Merit Badge: Profile of a Next Generation Leader
- Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:01pm by
Meredith Jessup
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Hunter Proctor, 15, shows off his many accomplishments
From archaeology to archery, wilderness survival to wood carving, one New York teenager has mastered them all with a matching badge to prove it. On Saturday, Sept. 5, 15-year-old Hunter Procter of Jamestown, N.Y., earned his Boy Scout merit badge for scuba diving, the final badge to add to his sash.
Proctor is one of just 125 scouts known to have earned all available badges of merit in the Boy Scouts of America’s 100-year history, a legacy that has included over 50 million scouts.
“It’s a great feeling,” Proctor told the Post-Journal. “I’m very honored to be one.”
Proctor is currently a student at Youngsville High School and competes in cross country, wrestling and track. ”I have a tight schedule,” he told the Post-Journal, “but it works.”
Proctor joined the Scouts at age 11 and earned his first badge – weather – on Feb. 18, 2006. Less than five years later, he has earned an outstanding 127 additional badges. ”I’m glad he reached his goal,” said Hunter’s father, John, who is Troop 8 assistant scoutmaster. “I’m proud of him.”
Most Scouts don’t come close to earning the number of badges Proctor has. The Post-Journal reports:
At a week of scout camp, many scouts earn a handful, according to John Proctor. The average scout earns between 30 and 40 badges before he turns 18.
Even Eagle Scouts, the Boy Scouts’ highest honor, only have to accumulate 21 badges: any nine in addition to 12 required badges. They must also complete a community service project.
Proctor, who became an Eagle Scout almost two years ago shortly after his 14th birthday, easily had the required badges. For his project, he constructed new dugouts for a girls’ softball field in Youngsville.
In addition to being an inspiration for others in his community, the Post-Journal reports that Proctor is impacting the country’s oldest Boy Scout Council.
“He‘s changed the council with what he’s done,” Hunter’s dad says. This year, Hunter is helping usher in 26 candidates for Order of the Arrow, the organization’s honor society, of which he serves as lodge chief.
“I can already see that more kids are coming,” his dad said.
With no more badges to earn (for now), Proctor says he plans to remain active in the Scouts, helping others meet their goals. And as the Boy Scouts unveil new badges in the future, Proctor says he will work until he’s 18 to keep his perfect record intact.
Next year, the Scouts plan to roll out a badge for robotics, and Hunter Proctor is already looking forward to the new challenge. ”If they come out with more, I look forward to it,” he said. “Any one that they throw at me.”
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Comments (56)
Vince Vega
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 12:30amFinally a story that makes you feel like there’s hope….we sure could use a few more of those!
Report Post »emomobile
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 4:08amAmen, keep em coming. I would like to see the Blaze become a place where there are also uplifting, hopeful stories like this one. I’m sure all the leftist blogs are laughing that anyone would think this newsworthy, but it is. I’m an eagle scout and proud of it, although I didn’t get anywhere near all the badges like this young man. Way to go.
Report Post »vic138
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 11:22pmWell spoken, for a hitman.
Report Post »basskids
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 12:24amAwesome! What an accomplishment. Who says there’s no good news. Excellent. This young man will go far.
Report Post »13thGenerationAmerican
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 11:50pmAs a fellow Scout I salute!
Report Post »ReGul
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 11:21pmWhat a great story to hear and read about !! Talk about determination…dedication..and focus!! Great role model all at the age of 15! Amazing!! God Bless America!
Report Post »GHatcher
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 11:13pmAmazing feat and effort. Keep up the dedication and you can do anything you set your mind to. (Seems like you have realized this). Conrat’s!!!
Report Post »flintandsteel
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 10:19pmAs an Eagle Scout and holder of the Order of the Arrow, I know how much work Hunter put into this astounding accomplishment. Young Excellence – on the rise!
Report Post »M31Sailor
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 10:09pmgreat job young man
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 9:40pmGreat job young man! And to think that President Obama couldn’t find time for the Boy Scouts some weeks back during their big celebration……………says a lot!
Report Post »usualsuspect
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 8:48pmBravo Zulu God Speed
Report Post »aircraftmag
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 8:40pmHow proud his parents and community must be of this young man. He is an inspiration to others.
Report Post »TNnana
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 8:15pmWay to go young man – a lot of determination and grit went into earning those badges. May you achieve all you strive for in the grand life ahead of you. Well done!
