Full Name
Year you were Born
What did you do in scouts?
Year you earned your Eagle Rank?
What did you do for your Eagle Project?
What did you like most about Scouts
What job(s) did you do after Scouts
What places did you live?
How did Scouts help you in your life?
Anything you'd like to tell us?


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Brent Michael Metschan
1970
Boy Scouts
1988
I raised money for a jacuzzi hot tub for a school with children who were muscularly constricted. We also installed the hot tub at the school.
The leadership opportunities I learned
Dell Technologies at a Sales Rep, Sales Manager, and Account Executive. ReachForce at a Regional Sales Director. RetailMeNot as a Sr. Account Executive. BillsUpNow as CEO.
Austin, TX and Atlanta, GA
Scouts helped me realize that with any big project, you have to plan and communicate. Perseverance, kindness and the advantages of being a good leader also helped me in my life.
I am 21 years married to Shelly. I have three kids. Margot (14), Liam (12), and Adaire (8).

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Jesse Blackwell
1969
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
1985
build a sidewalk at Bethany UMC
The fellowship of great friends and adventures of a life time
after college, oil gas engineer, sales, now custom home builder
Austin, Houston
outdoor skills and life concepts that I apply today


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Eric Kingsbury
1983
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2000
Built a butterfly garden
The friendships I made and all the time I got to spend camping with those guys
Summer Camp Counselor, Outdoor Educator, Church Youth Director, Middle School Teacher
Austin, Waco, Victoria (TX), Fort Worth
The most important thing that I learned in Scouts is that qhen things get tough we can either choose to either move forward or go back, but standing still gets us nowhere. I also learned about leadership and teamwork. Scouts also taught me the value of hard work, it taught me that I can do anything that I put my mind to, it taught me lots of basic life skills like washing dishes, planning a menu, how to pack a bag for myself, what is vs. what is not an "essential", and how to accomplish something big by planning it into smaller sub-goals/steps.
Scouts changed my life profoundly! It was because of the many fond memories I have of camping as a young man that I decided, during a very hard time that I went through as an adult, to go on a camping trip. On that trip I made a contact who convinced me to apply to be a summer camp counselor that summer, which I did. During that summer I ended up meeting the woman who became my wife and found such fulfillment in working with those kids and teens that I completely changed career paths. I am now married with four kids and am absolutely loving being a middle school teacher.

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Ken Wickham
1969
Boy Scouts
1987
Built a sprinkler system for a church
Survival training
Sales
Texas
I've used first aid repeatedly


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Matthew Varela
2000
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2018
Created and installed lightning safety signs at River Place Nature Trail
Campouts and patrol activities
Will be attending University of Oklahoma
Round Rock
Helps with college applications and leadership in band


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Jonathan (jack) Reed
1988
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2007
Crafted a pathway at Caraway Elementary
High Adventure trips
Airport Operations Supervisor at Midland International Air & Space Port, currently Legislative Director for Representative Dan Huberty, Texas House District 127
Stillwater, OK; Midland, Texas; Austin, Texas
Gave me confidence to do things I may be unfamiliar with. Gave me self reliance and a sense of duty.


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Nick Reed
1985
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2003
Park Benches at Caraway Elementary
Brotherhood, adventure
College, Law School
Austin, Miami, Dallas
Perspective and life skills including outdoor skills, but more so leadership and communication skills


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Austin Arnold
1986
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2000
Elementary School Sun Shelter
Camping, Philmont
Software Engineer, Co-founder, CTO
Austin
Project Planning


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Ben Koons
1993
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2011
Cleared a trail and conservation efforts at Caraway Elementary
Backpacking and male camaraderie
Philosophy Grad Student; LCRA projects analyst
Princeton, Oxford, Austin, New Haven
It taught me how to organize and lead others as well as plenty of good outdoor skills. It also helped me develop as a young man and gave me more grit and endurance.
Troop 146 was great! It was a truly boy-led troop, and we had a strong sense of patrol identity as well as some exemplary scoutmasters.

