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SKOWHEGAN — Austin Wright and Luke Perkins were welcomed as Eagle Scouts at a Court of Honor held June 10 at the Federated Church Tewksbury Hall.
Troop leader Mike Fazio led the ceremony. The Rev. Mark Tanner gave the invocation and benediction. Lifelong Eagle Scout Tom Haskell was a guest speaker; special guests included state Rep. Brad Farrin and Charles Mahaleris, a representative from the Pine Tree Council and a representative from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine office.
Wright, 17, is finishing up his junior year at Madison Area Memorial High School, where he maintains an honor roll grade point average and is also completing the pre-engineering program at Somerset Career and Technical Center at Skowhegan High School. He is the son of Jeff and Lisa Wright of Madison.
He joined Cub Scouts when in first grade and has enjoyed summer camps and many other programs through scouts, including scuba diving, an activity for which he has recently become certified. He volunteers regularly for the Abnaki Sno-Riders snowmobile club and enjoys fishing, snowmobiling, ATV riding and basket making.
“I had a couple ideas for an Eagle project,” he said, “but I thought building a handicapped-accessible ramp at the fire station would be the most beneficial to the community. I drew up plans, did the measurements and figured out what quantities and what materials were needed. Troop 481 Scouts, family members and friends all worked with me to construct the ramp and get it installed for access to the public meeting room at the fire station. This ramp has created a safe entrance for people with disabilities and will continue to for years to come.”
Perkins, 16, is the son of Bill and Sandy Perkins of East Madison. He is completing his sophomore year at Madison Area Memorial High School as a high-honors student. The school activities he has been involved in include playing trumpet in the band, cross-country and track.
While in third grade, Luke began his scouting career as a cub scout. He has embraced all the opportunities Scouting offered. His current interests include backpacking, camping, fishing, boating, hunting, scuba diving and skiing.
“I really like the outdoors, and someday I would like to be a game warden. While on a troop backpacking trip, I noticed a section of the Fire Warden’s Trail on Bigelow Mountain was extremely wet and in need of bog bridging,” he explained. “I organized a small group to go in the first weekend to cut down trees and rip them in half. The next weekend, I brought in scouts, friends, and family to help carry in supplies, move logs, and build the bridge. The bridge was about 300 feet long and a portion crossed a small stream. The bog bridging I help build is part of the Appalachian Trail and will be used by both day hikers and Appalachian Trail hikers for many years.”
Wright chose to award Scoutmaster Mike Fazio the special mentor pin because of “Mike’s ability to make me look forward to being at each event, for providing a lot of fun in scouting, and also he is committed to being present at the many events held by the troop.”
Perkins presented Dan Foss, his Cub Scout leader, a mentor pin for “introducing me to the fun and opportunities of Boy Scouting.”
Both are thankful for all the support they have received from family, friend and their troop in reaching their goal of being an Eagle Scout.
PHOTO: Eagle Scouts Austin Wright and Luke Perkins. (Sandy Perkins photo)