Report Post »jcatlanta
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 8:10pmThis is awesome. Its great to hear good news for a change.
Report Post »wonderbug
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:57pmCongratulations, and may God bless you in all of your future endeavors, too!
Report Post »spendthrift
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:50pmPerseverance and Commitment. Congratulations young man !
Report Post »jb1972
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:49pmGood job mate! And a special thank you to your parents who allowed you or encouraged you to explore your world! Hopefully you will continue to experience other aspects of the real world.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:36pmAtta Boy! Hope more people support their local troops.
Report Post »familyofsix
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:31pmCongratulations young man! As an Eagle Scout over 30 years ago, I have a small sense of the amount of effort you must have invested to get all of these merit badges. This additional knowledge and hard word will serve him well, and will undoubtedly open up other opportunities to excel in life. These are the kinds of programs that help our kids become patriots and defenders of the Constitution; these are the types of young people who will lead our country some day. Despite all the current political turmoil of today, I’d say America has a bright future with the coming generations. Again, well done!
Report Post »staythecourse
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:24pmProctor, congratulations on your amazing accomplishment . You are a role model for all of us. Continue reaching for the stars. It is people like you who will re-make our country….people who have a dream and go after it and actually work for it. Kudos! And I am also impressed that your next goal is to helpothers achieve their goals too. And, by the way, how is Jamestown these days? Someday I’ve got to get back to NY!
Report Post »carol m
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:21pmGood for him he set a goal and accomplished it. It wasn’t easy but he kept at it until he finished. It would be nice if most of our youth took this quality as their own. It would be nice if some adults took this quality as their own.
Report Post »royaloakmary
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 1:32amSo wonderful the goals of boy scouts……..sadly the President has underminded the boyscouts, not the organization….but the boys ,each with powrful pride . I met such a nice young man/boyscout last summer , who spoke of the comemorative coin to mark the 100 years who said they MADE THEM /NO CHOICE option for coin to have 2 boys and 1 girl on the face…….those poor boys…give them a break……The USA is sooooooo caught up in PC. Political Correctness will be our downfall…no girls in boy scouts I say.
Report Post »vonryansexpress
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:20pmWhat a stellar Scout.
There is no organization that can rival the Boy Scouts for life long skills. Just this weekend, I was called upon to tie a rope and it was my Troop learning from years before that knew the line and made the knot.
Congratualtions Sir.
Report Post »Ellie
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:15pmGood for him!
When I was in Military Electronics Tech training school (many many moons ago) I took a break from class and found a boy scout manual in the local library. After reading through it I found it to be quite ironic that a boy scout had to _DO_ more with, and _KNOW_ more about, electronics to get a merit badge then any of my classmates needed to do and know in order to graduate.
Sure we learned some Electronics theory but mostly we learned how to unplug the broken item, plug in a new one, test it, and then ship the broken one off to the non-military repair company.
Report Post »FreeToGovern
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:13pmWay to go Hunter!! I only made it to 2nd Class. :(
Report Post »As a Cross Country coach, I do see the very best of the younger generation.
FreeToGovern
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:18pmThe sad face was for my poor Boy Scout career.
Report Post »sallyminster
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 8:15pmDon’t fret, you are doing alot for youth now!
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:10pmNow this is a prime example of a future leader in America I wish more of our politicians had half the integrity honor and pride in America as this young man has
Report Post »Sheepdog911
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:10pmAs an Eagle Scout, I’m impressed.
Report Post »vic138
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 12:03amMe too. I was an eagle and a camp counselor but I only made 27 merit badges. I don’t know how he did it, beekeeping, farming, etc. Some require a lot of time.
Report Post »dressseller
Posted on September 20, 2010 at 7:09pmExcellent! What a role model and an inspiration!! Congratulations to he AND his parents!
Report Post »Compete or Lose
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 8:03amWhat a great story–What a great kid–I would like to see more inspirational stories that show how individual determination can achieve success.
Report Post »RGS
Buck Bagaw
Posted on September 21, 2010 at 9:52amCongratulations also to his folks on a superb job of parenting. Raising a kid with this class requires a lot of love and tons of dedication. In your efforts to raise Hunter properly you have given a gift to the rest of the world,
Report Post »There is a downside to this. With all Hunter’s achievements, he makes all the lazy kids look bad.