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Nicholas Thornton
1996
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2010
Memorial garden at the Lone Star Lions Eye Bank
Opportunities for adventure and advancement.
Texas A&M Maritime Academy; US Coast Guard Officer
Galveston, TX; San Juan, PR
It taught me how to work well with others and how to set goals.
Now married, looking forward to hopefully being involved in scouts when my future children are old enough.

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Shane Vrazel
1983
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
1998
Rock flower beds at Cathy Karaway Elementary.
Camping
Construction
Brenham, Houston, Stephenville, Austin
Be prepared at all times, survival skills.
Married with two daughters.

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Jack Mattson
2000
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2018
Build Picnic area at Town & Country Optimist Club
The community and outdoor skills I learned
Student at Purdue University
Austin Tx, West Lafayette In
Gave me skills that I can use in every day life


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Dylan Baddour
1991
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2009
Built an arbor over the patio at a youth hostel in Austin
Camping, cooking, spending an entire week outdoors (lots of people have never done that) at camp, playing with fire, building large wooden structures and the wilderness survival camp out
server at Amy's Ice Creams, server at Littlefield Cafe, worked untangling the cables in telecom closets at UT for a while, paid intern at the Austin American-Statesman and Houston Chronicle, full reporter at the Houston Chronicle newspaper and now a freelance journalist based in Colombia
Did a Rotary youth exchange to Cordoba, Argentina, a college program teaching english in Almaty, Kazakhstan, moved to Houston after college and now live in Bogota, Colombia
"It helped tons. There's a special attitude you pick up in Scouts thanks to all the camping and adventure. It is to see adversity (like sleeping outside in the cold or walking for days) as a fun challenge, and to recognize that you can just walk off into the wilderness or the world or figure out what to do if you're prepared. In short, a spirit of adventure has helped me follow paths in life I may otherwise have not.

Also, in these years of my life, people think my skills from scouting are really cool. I've met plenty of people who never went camping growing up or who never visited a state park. Moreover, they are absolutely overwhelmed by the prospect of planning their own trip and probably couldn't cook an egg. In Scouts I figured it was obvious how to go camping but it isn't. I've kept up the habit in the 10 years since and have taken friends to state parks, national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands and a ton of other preserves all across Texas and The West, cooking on open fires and often backpacking a few miles off the side of the road. I bring friends who think it is absolutely awesome. Those times are the best of my years and I'm glad to have learned these precious abilities as a boy.

There are many unspeakable lessons to be learned about life by getting to know the outdoors and the animals and plants, the days and nights, the weather, the land, the sky and science, but whoever didn't spend enough time with these things as a child will find it much harder to learn to see them. Scouts helped me learn to appreciate the world, which can fill life with invigorating mystery.

And of course, first aid and knots have come in handy a ton of times. First aid especially."
Be nice to each other. We bullied some kids in my days and looking back as an adult it feels really dumb. And don't forget to dream big in your planning meetings. Yall can do anything you can plan. Have plenty of adventures.

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Michael J Francese Jr.
1987
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2005
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve
Learning outdoor, management and communication skills at a young age.
Law Enforcement and Sales
Austin, TX
Learning valuable skills at a young age
I still assist the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts today. I take them on tours of the police department.

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Evan Carter
1998
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2017
Outdoor Seating Area at Round Rock High School
Scouting gave me an appreciation for the outdoors and made me aware of the conservation efforts we can make in our daily lives to help preserve it.
I am currently completing a Bachelor's Degree in Government at the University of Texas at Austin.
Austin & Arlington, Texas
Scouts equipped me with the life skills necessary to be a successful and responsible independent adult.
I have been selected as one of the Section Leaders for the trumpet section of the Longhorn Band this upcoming football season.

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Joel Ogburn
1973
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
1990
Food and clothing drive
Camping; Summer camps; Philmont; Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Sales; Supply Chain Management
College Station; Houston
My Eagle Scout award was a factor in helping me land two different jobs after college.
Married for 21 years now. Live in Pearland, TX with my wife and daughter. I have undergraduate degree from Texas A&M and an MBA from Texas.

