Scout carries on family legacy
During a ceremony held Jan. 25 at Taunton Presbyterian Church, Scout Troop 61officially welcomed its newest Eagle Scout.
Greg Fey passed the board of review in November and was bestowed the rank of Eagle Scout.
“It is great,” Fey said. “It is like the pressure is off now. It is something I’ve wanted since I started in scouts. It is something I have looked forward to and have been moving toward for more than 10 years.”
Fey’s father, Ron, who also serves as scoutmaster for Troop 61, said he was proud to see all his son has achieved.
“My wife and I are very proud,” Ron said. “It is great to see him get where he is and to see all he has done. We are very proud.”
Making the honor all the more special for Fey is that he is the sixth member of his family to achieve this rank.
Ron said he and his three brothers and Fey’s oldest brother all also reached Eagle Scout.
To see his son continue this legacy was a special moment.
“He did this, he decided this was something he wanted to do,” Ron said. “It wasn’t anything he had to do because his uncles or brother did it. It was Greg’s choice and he worked hard to achieve this and we are all very proud of him.”
There is a strong connection between scouting and the Fey family
Ron said he and his siblings found scouting interesting from an early age because of all it had to offer.
Ron said the chance to be outdoors and active in a variety of activities and projects appealed to him and he has enjoyed sharing this with his sons.
“It is a great program,” Ron said. “We all really enjoyed being in scouting.”
With a family that has a scouting history, it seemed like a natural progression for Fey to get involved.
“I was always interested,” he said. “From the time even before I was a Cub Scout I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
Ron said while there is a family connection to scouting, there is no requirement to be involved.
“One of my sons tried and it wasn’t for him,” Ron said. “There was no pressure. It was up to each of the boys to decide if this was something they wanted to do.”
Fey said throughout the process he felt nothing but support from his family, but he is honored to carry on the family legacy.
“It is great to think about it,” Fey said. “My dad, my uncles, my brother, it is nice to be a part of that.”
Being in scouts from an early age, Fey attained the rank of Life Scout, the rank just below Eagle by the time he was 13, but decided to wait to go for Eagle Scout until he felt prepared.
“One of the requirements is leadership experience,” Fey said. “I didn’t have a lot of that when I was 13. But I have been able to get a lot more experience.”
To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, candidates are asked to complete a service project.
Fey took on repairs for the handicap access ramp at his church, fixing and refurbishing the ramp and walls.
Now that he has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and after the many years he has been involved with the program, Fey said scouts will always be a part of his life and one day he hopes to give his own children the chance to be involved with scouting.
Ron said with changes in scouting that have made the program open to both male and female scouts it is an exciting time that opens up many new opportunities for all children.
“It is a now a program for the whole family,” Ron said.
Fey agreed with his father.
“That is exciting that I can get my kids in scouting some day,” Fey said. “It is a great program. I’ve really enjoyed it and maybe one day my kids will too.”
