<p>How much weight does being an Eagle Scout have in the admissions decision?</p>
<p>It's an excellent EC/ award.</p>
<p>yea it weighs pretty darn heavily</p>
<p>overrated i think, it's not really that hard there was an arguement about this before, it's just a little committment, i wish i had continued, it was just boring</p>
<p>pretty horrible EC... If anything, it will detract from your application....</p>
<p>^If you are beging serious, could you explain the logic of your statement?</p>
<p>I think it helps but probably not as much as Scout leaders say it does.</p>
<p>I am one myself. I just think it depends. If you are applying to highly selective colleges(ivies) they arn't going to be like WHOLY CRAP THAT KID IS AN EAGLE TAKE HIM....they'll just be like hey that's cool. It'll help, but not a lot.</p>
<p>If you are applying to less selective college's, then it starts to help a lot more. Just depends.</p>
<p>It's great for showing leadership/dedication. And if you luck out and have an Eagle scout reading your application for admission, you're in the money.</p>
<p>Oh and just as a little added primary source, this is a direct quote from an email I received from the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill congratulating me on my acceptance:</p>
<p>"I am always impressed with anyone that makes it up to the level of Eagle Scout!"</p>
<p>All of you that try to downplay the significance of obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout could not be more ignorant and uninformed. It is statistically proven that Eagle Scouts will make 1,000,000 dollars more in their life time than those who do not have the rank. Also, names like Sam Walton, Gerald Ford, and this who list of successful people are ALL Eagle Scouts. Last, please name an extra curricular that will automatically grant you a rank advancement in todays military other than being an Eagle Scout. Obviously you haters dont know crap about what it means to be an Eagle Scout and need to do more research before you open your ignorant/arrogant mouths</p>
<p>Neil Armstrong</p>
<pre><code>* Gary Ackerman; Representative from New York, serving twelfth term.[3]
* James C. Adamson; Retired Army colonel and astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-28 and STS-43.[4]
* Peter Agre; Biologist who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of aquaporins.[2][5][6]
* Bill Alexander; Former representative from Arkansas.[7]
* Lamar A. Alexander; Senator from Tennessee; previously Governor of Tennessee and United States Secretary of Education.[2][3]
* Bill Amend; Cartoonist, best known for his comic strip FoxTrot.[8]
* Neil Armstrong; Retired astronaut who flew on the Gemini 8 and Apollo 11 missions, test pilot, and naval aviator famous as the first human to set foot on the Moon.[2][4][9]
* Marvin J. Ashton (deceased); Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, businessman and Utah state senator.[10]
* Norman Ralph Augustine; Aircraft businessman and former CEO of Martin Marietta Aerospace.[2][11]
- Lawrence S. Bacow; , President of Tufts University and former chancellor of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[2][9]
- James P. Bagian; Physician and astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-29 and STS-40.[4]
- Willie Banks; Olympic competitor and world-record-holding track star.[1]
- Marion S. Barry; Member of the Council of the District of Columbia, former mayor of Washington, D.C.[12]
- Harry Brinkley Bass (deceased); Navy fighter pilot killed in action over France during World War II, awarded the Navy Cross twice and the Silver Star. The USS Brinkley Bass was named in his honor.[13]
- Albert Belle; Former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. Considered by many to be one of the leading sluggers of his time, he was the first player to hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a single season.[14]
- Charles Edward Bennett (deceased); Representative from Florida.[2]
- Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. (deceased); Four-term senator from Texas and nominee for vice president. Representative, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and Secretary of the Treasury.[2][1]
- Dick Beyer; Retired professional wrestler, schoolteacher and coach.[15]
- Jeff Bingaman; Senator from New Mexico and former attorney general of New Mexico.[16]
- Arthur Gary Bishop (deceased); Serial killer.[17]
- Sanford Bishop; Representative from Georgia.[2][18]
- Michael Bloomberg; Mayor of the City of New York, prominent businessman and the founder of Bloomberg L.P.[19][9][20]
- Guy Bluford; Retired Air Force colonel and astronaut who participated in four flights of the Space Shuttle-STS-8, STS-39, STS-53, and STS-61-A. First African American in space. Designated as the emissary to return the Challenger flag.[4]
