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Tobin earns highest rank for Scouting

Graduation isn't the only milestone that senior Eddie Tobin is celebrating this year. Last month, he achieved Eagle Scout, a rank reached by only 4 percent of Boy Scouts.

A member of Grand Canyon Boy Scout Troop 30 in the Route 66 District since 2000, Tobin said he'd always had his eye on Scouting's highest rank but began to view it as a serious possibility three or four years ago.

According to his Scoutmaster Don Keil, it's not an easy accomplishment. Scouts have a minimum of three years to finish the process but they must finish before their 18th birthday. They must also earn 21 merit badges, including 11 that are mandatory.

"Some take quite a bit of time, several take three months of time to complete," said Keil.

They must also put in the time and effort. Keil said that Tobin went to weekly meetings faithfully and attended annual Scouting camps, moving up in the leadership ranks to youth leader of the troop.

"Eddie committed to being there and earning everything he needed to get," said Keil.

They must also select a community service project. For his, Tobin coordinated for a sign in front of the Grand Canyon Sanitary District's treatment plant.

"I heard that the sanitary district was looking for someone to build a sign like this and I needed a project for my Eagle Scout so it was a perfect match," he said.

It took him about a year to complete. Though he did none of the actual building, he was solely responsible for planning, coordinating, securing funding for and carrying out the project.

"I have to make sure it gets done," Tobin said. "I had to figure the labor and cost of materials and find people who can do it well."

He coordinated with Bob Petzoldt and Pete Shearer from the sanitary district for funding and logistics. Maxine Petzoldt designed the sign and Paul Karlsberger routed out the letters and the artwork. On Earth Day, high school students completed the landscaping.

"I had to organize all the people and the cost of materials," he said. "The hardest part (about earning Eagle) is actually the project. There's a lot of paperwork."

Keil said that, like most Eagle projects, this one took more time and coordination than anticipated.

"That's the point of the Eagle project," he said. "That's when the Scoutmaster and parents stand back and the boys take charge. That's what makes the difference between a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout."

After the project is completed, the Scout prepares a comprehensive packet highlighting his project and his Scouting career. If that's approved by the Boy Scouts' main office in Dallas, the Scout then goes before a Board of Review, held in Flagstaff for candidates here. That board is comprised of leadership from the Grand Canyon Council.

"They may ask what Scouting means to the young man," Keil said. "They may ask about the things he's learned as a Scout and if he plans to continue after earning his Eagle."

The candidate must go before the board before he turns 18. Tobin appeared two days before his 18th birthday, Keil said.

As a Scoutmaster, Keil had an ambitious group.

"I knew all of them would become Eagles. That's how committed they are," he said.

Along with Tobin, Keil's son Scott, Andrew Keske, and Kevin Beckerleg have all completed the process, and Matthew Beckerleg will have his ceremony this summer.

"I'm really proud of Eddie," Keil said. "He worked hard and he's a dedicated young man."

A lifelong resident of Grand Canyon, Tobin enters enter Arizona State University in the fall, majoring in engineering or medicine. He also sees continued involvement in Scouting in his future.

"I hope to be involved in Scouting to some degree," he said.


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