jg0017 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 I seem to remember that an Adult could earn his Eagle rank. I think the program ended in about 1960. Does anyone know if this is true and/or the details? Mike Greene DC, Thronateeska District Chehaw Council Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutldr Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 True. According to several Google sources, the program ended in 1952 when the age limits were set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzy Bear Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 I remember a few adults talking about earning the Eagle when I was a youth. I thought then that it would be much easier for an adult to earn MB's. Today the idea seems ridiculous. It is strange that an adult would read the rules and see that there wasn't an age limit and dig-in. Maybe Scouting encouraged it so that adults would remain in the program. It makes me wonder. I may have to get out a few of the old books and do some reading. fb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubmaster Randy Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Yes, they could My grandfather was a scout during the early 30's. I have his troop picture and the SM has merit badges on his sleeve, I asked him about it when I was a youth and He explained it to me that at that time the adults would work on their Eagles to help motivate the scouts to work on their Eagle. Different time, i suppose, different methods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 An idea, I think, that is worth discussion today. However, I see the risk that adults who are in scouting just for their own personal gratification would be enabled by this, thus becoming a negative for the boys. I'd keep it like it is. Adults that didn't earn it by 18 will just have to live with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Nelson Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 I don't think it's going to ever come back, but it's not the dumbest idea I've heard. If you had leaders with limited outdoor knowledge and experience, such a program might motivate them to educate themselves. Also, seeing leaders working to improve themselves could motivate kids. As it stands, though. it's a bit ridiculous, sort of like a 10-year-old playing in a t-ball league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emb021 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Yes, it was true, an adult could earn Eagle, and many did. How? Well, for several decades, all you needed to earn Eagle Scout was merit badges. Stuff like doing a service project, holding a leadership position only came in the 60s or so. Originally, Star, Life, and Eagle were just 'super merit badges' you got for getting several merit badges. Originally, you got 21 merit badges, you got Eagle. Later they put required merit badges in place. Originally, only First Class Scouts were allowed to earn merit badges. All adults were automatically first class scouts, so could earn merit badges. It was felt that if adults earned them, they would understand them better and be able to teach the scouts. By the 1950s this was discouraged, tho allowed in some councils. In the 1960s is when they put in place requirements like holding a troop leadership position and later an upper age limit which ended this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 emb021 says the Eagle project appeared in the 60s. Does anyone have more history on the evolution of the Eagle project? When I earned my Eagle in 1968, I remember the project being not nearly as complex a requirement as it is now. As I recall, the project was more purely a service project and less of a leadership project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 According to: http://www.troop97.net/bsaeagle.htm it occurred in 1965. But according to: http://www.eaglescout.org/history/1963_Rev.html the change to include a service project occurred in 1963, moments AFTER I earned mine under the previous requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 GN said, ...If you had leaders with limited outdoor knowledge and experience, such a program might motivate them to educate themselves. Also, seeing leaders working to improve themselves could motivate kids... You mean earning that "Trained" strip isn't enough motivation? Frankly, I found the fact that I might have to employ and/or teach a skill as sufficient motivation to learn it. Unfortunately, I've had to work with adults whom you couldn't motivate to leave a burning building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 GN said, ...If you had leaders with limited outdoor knowledge and experience, such a program might motivate them to educate themselves. Also, seeing leaders working to improve themselves could motivate kids... You mean earning that "Trained" strip isn't enough motivation? Frankly, I found the fact that I might have to employ and/or teach a skill as sufficient motivation to learn it. Unfortunately, I've had to work with adults whom you couldn't motivate to leave a burning building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emb021 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 "Does anyone have more history on the evolution of the Eagle project?" Get Terry Grove's excellent work on the History of the Eagle Scout Award. He does go into the evolution of the requirements. I have it at home. Off the top of my head, I seem to recall that the initial service project was a bit 'wimpy', and was later (5-10 years) turned into the Eagle Scout Service Project as most of us know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrentAllen Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Ah, if only we could... Or at least turn back the clock. I had completed my service project, but was 2 merit badges short (Personal Management and Communications - I still have my Scout Handbook with all the details). Dear old dad kept pushing me to finish, but the more he pushed, the more I pushed back. Yes, I was an idiot. So now, in an effort to turn lemons into lemonaide, I hope to convince a lot of Life Scouts not to be a dunderhead like I was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Brent, I hope you have a wonderfully successful lemonade stand! I have a 15 year old Life Scout at home and it's a delicate balancing act to encourage, but not push, him to finish up those last remaining Eagle MBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrentAllen Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Yes, it is Trev. I wish we could make them see the future! Every time I walk past the NESA row at the Scout Shop (which is often) I get a knife in the gut as a reminder of my stupidity. The only advice I can offer, which doesn't come with much experience to date, is to ask some of the other adults to ask him about his progress in a very upbeat manner. As we all know, there can be lots of baggage between a father and son. Maybe start asking who he plans to invite to his COH, and talk about how proud everyone is going to be of him. That old Stephen Covey "Begin with the end in site" thing. Good luck! I look forward to reading about him earning his Eagle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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