On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the Boy Scouts of America Leatherstocking Council will recognize 2018 Good Scout Award Public Service Honoree Kurt Wheeler and 2018 Good Scout Award Business Honoree Cazenovia Equipment Company. The breakfast will be held from 7 to 8:15 a.m. at the Hampton Inn in Cazenovia.
The BSA Good Scout Award is presented to those who exemplify the ideals of the Boy Scouts of America as expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. The recipients are chosen for their outstanding commitment to their community as evidenced by the interest and expertise given to many worthwhile organizations as well as the respect and esteem in which they are held.
Wheeler grew up on a farm and spent his formative years as a member of the New Woodstock Boy Scout Troop 6 where he achieved the rank of Life Scout. He is a graduate of Cazenovia High School where he was president of the Class of ‘85.
He has served the community as mayor of Cazenovia since 2011 and as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2005.
Wheeler attended Harvard University on a United States Marine Corps ROTC scholarship where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations in 1989 and a master’s degree in history education in 1996. He was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1989 and served a combat tour in Operation Desert Storm.
After leaving active duty, he worked as a mortgage banker and defense policy analyst on national security issues before attending graduate school. Wheeler just completed his 22nd year as a teacher at Cazenovia High School where he also leads the Social Studies Department and coaches the girls cross country, indoor track and spring track teams.
He was mobilized and deployed to Iraq in 2006 and served as the officer in charge of the Marine Corps History Division Detachment. Promoted to the rank of colonel, he is currently the officer in charge of the Reserve Detachment at the United States Marine Corps’ Office of Legislative Affairs in the Pentagon.
He has served actively with numerous community organizations and boards over the years, including the July 4th Committee and Winter Festival Committee. As the primary adult advisor to Project CAFÉ since 1996, he has helped pass on the virtues of community service and community leadership to a whole generation of youth.
He and his wife Rebekah reside in Cazenovia with their four daughters.
“When I met Col. Wheeler, he recited the Scout Law from memory, and I knew we had made the right choice for this year’s Good Scout Award Public Service Honoree,” said Ray Eschenbach, Scout Executive/CEO for the Leatherstocking Council. “He has given a lifetime to public service and personifies the very outcomes the Boy Scouts have been giving the youth of our community a chance to achieve for 108 years.”
Cazenovia Equipment Company has been supporting Boy Scout community service projects since it was founded in 1961. In 1975, Bob Frazee joined the business, and it has remained in the family for 57 years, with two of Bob’s sons, Mike and Jim joining the company in 2003.
“When I heard that we were nominated, I was honored to accept.” said Jim Frazee, president of Cazenovia Equipment Company. “Coincidentally, our team was working on a community garden at the same time with the Cazenovia School District and a few other groups including Boy Scout Troop 18 of Cazenovia; advised by Scoutmaster George Schmit, the Scouts are building a fence around the garden and as a truly small, local business with deep roots in the communities we serve, we are always happy to assist and collaborate with those who share our commitment to support and develop the youth in our communities.”
The fence construction is the Eagle Scout Community Service Project for Max Fischer of Cazenovia.
Cazenovia Equipment Company is now recognized as a premier John Deere dealer, with nine locations serving central and northern New York. While Cazenovia Equipment Company’s roots are in agriculture, the business has expanded its family of customers to include large property owners, landscapers, commercial lawn care companies, golf courses, schools, municipalities and governments, homeowners and the military. Cazenovia Equipment Company strives to provide its customers with world-class customer service from an excellent network of outstanding team members and locations throughout New York State.
Emceed by Charter Communications Sports Director Mark Larson, the Sept. 26 breakfast will also recognize some of the area’s newest Eagle Scouts, including finalists for the annual Eagle Scout Community Service Project of the Year award (to be announced on October 17).
The Good Scout Award Breakfast will be at the Hampton Inn in Cazenovia. Breakfast will be served at 7 a.m. and a Boy Scout Honor Guard will begin the program with the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:30 a.m. Individual tickets are $50; tables of eight are available for $500 which includes a half-page recognition in the event program.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 315-735-4437, ext. 223, or register online at LeatherstockingCouncil.org/GSACAZ.
