Behind every great Eagle Scout....

When it comes to their sons, mother knows best, By Tim Duzick Goshen — Each mother attending a ceremony promoting their sons to Eagle Scout was asked to describe their son in just one word. Julie Lees, Angela McCormick, and Lawahna Search fired off responses immediately about sons Kevin, James, and Benjamin. Kevin: patriotism. Jimmy: integrity. Ben: dedication. When it was Darlene Lent’s turn, the tenor of the conversation shifted. “It was painful,” she said of son Kyle. “For his Eagle project, Kyle had cleaned up the Saint James Cemetery in Goshen, which took over 200 hours. Every night after he worked on the cemetery, he would come home grumpy. It was painful for me, listening to him complain about how much he ached. On several occasions I had to remind him of the pains of childbirth.” Whereupon the group of Eagle Scouts and their mothers burst into laughter. The Court of Honor held on May 6 at Goshen High School had all the trappings of a Scout ceremony: presentations of certificates from the Lions Club, Sheriff’s Office, and Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt; the presentation of colors and a benediction by Father Carl Lunden of St. James. Past Eagle Scouts, including one awarded Eagle status in 1941, were in the audience. But from the very start, as each Scout honored that day escorted their mothers into the auditorium, one could sense that the main theme was mother and son. Finally, it was Becky Crossley’s turn to describe son Nathaniel. You could almost hear the Jeopardy theme song playing in the background. After several painful seconds, she admitted defeat. “I’m clueless,” she said. Nate, sensing he was on his own, chimed in. “Don’t you remember, my Eagle Scout project consisted of building birdhouses for the Eastern Bluebird and placing them along the Heritage Trail between Goshen and Chester? I know I used more than one word, but you chose ‘clueless.’” More laughter. Each mother was obviously proud of her son’s accomplishments and their sense of community service, the cornerstone of achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. But mixed in with pride were gentle jabs from the moms that provided a window into their relationships. Ben’s mom, Lawahna, was the most direct. “I am looking forward to the ceremony today,” she said. “I need these moments to get through all the other moments when I want to wring his neck.” Angela McCormick reflected on son Jimmy: “I feel I have done my job,” she said. “He is an easy kid, always has been. He is the best gift God has given to me.” She paused for a moment, then added: “You know, he spent all those hours cleaning up the cemetery, so you’d think he would have learned to pick up his socks. But noooo.” Finally, it was time for the group photo. The mothers sat in the chairs that their sons would occupy during the Court of Honor ceremony. The bond between mothers and sons was plain to see. All the laughter, jokes, and gentle teasing stopped. The Eagle Scouts stood at attention. • Nathaniel G. Crossley, 19, son of Becky and Bill Crossley of Goshen, was awarded the rank of Eagle in June 2005. He obtained the Arrow of Light in Pack 63 in Goshen. While a member of Boy Scout Troop 63, he was elected to the Order of the Arrow, a National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America and earned 24 merit badges. His Eagle Scout project consisted of building birdhouses for the Eastern Bluebird and placing them along the Heritage Trail between Goshen and Chester. Nathan is in his second year at New York University, where he is studying religion. During Nathan’s summers off from college, he works as a counselor at Happiness is Camping, a camp for children with cancer. He will graduate from college in 2009 and hopes to join the Peace Corps upon graduation. • Kevin M. Lees, 18, son of Bill and Julie Lees of Goshen, joined Troop 63 in March after he obtained his Arrow of Light in Pack 63 of Goshen. Kevin has held leadership positions ranging from Quartermaster to Troop Guide and has earned 30 merit badges. His Eagle project consisted of painting a handicapped ramp, shed, porch and light poles at Saint John’s Church in Goshen, which consisted of 247.5 hours. Kevin is a senior at Goshen High School, where he is the vice-president of the student senate and a co-captain on the track and field team. Kevin plans to earn a mechanical engineering degree from Lafayette College, where he will be a member of the track and field team as a multi-eventer. • Kyle J. Lent, 18, son of John and Darlene Lent of Bloomingburg, joined Troop 63 in March of 2000 after he obtained his Arrow of Light in Pack 2, Pine Bush. Kyle has held many leadership positions and has earned 27 merit badges. For his Eagle Project, Kyle landscaped and cleaned up the Saint James Cemetery in Goshen, which consisted of 235 hours. He is a senior at Pine Bush High School, where he plays the trumpet in the Concert Band, and is employed at Best Buy in Middletown. Kyle will pursue a college degree in police science at the State University of New York at Orange and join the Air National Guard part-time. • James B. McCormack III, 18, son of James and Angela McCormack Jr. of Goshen, joined Troop 63 after he obtained his Arrow of Light in Pack 65. He was elected to the Order of the Arrow and has earned 28 merit badges. For his Eagle Service project, Jimmy organized volunteers to refurbish, clean, and landscape the Saint James Cemetery in Goshen. The team of volunteers scraped, sanded, and painted the iron fence along one side of the cemetery. Some spread dirt to level out uneven ground and planted seed, while others painted the two main gates in front of the cemetery and the flagpole. He is a senior at Goshen High School. On July 2, he will attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he will study naval architecture. • Benjamin G. Search, 18, son of Stephen and Lawahna Search of Goshen, has been a member of Pack 63, then Troop 63, for the past 11 years. During his Boy Scout career, Ben earned 26 merit badges and was elected to the Order of the Arrow, a National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a senior at Goshen Central High, where he is a member of the National Honor Society, Foreign Language Society, and the Student Senate, and a captain of the football team. For his Eagle service project he directed the refurbishment of a screened porch, painted the surrounding wrought-iron fence, and prepared for the installation of outdoor lighting at Saint James’s Church. In the fall, he will attend Clemson University in South Carolina, majoring in mathematics. Eventually, Ben would like to serve in the Peace Corp in Latin America.