by Claire Darner
When James Whittington was in high school in 1972, he organized and created a garden to preserve the hillside behind St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach.
His project earned him the prestigious Eagle Scout title, the highest rank possible in the Boy Scout program.
The La Jolla resident is one of the 109 men who’ve earned their Eagle Scout Award through Manhattan Beach-based Troop 849, which was founded in 1956.
On Saturday, July 7, the Eagle Scouts are being honored in conjunction with Manhattan Beach’s centennial.
“It’s about service to your community, to your country, and I think that’s lost on a lot of people nowadays,” Whittington said, of the Eagle Scout award. “It’s one of those things that teaches you how important it is to be involved in your community and to take care of the other members of this family group, this village that you live with.”
The road to becoming an Eagle Scout is long and complicated, said Sally Bickel, whose son earned the award three years ago. The process includes planning, organizing and leading a community service project.
Cheryl Hines, who is planning the July 7 event, said that only two percent of scouts earn the award.
Whittington joined Boy Scouts at 11 with a love of camping. He thought it would be nice to make friends with similar interests. But the troop gave him more than a group of friends. “It was really useful,” he said, adding that his Eagle Scout project taught him how to become a leader.
Being involved in the organization had its perks. Whittington, who has an avid interest in flying, earned a merit badge by flying in an airline pilot’s aircraft.
Ryan Hadley worked with the Forest Service in 2008 for his Eagle project. He spent two years gaining approval to restore two campgrounds in the Angeles National Forest.
“Then, I spent nearly a hundred hours planning and organizing the project. Finally, it took four weekend trips up to the mountains to prepare the necessary materials and execute my project. In the end, my project totaled over 500 hours including time contributed by over 30 awesome volunteers,” Hadley said. “I am proud to say I am among the elite few who can call themselves Eagles for the rest of their lives.”
The event will take place on July 7 at the Doubletree hotel in Torrance at 6 p.m. $50 per person. For more information, visit troop849.org.
