THOMAS CONNELLY: Real reasons Scouting is good for our community

A recent road trip took me to Lake Blackshear, after which I attended a church service in Cordele. As people were leaving the building, my eyes caught a glimpse of a vaguely familiar face.

The gentleman’s name was Michael Eric Hooper. Years ago, I had the good fortune to write about him and other Boy Scouts at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church who had become Eagle Scouts. This young man, after earning this distinction and graduating from Westover High School, attended and graduated from West Point. After that, he served as an Army officer.

After leaving the Army, Hooper earned a law school degree from Mercer University. Currently, he works as an attorney at Moore, Clark, Duvall and Rodgers in Albany. In addition, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

More recently, while at church in Albany, I saw another young individual from the same Boy Scout troop. His name is Trey Hardison. Another Eagle Scout, Hardison graduated from the Air Force Academy. He recently graduated from dental school at the University of Louisville and then re-enlisted in the Air Force as a captain.

These are just two examples of what involvement with the Boy Scouts can do for youths. Boy Scout Troop 3, Hooper’s and Hardison’s troop, is led by Scoutmaster Mike Johnson. An architect and president/CEO of SRJ Architects in Albany, Johnson is an Eagle Scout himself. His involvement with BSA is lengthy, 45 years.

More recent Eagle Scouts from Troop 3 include Adam and Eric Lopez, Jacob Davis, Giacomo Palazzolo, Levi DeMott and Caden Woodcock. Each of these individuals has made his mark, too. For instance, Adam Lopez, for his Eagle Scout project, built two tables and benches for the St. Teresa’s sports teams. The planning for this took him 2-3 months. After securing help from various donors, he secured assistance in the form of materials from D&D Web Specialists. The actual construction of the items took him eight hours. Lopez currently is attending Kennesaw State University and majoring in mechanical engineering.

Adam’s brother, Eric’s Eagle Scout project involved devising a children’s identification project. This was to help youths in the event they were kidnapped or lost. Here, he sent out flyers to parents of St. Teresa’s School, gathering information such as fingerprints, birth dates, phone numbers and addresses, that could be put on a card. This endeavor took this young man about 1 ½ months to plan, and a day to accomplish. Eric Lopez plans to transfer from Georgia Southwestern and attend Kennesaw State in the fall. His major will be computer engineering.

For his Eagle Scout project, Jacob Davis built a vegetable garden at the YMCA. In this endeavor, he constructed raised beds in which to grow various types of vegetables. He then introduced this concept to elementary students who attend the Y after-school programs.

A Westover High School graduate, Davis was active as a student. He was involved in the school’s medical academy, having a course load heavy in science and health care classes. He also ran cross country and played soccer for four years. Now a rising sophomore at the University of Georgia, Davis is leaning towards majoring in business, computers, or MIS.

For his Eagle Scout project, Giacomo Palazzolo made facemasks for individuals that Neighbors In Need supports. In this effort, he enlisted the support of other Scouts. The actual carrying out of the project required five or six hours of effort. Palazzolo, who currently works 25 hours a week at Party City, says he intends to further his education at Georgia Southern University.

Levi DeMott’s Eagle Scout project involved building cat kennels for a local nonprofit organization, East Albany Animal Clinic. DeMott currently works full-time for the city of Bronwood and says he is interested in pursuing a technical college degree in the maintenance field.

For his Eagle Scout Project, Caden Woodcock repaired and painted the restrooms at the YMCA outdoor Sports Park. He has plans to attend Georgia Southwestern this fall to major in business management.

Concerning their thoughts about their experience with the Scouts, all these young men say they enjoyed their time with the organization. They said they felt it provided them with many opportunities, helped them manage their time better, and played a role in improving their organizational skills. They strongly encourage other youths to become involved with the Boy Scouts.