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HILLSBOROUGH: Three Eagle Scouts get ‘well done’ plaudits

Congressman Lance attends Court of Honor

   Three Hillsborough boys from Boy Scout Troop 489 were honored together at a Hillsborough Township Committee meeting on June 12, for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest in Scouting.
   Mayor Carl Suraci read and presented proclamations to Eagle Scouts David Deppen, Erik Koehr and Joe Welches. The boys all joined Troop 489 together in the spring of 2006 and are juniors at Hillsborough High School.
   On Saturday June 16, the boys were honored by Troop 489 at an Eagle Court of Honor held at St. Joseph’s Church in Hillsborough. The ceremony included a visit and remarks by the district’s Congressman, Leonard Lance.
   Monsignor Ray Cole, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, offered prayers.
   Eagle is the highest of seven Boy Scout ranks and the achievement requires years of active participation, service, and demonstrated leadership. During advancement through the ranks, boys master basic Scout skills, including camping, cooking, first aid, citizenship, personal fitness, family life, emergency preparedness, environmental science, swimming, canoeing, and hiking.
   Boys must earn at least 21 merit badges, 12 of which are required.
   To gain the rank also requires demonstrating leadership by planning and executing a community service project.
   David Deppen is the second oldest son of Kim and Jerald Wirzman. The family moved to Hillsborough in 2001. A few of David’s favorite Scout trips include visiting Annapolis, Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., Tennessee’s Smokey Mountains and attending West Point Camporee.
   David’s Eagle project was refurbishing the exterior of a historic building, “Hazel’s House,” in Millstone, which was donated to the Hillsborough Reformed Church. In 75 hours of preparation and work, the project removed nails from original siding, primed the lower half of the house and cleaned up debris.
   David joins a family heritage of Scouting; his father, six uncles, and two cousins each earned the Eagle rank.
   Erik Koehr is the second of three sons born to John and Melissa Koehr. The Koehrs moved to Hillsborough in November 1999. Highlights of Erik’s Scouting career included serving as senior patrol leader and attending a Boy Scout high adventure camp at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.
   Erik’s Eagle project included building an outdoor information kiosk at Oak Springs Girl Scout Camp in Somerset. The bulletin board will allow park rangers to provide information, including bear precautions, as well as block unwanted car traffic inside the camp.
   In Erik’s family, his grandfather, father, three uncles, brother Adam and four cousins all attained the Eagle rank.
   Joe Welches is the oldest child of Joe and Michele Welches, and has lived in Hillsborough his entire life. Joe’s memorable Scout experiences included serving as assistant senior patrol leader and learning about the nation and its history during trips to West Point, Gettysburg, Annapolis and Washington, D.C.
   For his Eagle service project, he planned and constructed a stray animal holding pen for the township’s health and police departments. The pen will provide an area to house lost pets until they can be reunited with families.
   Joe continues his family’s Eagle Scout heritage, which includes his great-grandfather, father and uncle.
   Since its establishment in 1999, Troop 489 has graduated 29 Eagle Scouts. The chartered organization for the troop is Mary, Mother of God Church.