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Ryan Odom
1983
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
1998
Built a trail behind Talleyrand park
The camp outs and summer camp
Usaf physician
Austin, California, North Carolina, Las vegas
I can tie a knot better than most... and lead a medical team.
Boy Scouts and Troop 146 was a home to me though out my youth. I learned how to be an adult through scouting. Thank you for what you do.

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Spencer Sartin
2000
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2018
Installed 12 mile markers along the Rattan creek park trail
High adventure camps and wilderness survival
Lifeguard, manager of urban air adventure park, Livestrong foundation intern, Nonprofit consultant intern, Cancer research assistant (current)
Austin, Chicago, Paris
Scouts helped me develop important leadership skills through leadership positions, NYLT, and Eagle Scout project management. Each merit badge also offered a great intro to some really cool topics I’m now studying in college.


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Stephen Robertson
1968
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
1987
Sprinkler system at Bethany Church
Philmont
Earned my PhD in Engineering at the University of Michigan, then went on to work at Bell Labs. Now developing timing and communications systems for government satellites at Lockheed Martin.
Ann Arbor, MI, Westfield, NJ, Harleysville, PA, Aurora, CO
Taught me perseverance and self belief.
I’ve recently attended Eagle Scout courts of honor for my son and two of my nephews and couldn’t be prouder to share my Eagle legacy with the next generation.

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Brian Coombs
1998
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2015
Built a 4 stall Horse Barn for a horse therapy ranch called Spirit Reins
The brotherhood and high adventure such as Northern Tier
Software Development at Citibank and Hudl
Austin, Texas, Dallas, and right now Lincoln, Nebraska
Defining morals and ethics for application in my everyday work and life.
The Eagle Project is still what I'm most proud of accomplishing and working on in my life.

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John Wesley Stetson
2000
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2019
Built a walkway cover at Texas Humane Heroes animal shelter
Camping and the leadership skills I learned
I work at Home Depot right now. While I was in scouts I worked at Freddy's.
Cedar Park and Leander
Scouts taught me general outdoor skills, leadership skills, gave me more interactions with peers while I was homeschooled, allowed me to make more friends, including my best friend, taught me values/morals, and gave me incredible experiences that helped shape my life.
Thank you so much to all of the adults in troop 146. I wouldn't have gotten my Eagle without all the help from y'all (and I needed A LOT) And I'll forever be greatful

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Michael Lloyd Odom
1956
Boy Scouts
1971
Moved playground equipment at St Luke’s Episcopal Church
Camping, playing games after scout meetings, the fellowship with others
Restaurant server, TV repair, Electronic test equipment repair tech, IBM
Mobile Al, Austin Tx
Leadership skills


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Trey Harper
1969
Boy Scouts
1987
Fully furnished a house for the grounds keeper of the church. This was done by obtaining donations from area businesses and appliance stores.
All the friendships made and all the awesome trips we went on.
I worked for the Republican Party of Texas and have been working for a restaurant company since 1992.
Dallas, Ft. Worth, Fairfax VA and now Frisco.
It help mold me into the man I am today.
I’m happily married to my wife of 10 years. We have 8 year old twins, one boy (Kaden) and one girl (Kendall). I coach my sons baseball team in my spare time.

