SEARCY — Boy Scouting is not just about camping, hiking, fellowship and fun, and a member of Troop 159 in Judsonia has illustrated that with his Eagle Scout project.
Boy Scouts learn about life skills, including leadership, teamwork and a list of activities ranging from cooking to woodworking, said Bobby Skinner, 16, of Judsonia. These skills prepare one to be a Life Scout, he said, the rank that precedes becoming an Eagle Scout.
Skinner has been a Scout for five years. As a required project to attain the rank of Eagle Scout, he chose to build a gazebo to honor veterans, an important part of his life, as he has many family friends who are veterans, he said.
Also, his Scout leaders, Steven Yingling and Matt Haut, are veterans, Skinner said of why he chose to dedicate the structure to members of the military.
“I feel there has not been enough done for our veterans,” he said, and when they return home, they are often just forgotten. The gazebo is “my token of my appreciation” to the country’s veterans, he said
The gazebo was dedicated Nov. 8 at its location in Pioneer Village in Searcy, with representatives of most branches of the military in attendance.
Skinner said he does not want veterans to be taken for granted or forgotten. For all they go through — leaving their homes and families, experiencing the physical and emotional devastation of war and sometimes even losing their lives — they should be remembered and honored, he said.
Thus he combined his admiration for and gratitude to veterans with his goal of attaining his Eagle Scout rank, and plans for the gazebo evolved.
Skinner and his father and the other seven members of the troop built the gazebo in about six weeks, working mainly on weekends. Skinner and the other Scouts even gave up hunting, one of their favorite pastimes, on those weekends to build the gazebo and get it placed in Pioneer Village, where Skinner’s troop and his parents, Robert and Jennifer, often volunteer.
Pioneer Village, maintained by the White County Historical Society, is a genuine community of buildings from the 1800s. Tours are led through the village, and several events each year are offered to highlight the days of the village’s era.
Skinner chose Pioneer Village as the site of his gazebo because many veterans visit there, as well as volunteer, he said in a recent interview at the site, which is on Higginson Street, south of Searcy.
As part of his Eagle Scout requirements, the project must be ongoing, and Skinner needs to make sure the gazebo is taken care of and maintained, he said. It is not something that is just done, then forgotten. The gazebo will be used as a bandstand and stage area for events at Pioneer Village, Skinner said. And he intends to keep checking on the gazebo to make sure it remains intact and in good condition.
He hopes to hear this month if his project has been approved to fulfill the rank’s requirements, allowing him to become an Eagle Scout.
“I only know of two [active] Eagle Scouts in the county,” said Yingling, one of the troop’s leaders. “In regard to the Eagle Scout rank, I think he will make it. Only 10 percent of all Scouts [achieve Eagle Scout rank]. It takes a lot of work. A young man has to do it. His parents can’t do it; his Scout leaders can’t do it. He’s a great kid,” Yingling said of Skinner. “This is a boy-led organization.”
The members of Skinner’s Scout troop who helped at various times in constructing the gazebo include Jarrett Yingling, Blake Haut, Josiah Donnell, Dalton Pruitt and Zachary McGinnis.
Besides honoring veterans, building lasting friendships is another benefit Skinner has reaped throughout the process of planning and constructing the gazebo, he said.
Materials for the gazebo were largely donated by Ridout Lumber Co. and by Action Truck and Trailer, whose representatives came to Skinner’s home and loaded the gazebo and transported it to Pioneer Village. After picking the gazebo up with a huge forklift, “they had to go slow,” Skinner said of the trip.
Lowe’s and McCoy’s Building Supply contributed to the gazebo project as well, along with several private donors and Pioneer Village members.
Yingling Guns also donated to the project, as did Conley Graphics, which made the banner displayed at the gazebo and a plaque that was placed inside the gazebo. The plaque outlines who built the structure and why, Skinner said.
The plaque, which was unveiled at the dedication ceremony, reads, “The Veterans Memorial Gazebo was donated to White County Veterans by Bobby Skinner, Boy Scout Troop 159, in honor of their military service.”
The total cost of the project was about $1,035. His family contributed, too, and Skinner worked last summer at odd jobs, including “rolling magazines,” to earn money for the project.
The design for the gazebo was found online, then modified to accommodate the space it would occupy and the structure’s planned uses, he said. It sits in the middle of the village adjacent to the Little Red Schoolhouse and across from the historic more-than-100-year-old Gordon log home.
In addition to his completion of the gazebo project, the 27 merit badges on Skinner’s sash attest to his purpose, dedication and follow-through when he sets a goal. His badges include mountain climbing, space education, gardening, Indian lore, crime prevention, weather study, environmental science, kayaking, sailboating, canoeing, reading, search and rescue, recycling, hiking, backpacking, first aid, and citizenship in the world, nation and community, among others.
He recently spent two weeks at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico with 12 other Scouts.
“I got to see the sunrise with the clouds” atop Philmont, where the highest point is 18,000 feet, he said. Skinner said that existing “pretty well alone and acclimating to life in the high altitude were gratifying achievements.”
He and his troop hope to participate in the Boy Scouts of America’s Florida Sea Base in the next couple of years, he said. According to its website, “the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base is a unique Scouting program that offers aquatics programs” in the Florida Keys and in the Bahamas.
Skinner is a sophomore at White County Central High School near Judsonia, where he plays baritone saxophone in the band and is a member of the skeet-shooting team. He is also active in his church, Rocky Point Baptist Church at Judsonia.
Skinner said he plans to be an accountant and is considering attending Harding University in Searcy.
Larry Robinson, White County veterans service officer, said he is really impressed with Skinner and his gazebo project to honor the veterans.
“Wasn’t that nice? He made such a good talk [at the dedication].” Robinson said. “I am partial to Scouts. I have a son who is an Eagle Scout. I made a lot of campouts, so I got a double blessing. We are happy [Skinner] saw fit to do this. It makes me think we have some good leaders coming on.”