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FritillaryB
May 3, 2018

Eagle Scout

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This is a photo of my dad at the age of 17 when he became an Eagle Scout. He was proud of this accomplishment and saved all of his membership cards, merit badges, and his Eagle Scout letter (reduced copy that I made on parchment in the lower right corner). I have used a combination of original documents and reduced copies in this layout, using clips instead of glue on the original items. My dad would be proud that I learned how to tie scout knots to make this tribute to him. A useful skill for crafting. The tiny book at the bottom is tied with a bowline at the top, and a double half hitch slip knot to secure it. A few other of my knot samples are in the middle on the left and on the embroidery thread around the trinkets. I embossed the bugle and the compass with gold embossing powder. The shaker is filled with blue sea glass, a treasured gift from Carri that I have been desperately wanting to use. One detail that is worth noticing is the content of the letter and the reference to Eagle Scouts who became soldiers. Thanks for looking!

Here is some unedited journaling that I did along with this layout: I did not come to possess most of these Scout items until after my dad passed in 2006. But I somehow convinced him to give me the 5 x 7 photo years earlier and have had it framed and hanging for most of my adult life. This particular photo was important to me because it reminded me of his best qualities. My dad always tried to do the right thing and needed to be perfect at everything he tried. He graduated from HS third in his class and joined the Navy not long after this photo was taken. He was honorably discharged 6 months later when they learned that he was blind in one eye. He was truly disappointed that he wasn't able to serve. He started working in the coal mines when he returned from the Navy but that only lasted until his former high school principal told him that because of his disability he was eligible for college benefits. He went to Purdue and got an engineering degree. He was always embarrassed by his blind eye and worried that people noticed but it helped him earn a college degree.

I think most of us have good qualities that are tied on little strings to less positive qualities. This was certainly true of my Dad's Eagle Scoutness. As an adult, whenever he failed to live up to his own expectations he would drink two bottles of vodka in what always seemed to me to be a suicide attempt. He was a binge alcoholic who could go 5-10 years without a drop and then suddenly he would drink, wind up in a hospital, loose his job, get divorced, recover, get married again.... He was married 7 times to 6 different women. As a child I was aware of my Dad's alcoholism from a distance. My parents were divorced when I was 9. We saw him for amazing summer camping trips where we would canoe in a beautiful wooden canoe that he built himself. I only knew he was drinking when we would start having tomato soup 3 times a week. My mother wouldn't say a bad word about him but she was raising 4 kids on her salary as a secretary and tomato soup meant she wasn't getting child support checks. A few months later everything would be fine again.

I adored my Dad and we remained always close. In my mind he will always be the perfect Eagle Scout.


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