Page 4 • March 1, 2018 • Edmond Life & Leisure
From the Publisher
We need more Eagle Scouts It thrills me when I get asked what happened to have my kids turn out so well. I raised five so it happens often, but it never fails to make me puff up. The first thing is that I had little to do with it. All five were driven from birth it seems and from a young age knew exactly what they wanted to do as adults. Honestly, there was not a shrinking violet among Ray Hibbard them. They are all outstanding and make me proud to have been part of it. My main job was to love them, get out of their way, encourage their choices and occasionally provide the assets needed to make it happen. It was all a joy. I get asked about my son Clark often. This is partially because he looks just like me. I would walk into parent/teacher conferences at Sunset Elementary here in Edmond and the first thing the teacher would say to me was, “You must be Clark’s dad.” My reply was, “Yes I must, what has he done?” Clark could be a little difficult but in a positive way, most days. Watching the television show “Young Sheldon” reminds me of what it was like being his dad. They have a lot in common. He has fulfilled his dream of becoming and working as a mechanical engineer. With Clark, I am quick to tell folks I never had to worry too much about him and his adventures around the world because after all, he is an Eagle Scout. The first time he went to live in France on his own and the car I had arranged to pick him up didn’t show at the airport I took great comfort in knowing that as an Eagle Scout, he would have no trouble making his way. He arrived at his hotel after about two hours trying to figure out the train system, but he was safe and sound. When your child is thousands of miles from home and you realize there is no way to get to him quickly if he runs into trouble or is hurt, it gives great comfort to know he is an Eagle Scout. Scouting offers so much to our youth it surprises me that more parents don’t encourage it. Should they be one of the few that makes it all the way to Eagle Scout, they have set their path for life and will succeed beyond your wildest dreams. However, any time in Scouting is good for your child. It teaches self-reliance, survival, life skills and inspires confidence in your child that will serve them well no matter what career they choose. It also puts them on a path of service to others which is incredibly important. What really surprises me is that raising money for many social ailments is much easier than raising money for preventative programs such as Scouting. Why is it that folks can’t see that money invested in our youth, no matter the program, at the most impressionable time in their life is far better than investing in programs that try to cure problems that have already developed and become a part of their lives? Here is a look at the numbers: Exactly 55,494 young men became Eagle Scouts in 2017. That’s the most in a single year since 2013, and it’s the fourth-biggest Eagle Scout class in history (trailing 2012, 2010 and 2013). This is great news for our country and our world. It
the list. This is a poor showing for a state that has such well-run Scouting programs. Do you need more convincing? Here is a list of famous Eagle Scouts: 1. Neil Armstrong - Armstrong led the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon in 1969. Of the 312 NASA astronauts, 39 are Eagle Scouts. 2. Gerald Ford - The first and so far, only Eagle Scout to be President of the United States of America, Ford led the country as the 38th president. He served from 1974 to 1977. 3. Robert Gates - This man was a director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. 4. Mike Rowe - This Distinguished Eagle Scout is most famously known for being the host of “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe” on the Discovery Channel.
The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, was an Eagle Scout.
means the planet has another 55,494 people who are prepared to be outstanding friends and coworkers, leaders and innovators, husbands and fathers. The total number of Eagle Scout service project hours recorded in 2017 was 8,461,760 including the scouts and their volunteers. Some might call that amount of service to communities “priceless.” But, in fact, you can put a price on it. At the current “value of volunteer time” rate of $24.14 per hour, that works out to $204.3 million worth of service to communities. In all, 2,485,473 young men have become Eagle Scouts from 1912 to 2017. That includes every Eagle Scout since the very first one: Arthur Rose Eldred in 1912. Utah’s state motto should be “Home of Eagle Scouts.” That’s because no state produced more Eagle Scouts in 2016 than Utah. Thanks in large part to the strong support Scouting receives from the LDS church there, 5,664 young men became Eagle Scouts in Utah in 2016. Utah is No. 1 on the list for at least the eighth year in a row. Utah was followed in 2016 by: California 5,044 Texas 4,308 Pennsylvania 2,461 North Carolina 2,215 Virginia 2,112 New York 2,060 Ohio 1,876 Florida 1,741 Illinois 1,739 Oklahoma not only did not make the top 10 it didn’t even make the top 25. We produced 487 in which puts it in 33rd place for numbers of Eagle Scouts produced in 2016. It would be fair to say that the numbers are not comparable. Some would argue that the numbers should be adjusted for population. When they are adjusted, Utah still tops the list and Oklahoma drops to No. 43 on
5. Steven Spielberg - Filmmaker responsible for famous cultural phenomena of cinema like “E.T.,” “Jaws” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Spielberg started filmmaking early on as he filmed his scout troop for his photography merit badge. 6. Sam Walton - The founder of “Wal-Mart” was indeed an Eagle Scout. This now deceased businessman is also the founder of “Sam’s Club” 7. Willie Banks - This Olympic athlete used to be the world-record holder in the long jump and triple jump. At the age of 56 in 2012, he became the oldest American to clear a six-foot high jump. 8. Jon Heder - Yes, Napoleon Dynamite himself is an Eagle Scout. While he is famous for many absurdly comedic roles, he is now a scoutmaster and family man with three kids. 9. Wallace Stegner - Novelist and environmentalist, Stegner won the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Angel of Repose” about a man who loses touch with his family and writes about the adventures of his grandparents. 10. Michael Bloomberg - The former mayor of New York City and owner of Bloomberg L.P. is an Eagle Scout. There is not a doubt in my mind that our world would be a much better place with not only more Eagle Scouts but more kids that have taken part in Scouting at some level. If you have children, grandchildren or just children you have some influence with, be sure and talk to them about scouting. Encourage them to visit a Cub Pack or Scout Troop to find out more information. If you have the time, volunteer as a leader. You could have a great influence over a young person in your community. And, even if you have no connections with a child or time to volunteer, please consider donating to your local Scout organization. Social issues are the best place to practice an ounce of prevention.
(Ray Hibbard may be reached by e-mail at ray@edmondpaper.com)
Check out what’s inside! n Weekend calendar of events..........................................................Page 6 n A look back at Rev. Billy Graham ................................................Page 8. n Prep swimmers at state meet ....................................................Page 10. n OETA to start spring drive ..........................................................Page 13. n George Gust thinks this film may win an Oscar..........................Page 15. n Crossword ..................................................................................Page 15. n Edmond Favorites winners ..........................................................Page 17. n Business News ............................................................................Page 21. n Worship directory ......................................................................Page 23.
Find the ‘Belly Dancer’ bear’ We are continuing the bear art for our regular weekly contest. Belly Dancer, in real life is located in front of On Cue at 33rd and Kelly but is hidden somewhere in our paper this week. Email contest@edmondpaper.com with the correct location to be entered in the weekly drawing. Belly Dancer is by artist Joshua Tobey. “We love that Edmond encourages business owners to purchase art. Beyond the aesthetic appeal of the artwork, our bear is friendly and greets our customers with a wave and a smile. Our bear has personality and has been known to dress up from time to time (we think he may be a Thunder fan). We encourage customers to take selfies with our bear and tag @oncueexpress and use the hashtag #MyOnCue.”- Laura Griffith Aufleger, VP Corporate Communications for OnCue
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