October 7, 2005

Troop 264 produces another Eagle Scout

Joseph Kyle Van Ess reaches highest honor in Boy Scouts

By Rick Adams
Special to the Times

Joe Van Ess, currently a sophomore at Evergreen Valley High School, has recently finished all the requirements to earn Eagle Scout status, the highest honor achievable in Boy Scouts.

Joe Van Ess

Joe started in Cub Scout Pack 265 in 1996 as a Tiger Cub. After five years of going through all the ranks of Wolf, Bear and Weblos, Joe achieved the Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouts. He then crossed over to Boy Scout Troop 264 on April 1, 2001.

The Mountain View-born Joe recalls many memories in Boy Scouting from 50-mile canoe and hiking trips to winning the games at Camp Hi Sierra when he was SPL, Senior Patrol Leader.

“Last summer, I was able to attend the 2005 National Jamboree in West Virginia. Despite several publicized incidents that occurred, I still had a great time seeing New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and, much more.”

Boy Scouts must earn 21 merit badges to achieve Eagle status: 12 Eagle required and 9 non-Eagle required. Joe has earned 54 so far, 14 Eagle and 40 non. His favorites were plumbing and traffic safety “because these are the badges that most boys do not get.”

Some of the other merit badges he received include: camping; citizen of the community, nation, and world; communications; emergency preparedness; environmental science; family life; first aid; hiking; lifesaving; personal fitness; personal management; swimming and 38 more.

After earning the required merit badges, the final step before Eagle status is to complete an Eagle Project. “I built two cabinets for the Evergreen Valley H.S. Athletic concession stand,” explained Joe. “One cabinet is 8 feet and the other is 4 feet long to accommodate storage for the Booster Club supplies. The project, with the help of my fellow scouts, took over 81 hours. This was a great learning project because I learned to build cabinets from scratch.

“I have gained a lot of leadership skills in my nine years of scouting,” he continued. “I have some great memories, and I have made a lot of friends. My advise to other scouts is to learn what you can, but always remember to have fun while you are learning and gaining the scout memories.”

(From left) Doug Van Ess, Kris Adams and Joe Van Ess lay the boards out on their driveway to start Joe’s Eagle Project of building two cabinets for the Evergreen Valley High School concession stand. Photos by Rick Adams

Joe became an Eagle Scout on July 13. He has received many congratulatory letters from Presidents Gerald R. Ford, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Pope Benedict XVI; Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Disney CEO Michael Eisner; President of Coca Cola Donald Keough and more.

His Eagle Court of Honor on Oct. 8 will be a special day for Doug Van Ess, Joe’s father. Doug has been the Scout Master for Troop 264 for more than four years and Joe’s mom, Sue, is very involved in scouting on the district level, too.

Doug has personally helped more than seven scouts become Eagle including his oldest son, Craig. “What an honor this will be to personally install your own son into something my whole family totally believes in,” Doug said.

One in 100

It has been said that out of every 100 Scouts, only one makes Eagle.

Of any 100 boys who become Scouts, 30 will drop out in their first year. Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure, but in later life, all of them will remember they had been Scouts and will speak well of the program.

Of the 100, only rarely will one ever appear before a juvenile court judge. Twelve of the 100 will be from families that belong to no church. Through Scouting, these 12 and many of their families will be brought into contact with a church and will continue to be active all their lives. Six of the 100 will become pastors.

Each of the 100 will learn something from Scouting. Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives. Approximately one-half will serve in the military, and in varying degrees profit from their Scout training. At least one will use it to save another person’s life and many will credit it with saving their own.

One of the 100 will reach Eagle rank, and at least 25 percent of the Eagles will later say that he valued their Eagle above their college degree. Many will find their future vocation through merit badge work and Scouting contacts.

Seventeen of the 100 boys will later become Scout leaders and will give leadership to thousands of additional boys.
Only one in four boys in America will become Scouts, but it is interesting to know that of the leaders in this nation in business, religion and politics, three out of four were Scouts.

This story will never end. Like the “Golden Pebble” of service dropped into the human sea, it will continue to radiate in ever-widening circles, influencing the characters of men down through unending time.

Scouting’s alumni record is equally impressive. A recent nationwide survey of high schools revealed the following information:
- 89 percent of senior class presidents were Scouts.
- 85 percent of student council presidents were Scouts.
- 80 percent of junior class presidents were Scouts.
- 75 percent of school publication editors were Scouts.
- 71 percent of football captains were Scouts.

Scouts also account for:
- 85 percent of FBI agents
- 72 percent of Rhodes Scholars
- 70 percent of Annapolis graduates
- 68 percent of West Point graduates
- 64 percent of Air Force Academy graduates
- 26 of the first 29 astronauts

Source: Boy Scouts of America