By Steve Flairty
KyForward columnist
The Boy Scouts of America owe Daniel Carter Beard a huge debt of thanks in helping establish the great organization. Beard, who lived much of his youth in Covington, is yet another Kentuckian who is noted on the national scene for long-lasting contributions to our country’s welfare.
Beard was actually born in Cincinnati in 1850, but his family moved to 322 E. Third St. in Covington, across the Ohio River, when he was 11. His family loved art. He also loved nature and made it a practice to sketch his outdoor surroundings. He especially enjoyed learning all he could about frontiersman, of whom Kentucky boasts many who are well-known. He later attended an art school in New York City, and in time, did illustrations for Mark Twain books and was a writer for many periodicals.
His outdoor and scouting interests inspired him to organize the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905. According to Wikipedia, “Boys were organized into groups called forts. The officers of the fort took on names of frontiersmen and had specific insignia.” Some examples of the frontiersmen offices, names and insignias were:
President-Daniel Boone (powder-horn)
Vice-president-Simon Kenton (tomahawk)
Treasurer-Kit Carson (flint arrowhead)
Librarian-John James Audubon (bird)
In 1910, Beard merged his Sons of the Pioneers with the Boy Scouts of America, and he became a National Scout Commissioner, serving for 30 years. He died in 1941 in Suffern, New York, with an amazing life of accomplishments as his legacy. His Covington home, called “one of the two oldest buildings in Kenton County, Kentucky,” was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
(Sources used are Wikipedia: Daniel Carter Beard and Daniel Carter Beard Boyhood Home; The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky.)
And speaking of Boy Scouts, I have always been an admirer of young people involved in that organization who take on the challenge–and succeed–in acquiring the Eagle Scout rank, a designation of extremely high regard. There are a difficult series of activity objectives that need to be mastered to reach Eagle Scout, and among those who did are such notables as former president Gerald Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and even film director Steven Spielberg.
According to the U.S. Scouting Service Project: The rank of Eagle Scout may be earned by a Boy Scout who has been a Life Scout for at least six months, has earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, has demonstrated Scout Spirit, and has demonstrated leadership within his troop, team, crew or ship. Additionally, he must plan, develop and lead a service project that demonstrates both leadership and a commitment to duty. After all requirements are met, he must complete an Eagle Scout board of review.
I wrote about Eagle Scout Brian Huybers in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes book series. Brian, at the time, was a 16-year-old Boy Scout from Richmond who chose a very special project to attain his badge. A shy and quiet youth, he helped raise funds for a fitting memorial monument for the Aug. 27, 2006, deaths of six local people in the Comair Flight 5191 take-off crash at Bluegrass Airport in Lexington. In all, 49 perished.
Brian operated way out of his comfort zone, continually appearing before groups in the community to ask for money, despite his shyness. He also worked with an architect to design the monument. The project proved successful, and the memorial was dedicated at Lake Reba, in Madison County, on Aug. 24, 2008. Brian’s mentor in the project, assistant scoutmaster Whitney Dunlap, talked about the positive effect that striving for the Eagle Scout badge had on the youth: “Brian has been a ‘sleeper,’” he said, “and for a long time was more interested in his garage band than campouts. But when he got with the Eagle Scout project, he really started to run with it.”
James “Jimmy” Porter, a Lexington barber and person I remember fondly as a fourth-grade student in my Central Elementary School class in Winchester over 25 years ago, received his Eagle Scout by “finger printing youth in Winchester in unison with the police department.” That, he said, “was in case something would happen to a child there would be an ID for them.” Being an Eagle Scout has helped him, he said, “to listen to whomever may be in my chair and to give them the best service I can. The Scouts taught me: ‘Do your best.'”
Lexington resident Cheryl Wuertle has five in her family who’ve been awarded the medal: her brother, her son and three nephews. Her brother Doug had the greatest benefits, she said, “because it encouraged him to live a life of service. He has remained active with the Scouts, plus he works with the veterans at the Veterans Hospital.” Her son Doug didn’t decide until age 16 to get serious about going for the Eagle, but, she explained: “He really put in the work to get it done. I mostly see the influence of the Scouts in his ability to do things himself and not give up.”
Jeff Spilman is a friend and fellow 1971 graduate of Campbell County High School, in Alexandria. He has been actively involved as a Scout leader for 12 years. Jeff, now living in Florida, is especially happy about the Cub Scout Den he helped run for four years. “Of the nine Cubs who finished with us, eight became Eagle Scouts,” he said. “The boys did the work, but I like to think we gave them a good start.”
Jeff’s biggest source of pride, though, is likely that his two sons both earned the Eagle Scout badge. “Shane is 22 and a senior at the University of South Florida majoring in business marketing,” said Jeff. “He earned Eagle in the Boy Scouts’ 100th year anniversary. His project was a major cleanup of Tampa Bay water frontage collecting piles of trash that had collected there. He recruited and managed 35 people that helped with the project.”
The younger Eagle Scout, Jackson, is also at USF, studying business finance. “His project was organizing the rebuilding of several picnic tables, benches, and basketball court bleachers in an inner city park here in Tampa,” Jeff explained. “He managed and recruited about 30 people to get the job done.”
Both boys, Jeff emphasized, have benefited in regard to employment. “Shane was picked over several other students for an internship at the headquarters of Ashley Furniture,” said Jeff. “He was told he got the job in part because of his earning Eagle. Jackson has also benefited. He wants to be a top-level chef, so his first job is at Steak ’n Shake learning how a basic commercial kitchen operates.”
Generations ago, Jeff’s great-great-great grandfather was an unofficial type of Eagle Scout, as he co-founded the Campbell County town of Alexandria. “My family’s roots go very deep there,” he said. “There is even a Spilman Drive near what is now the Alexandria City Building.”
It sure sounds like the ethic of being a positive influence in life is engrained in the Spilmans, and has been passed down through the generations. Congratulations to the Spilmans, Jimmy Porter, the Wuertles and Brian Huybers for their admirable service.
Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of six books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and five in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. His new book, “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #4,” has recently been released and is available for purchase here. Flairty is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, as well as a weekly KyForward and NKyTribune columnist and a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Read his past columns for excerpts from all his books. him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or friend him on Facebook. (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)
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