- Charles Bonesteel (deceased); Army general who commanded the US forces in Korea from 1966 to 1969.[2]
- Ken Bowersox; Astronaut, test pilot and Navy captain who is a veteran of seven space flights-STS-50, STS-61, STS-73, STS-82, STS-113, Expedition 6 and Soyuz TMA-1.[4]
- William W. Bradley; Rhodes Scholar, former star basketball player who later became a senator and presidential candidate.[2][1][9][20]
- Charles E. Brady, Jr. (deceased); Astronaut who flew on shuttle mission STS-78.[2][4]
- James Brady; Gun control advocate and White House Press Secretary under President Ronald Reagan who was shot and became permanently disabled during the Reagan assassination attempt.[2]
- Stephen Breyer; Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.[21][9][20]
Sherrod Brown; Senator from Ohio.[22]
John T. Caldwell (deceased); Educator who served as the chancellor of North Carolina State University from 1959-1975.[23][24]
William D. Campbell (deceased); Founder of the World Scout Foundation, member of World Scout Committee.[24]
Milton Caniff (deceased); Cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.[24][1]
Russ Carnahan; Representative from Missouri.[25]
Gerald P. Carr; Retired Marine Corps colonel and former astronaut who flew onboard Skylab 4.[24]
Sonny Carter (deceased); Astronaut who flew on shuttle missions including STS-33.[24]
Roger B. Chaffee (deceased); Navy pilot and astronaut on Apollo 1.[4]
Kirk Chambers; NFL football player for the Cleveland Browns.[26]
Gregory Chamitoff; Astronaut who is a backup crew-member for International Space Station Expedition 15.[4]
Kim B. Clark; President of Brigham Young University-Idaho from 2005 to present, former Dean of the Faculty at Harvard Business School.[24]
Tom C. Clark (deceased); Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.[24]
Thad Cochran; Senior senator from Mississippi.[24]
George Thomas Coker; Retired Navy commander, honored with the Navy Cross for his leadership as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War.[24][27][9][20]
Barber Conable (deceased); Representative from New York, former president of the World Bank.[24]
Richard O. Covey; Retired astronaut who was the pilot for the first "Return To Space" flight and flew shuttle missions STS-26, STS-38, STS-51-I, STS-61.[24]
Mike Crapo; Senator from Idaho.[24]
John Oliver Creighton; Navy combat veteran and retired astronaut who flew shuttle missions STS-51-G, STS-36 and STS-48.[4]
John W. Creighton, Jr.; Civilian aide to the secretary of the Army; former CEO of Weyerhaeuser Co. and United Air Lines; former national president of the BSA.[24]
Edgar Cunningham (deceased); Earliest known African American Eagle Scout, awarded in 1926.[28]
James Dale; Litigant in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale.[29]
William E. Dannemeyer; Honorary national chairman of Citizens for a Better America and former representative from California.[24]
Hal Daub; Representative from Nebraska, serving four terms, lawyer and former mayor of Omaha, Nebraska.[24]
William DeVries; Cardiothoracic surgeon who performed the first successful permanent artificial heart implantation.[1]
Michael S. Dukakis; Former governor of Massachusetts and former presidential candidate.[24][9]
Charles Moss Duke, Jr.; Retired Air Force brigadier general and astronaut. As a member of Apollo 16 he became one of only twelve men who have walked on the moon.[24][9]
Aquilla J. Dyess (deceased); Lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps during World War II who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life" during the Battle of Kwajalein.[30][9]
Ronnie Earle; District attorney for Travis County, Texas known for bringing to light the Jack Abramoff controversies and for filing charges against House majority leader Tom DeLay.[31]
John D. Ehrlichman (deceased); Assistant to President Richard Nixon.[24]
Donn F. Eisele (deceased); Air Force colonel and Apollo 7 astronaut.[4]
Arthur Rose Eldred (deceased); Agricultural official and executive and Navy veteran of World War I who became the first Eagle Scout. Also received the Bronze Honor Medal for lifesaving, and was the first of three generations of Eagle Scouts.[32]
Mike Enzi; Senator from Wyoming.[24][9]
Daniel J. Evans; Former three-term governor of Washington and former senator.[24]
Philo Farnsworth (deceased); Inventor, holder of first patent for an electronic television.[6]
Jay Fawcett; Politician, decorated combat veteran and co-founder of Veterans for a Secure America.[33]
Jim Feldkamp; Politician, former Navy aviator and combat veteran and former FBI agent.[34]
Robert Edward Femoyer (deceased); Army Air Forces navigator during World War II who was awarded the Medal of Honor.[35]
Lawrence Ferlinghetti; Poet who is best known as the co-owner of the City Lights Bookstore and publishing house, which published early literary works of the Beat generation.[36]
