Local Eagle Scouts recognized at the 53rd Eagle Scout banquet

Dr. Robert Gates with Chief Seattle Council leaders
Photo by Joshua McGrew, Chief Seattle Council, BSA

Keynote Speaker Dr. Robert Gates Talks about Scouting Building Tomorrow’s Future.

On Thursday night, May 1, in Bellevue, over 177 recent Eagle Scouts gathered to celebrate their success and be honored for attaining the rank of Eagle - Scouting’s highest rank.

Scouts were paired with adults in the business community based on their career choices. Former Scoutmaster Jeff Renner, whom you see nightly on the King 5 News, emceed the program.

The program consisted of awarding Peter McLoughlin, President of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC, the Distinguished Eagle Scout award and Dr. Robert Gates, the 22nd secretary of Defense as the keynote speaker for the evening.

Dr. Gates is the only Secretary of Defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected President. Dr. Gates also served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. During his tenure in public service, he served a total of eight presidents of both political parties.

Dr. Gates is due to take over as the President of the National Boy Scouts of America in May of 2014.

Here are six of the new Eagle Scouts from the Aurora District (from left) – Duncan Gowdy (Troop 100), Jack Cockburn (Troop 348), Tom Maxson (Troop 853), William Trainer (Troop 100), Caleb Judd (Troop 106), and Everest Keehnel (Troop 151). Tom Maxson is the most recent recipient of the Eagle Scouts of Western Washington Scholarship.

The following Scouts earned their Eagle rank this past year in the Aurora District (Lake Forest Park, north Seattle, Shoreline): 

• Kellen Reeder, Maximilian Zinkus, Seiji Hansen (Troop 70), 
• Duncan Fowler and Nicholas Saether (Troop 72), 
• Adlai Nissen, Brian King, Sean Luchessa, Stewart Keaton (Troop 80), 
• August Easton-Calabria, Duncan Gowdy, Liam Easton-Calabria, William Trainer (Troop 100), 
• Gavin Partington and John George (Troop 123), 
• Liam Comidy (Troop 125), 
• Malcolm Hull and Tristan Rice (Troop 144), 
• Everest Keehnel (Troop 151), 
• Alec Meden, Edward O'Brien, Eric Phelps, Jacob Chesterfield, Max Schafer, Nathan Aberg, Owain James, Sean Volke (Troop 166), 
• David Rufin and Ryan Graham (Troop 167), 
• Nash Baker and Ryan Barr (Troop 171), 
• Steven Richards (Troop 175), 
• Conor Holland, Daniel Seroussi, Jack Snyder, Jackson Sage, Matthew Linker, Owen Acker, Thomas Ruggles, William Plattner (Troop 186), 
• Charles Martinez and Victor Quezada (Troop 309), 
• Peter Haderlie (Troop 317), 
• Daniel Heath and Jonathan Gugger (Troop 325), 
• Mitchell Stewart (Troop 338), 
• Christopher Plancich and John Cockburn (Troop 348), 
• Riley Monroe (Troop 827), 
• Mayson Marchant and Nathan Hickman (Troop 838), 
• Robert Jeffreys, Tristan LaPoint and Tyler Coleman (Troop 850), 
• Maxfield Herzog and Thomas Maxson (Troop 853).

The Chief Seattle Council includes five counties: King, Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap and Mason.