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Four Reach Eagle Rank

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By CHERYL KUCK, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 20, 2008

Updated: 02/18/2008 06:13 pm

PLANT CITY - Four local Boy Scouts, including two brothers, have earned Scouting's highest rank.

The new Eagle Scouts are Grant and Alex Conine, John Hanson Hammell and Joshua Riley Watson.

Troop 14 of the Timucua District, Gulf Ridge Council, presented the new Eagle Scouts in a Feb. 2 ceremony at Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The four are the first to earn the Eagle Scout rank in the Timucua District, which includes Apollo Beach, Brandon, Durant, FishHawk, Plant City, Riverview, Ruskin, Seffner and Valrico.

Nationwide, only 4 percent of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts.

In order to attain the rank, each Scout must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, have letters of recommendation, undergo interviews with Scouting representatives and complete a community service project.

•It is unusual for two brothers to be inducted in the same ceremony, Scout leaders say. An aspiring Eagle Scout must have completed all his qualifications by his 18th birthday. Grant Conine completed all his requirements before he turned 18 in June but he wanted to wait for his induction so he could share the honor with his brother Alex, 16. They are the sons of Richard and Victoria Conine.

Grant Conine, a University of South Florida freshman, is working on a double major in international studies and math. He has held the positions of troop historian, patrol leader, assistant patrol leader and is a member of the Order of the Arrow, earning a total of 22 merit badges. He has been involved in the Air Force ROTC program and has received a nomination to enter the Air Force Academy from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

He raised money and helped remodel a room at the Pregnancy Care Center of Plant City.

Alex Conine has held several leadership positions including patrol leader quartermaster and troop guide. He is also a member of the Order of the Arrow with 23 merit badges. He is a seaman with the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. A home-schooled student with a passion for all things automotive, he hopes to be able to work with as well as design automobiles in the future.

His Eagle project involved raising money to build a permanent fire pit area at Evangelical Presbyterian, which is the troop sponsor.

•Hammell, 16, is a student at Durant High School who has been raised by his grandparents Andy and Carolyn Hammell. He credits their "love combined with old-fashioned strict values" for keeping him on track.

As a Cub Scout in Virginia, Hammell earned the Arrow of Light award. Moving to Florida at age 12, he joined Boy Scout Troop 14 and earned 30 merit badges, holding leadership positions of quartermaster and troop guide.

His Eagle project was to install a flagpole at a recreation center in the Turkey Creek area. He also cleaned and painted the center's sign.

As a member of the Air Force ROTC since his freshman year, Hammell has earned several ribbons in recognition of his leadership. He hopes to put his skills to use as an aviation mechanic after his high school graduation.

•Watson is the son of Robert and Kathleen Watson, who have been involved with every facet of his Scouting career.

"This has been the most valuable contribution I can make as a father," Robert Watson said. "We have been able to do everything together. I never missed a single camping trip. This has been so important in our relationship. I would recommend Scouting as a positive means of bonding for every father and son."

Watson, a 17-year-old who is home-schooled, has served as a page in the Florida House of Representatives and as a messenger and page for the state Senate in Tallahassee.

Watson has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

All four Scouts earned their Eagle Scout rank under the guidance of Scoutmaster Gary Sawyer, the father of two Eagle Scouts who has nurtured 22 other Eagles during his tenure since the troop's 1999 inception.

"I'm deeply proud that young men of this caliber will be the leaders of tomorrow," he said. "As a Scoutmaster, I will never forget the honor of having two brothers become Eagles at the same time. ... I'll always remember that."

Cheryl Kuck can be reached at wkuck@tampabay.rr.com.

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