Monroe Has Three New Eagle Scouts

Three Boy Scouts from Monroe's Troop 62 earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout this year and two were able to attend a ceremony inside the Jockey Hollow School auditorium the weekend before Hurricane Sandy came to town.

Richard Infante and Christopher McCauley were entered into the Eagle Scout Court of Honor that Sunday. Eric Caterson, who could not attend, should also be recognized for rising to the Boy Scouts of America's highest rank.

To earn the rank of Eagle, a scout must first earn 21 Merit Badges, serve a minimum of 16 months in a leadership position, have camped for a miniumum of 24 nights and propose, plan and carry out an Eagle service project.

Each Boy Scout makes a presentation on his project to a Board of Review, which must approve it as being worthy of an Eagle Scout project.

Richard Infante coordinated the ordering, purchase, mapping and placing of flag markers at town fire hydrants allowing firefighters to find hydrants buried in the snow.

Scoutmaster Liz Kranyik said Infante is known as a tinkerer, who enjoys taking things apart in his garage with his father and putting it back together again. He is helpful to fellow scouts, can start a fire without matches and is on his school's robotics team.

Chris McCauley's Eagle project involved the construction and painting of flag boxes for the proper retirement of flags in town. The younger Scouts are not allowed to use power tools, so Kranyik said McCauley also worked with adults in completing his project.

"Chris did a great job of keeping everybody on task," Kranyik said. "Thank you for leaving a legacy and not just an Eagle Project."

Pat Mallon, who has known McCauley since his childhood, also spoke.

"To see him shine the way he did, to see them talk, plan and do what they wanted for the troop ... he's like another son to me," Mallon said.

Eric Caterson's Eagle project was to refurbish the Webb Mountain Park trail sign and to clean up the surrounding area for ease of parking and walking. The sign was in disrepair, having been vandalized in the past, and in need of a new roof, some structural supports and paint.

He also planted some bushes and mulched the area around the sign. Caterson organized the project, procured donations, gained the needed permissions, and assembled and scheduled the work crews consisting of scouts, scout parents and friends.