Five brothers in BSA Troop 30 all become Eagle Scouts

CHESTERTOWN | According to Boy Scout Troop 30 Scoutmaster Bill Jennings, only about 2 percent of Boy Scouts reach the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank one can reach as a scout. All five of the sons of Dick and Theresa Hanaburgh of Chestertown became Eagle Scouts, with the youngest earning the rank in 2017. "A guy from the district told me that was kind of like a record for there to be five brothers from same parents become Eagle Scouts," Dick Hanaburgh Jr. said. The trend started with Dick III, the oldest, and the other Hanaburgh boys followed. By the time Andy, the youngest, was old enough to join scouts, he had already been around scouting for years. "When Andy was a little kid, he would go with my wife and I when the older boys would go to camp. Andy was in it virtually from the time he was born," Hanaburgh said. Hanaburgh said he made it through the Cub Scouts, but then he got busy working "mowing lawns and that sort of thing." "I didn't have time for Boy Scouts, but I wish I had. I had a lot of friends that went on to be Eagle Scouts," he said. The Hanaburgh boys' uncle, Jim Highm, had reached the rank of Life Scout, and he started working for the Boy Scouts of America after college. Highm's brothers each became Eagle Scouts, and with that sort of influence in the family, the Hanaburgh boys naturally participated in scouting. Their father became the Cubmaster to Cub Scout Pack 30 for a few years, and he filled in as Scoutmaster to Troop 30 for about a year. However, credits other scoutmasters for inspiring the scouts in Troop 30, inducing his own sons. "They had some really cool scoutmasters who challenged them and built a pretty decent program," he said. Hanaburgh said retired New York State Trooper Joe Klewicki who served as scoutmaster for 12 to 14 years, and current scoutmaster Jennings, deserve a lot of the credit. "He (Klewicki) was one of those kinds of guys who gets kids motivated, like a good coach. He inspired them to do stuff," Hanaburgh said. One of the challenges in reaching the rank of Eagle Scout involves completing an Eagle project. Hanaburgh said the Eagle Scout candidate must conceive the project, figure out a budget for the project, get it approved, and then reach out to the community for donations or funding to complete the project. The Eagle candidate has to take leadership of the project and see it through from start to finish. "It's quite a process. It takes from six months to a year complete and it's a total team effort," Hanaburgh said. By the time Andy finished his project last spring, he had four older brothers who completed five Eagle Scout projects before their 18th birthday, which is a BSA requirement. Along the way, Hanaburgh said, the Boy Scouts instilled a sense of citizenship in his sons, three of whom went on to serve in the military, and who immediately assumed some sort of leadership role, he said, because they were Eagle Scouts. Hanaburgh said he would recommend Boys Scouts to any parents who have young boys.

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Five brothers in BSA Troop 30 all become Eagle Scouts

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