 4.