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Kenneth Wang
1998
Boy Scouts
2016
I built bookshelves and organized a book drive for the Inside Books Project, a non-profit located in East Austin.
I liked the opportunity to lead and participate in activities with other scouts that ranged from building structures using wood and rope to trekking across Canada with a canoe on my shoulders.
I'm currently an undergraduate studying Chemical Engineering at UT.
I have lived in Fremont, CA, Brussels, BE, Austin, TX, and Houston, TX.
Boy Scouts has been the defining experience of my youth, stretching back to when I was a Webelos in Brussels. Through Boy Scouts I felt more connected to my community, and was able to experience and enjoy nature and service with my friends I made in the troops I've been in. These friendships are ones I will carry for the rest of my life.
I'd like to thank Troop 146 for being so welcoming and having a strong adult leadership presence. The patrol method would not be able to function without the strong backbone of adult leaders willing to take the boys on campouts, and making the plans into reality. The late night grubmaster shopping trips, the early morning drive to the campgrounds, helping haul gear - these would not be possible without the adults of the troop. I am grateful to have been able to served two terms as SPL alongside some very dedicated scouts and adult leaders.

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John McGlothlin III
1984
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew
2002
Built a nature trail near Kathy Caraway Elementary

I earned a PhD in English, taught at a business school in Indiana, and now am a financial planner here in Austin.
Chicago, IL; Bloomington, IN; Round Rock, TX
I gained leadership skills as well as self-confidence, both of which I continue to rely upon even today.


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Robert (Bob) Bolender III
1992
Boy Scouts
2009
I built two playhouses for the back yard of my church.
I enjoyed the friendships, the outdoor projects that we built together as a team, and the leadership skills that we learned together.
I worked three years as an Ebook Developer at WORDsearch Bible Software, three years as a Web Developer at Fahrenheit Marketing, and recently completed a full year as a Software Developer at Faithlife, makers of Logos Bible Software in Bellingham, WA.
2 years in Kiev, Ukraine while attending Word of God Bible College, then 4 years back in Austin, Texas, then the last year and a half in Washington State.
It taught me valuable skills in decision making, goal planning, and team leadership.
"I met my wife Elvira at Bible College in Kiev, Ukraine, and we've now been married 4.5 years. I also learned to speak fluent Russian.
Elvira and I are active in our church, Rome Community Bible Church, and I've had opportunity to teach a number of times at the adult Sunday School hour."

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Ethan Robert Markle
1998
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2014
I rebuilt the Binturong habitat at the Austin Zoo
Hanging out with friends on camping trips
I am current going to school at UT Dallas and I have worked for Blue Moon Estate Sale

Scouts taught me valuable leadership skills as well as how to work with people who don’t want to work with you


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Joshua Bruno
1999
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2017
Build goat houses for austin zoo
Everything. The whole experiance of camping and doing activities with friends and learning new skills. Its hard to choose what the best thing about scouts was.

Austin and Waco
Taught me skills that i use for my everyday life.
Currently at flight school training to be a pilot.

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Jacob Read
1996
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2014
I built props for living history demonstrations for Camp Mabry
I loved the high adventure experiences most of all. I went to Northern Tier and Philmont and think about them all the time. I also loved the survival campouts.
I am currently an engineer at Samsung
I still live in Austin Texas
Scouts helped tremendously in forming my character and leadership skills. It taught me how to lead myself and other people in many situations from social activities, team challenges, meetings, and planning. I got a lot of confidence in my people skills from scouts as well.
I am a third generation Eagle and I look forward to giving back when I have sons.

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Andrew
1993
Boy Scouts
2011
Install a fountain at Bethany UMC
Backpacking
Exercise Physiology
Austin, Lubbock, Houston, Dallas
Jobs, resume, career choices.
Achieving Eagle was one of the greatest accomplishments that I look back on.

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justin kauffman
1985
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
2001
built a deck attached to the life teen building at st.thomas more church to add more functional outdoor space
backpacking in new mexico, for sure.
fedex, concept artist for video games, waiter/bartender
austin, houston, chicago, atlanta
i have so much practical experience with a wide variety of tasks that i noticed many others do not have. real world problem solving, social interactions, self-discipline... i'd say in almost every way?
now a days i'm doing concept art for video games, and utilize my experiences and memories from scouting very often. i'll never forget my time in the scouts.

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Tom Winn
1970
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
1987
Church parking lot flow reorganization and striping
backpacking and camping
teacher
TX, MN
reinforced my love of the outdoors and valuing service to others


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