Alva R. Fitch (deceased); Lieutenant general in the Army and former Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.[37]
Eugene B. Fluckey; Navy submarine commander during World War II who received the Medal of Honor.[38]
Tom Foley; Former representative from Washington, former speaker of the House of Representatives, former ambassador to Japan.[1]
Gerald R. Ford Jr. (deceased); 38th President of the United States.[24][1][9]
Dave Foreman; Co-founder of environmental activist group Earth First.[39]
Patrick G. Forrester; Astronaut who flew on STS-105.[4]
Steve Fossett; Aviator and adventurer known for his five world record non-stop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo airplane pilot.[24][1]
Michael E. Fossum; Colonel in the Air Force Reserve and astronaut who flew on STS-121 as a mission specialist.[4]
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.; Politician who was the former governor of Louisiana.[40]
Daniel Frisa; Journalist and former representative for New York.[41]
C. Gordon Fullerton; Research pilot, retired Air Force colonel and astronaut who flew STS-3 and STS-51-F.[4]
Chan Gailey; Head coach of the Georgia Tech football team and former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.[42][9]
John Garamendi; 46th Lieutenant Governor of California, former California Insurance Commissioner, former Deputy United States Secretary of the Interior.[43]
Robert Gates; Secretary of Defense, Former President of Texas A&M University, president of the National Eagle Scout Association, former CIA director, [2][1]
William H. Gates, Sr.; Lawyer and CEO of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, father of Bill Gates.[43][9][20]
E. Gordon Gee; President of several universities and law professor.[43]
Dick Gephardt; Former Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, former representative from Missouri, former presidential candidate.[43]
Louie Gohmert; Representative from Texas.[44]
Stephen Goldsmith; Author, politician, professor, and educator, former mayor of Indianapolis.[43]
Matt Gonzalez; Politician, attorney, and editorial writer. Former member and president of the San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors from the Green Party.[45]
Ronald M. Gould; Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and former professor at the University of Washington.[43]
William G. Gregory; Retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and astronaut who served on shuttle mission STS-67.[4]
S. David Griggs (deceased); Navy Reserve admiral and astronaut who served on shuttle mission STS-51-D.[4]
John H. Groberg; Emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[43]
Bradley Haddock; Vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Koch Chemical Technology Group, LLC.[43]
David Hahn; "Radioactive Boy Scout" who attempted to build a nuclear reactor at age seventeen.[46]
H. R. Haldeman (deceased); White House Chief of Staff.[47]
William Hanna (deceased); Animator, director, producer, cartoon artist, and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera.[43]
John M. Harbert (deceased); Businessman who founded Harbert Management Company.[43]
Alfred Harvey (deceased); Founder of Harvey Comics.[48]
John Briggs Hayes (deceased); Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.[43]
J. D. Hayworth; Representative from Arizona and former television and radio journalist.[49]
Bobby Henderson; Creator of the parody religion Flying Spaghetti Monsterism.[50]
Russell Henderson; Murderer of Matthew Shepard.[51]
Jeb Hensarling; Representative from Texas.[52]
Robert T. Herres; Retired chairman of USAA Group, retired Air Force general who was the first Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award.[43]
Dudley R. Herschbach; Chemist and Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.[43]
William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt (deceased); Danish Knight-Scout considered to be the father of American Boy Scouting and the Scoutmaster to the World due to his prolific writings and teachings in the areas of troop and patrol structure, training, and the development of the American adaptation of the Wood Badge program.[43]
Jeffrey A. Hoffman; Co-director of the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium at MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, former astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-51-D, STS-35, STS-46, STS-61 and STS-75.[53]
Mark Hofmann; Forger and murderer.[54]
George Hooks; politician Georgia State Senate.[55][56][57]
L. Ron Hubbard (deceased); Pulp fiction and science fiction writer and founder of Scientology and Dianetics.[58]
Howard W. Hunter (deceased); 14th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[43]
Gregory H. Johnson; Astronaut.[53]
Jay L. Johnson; Navy Admiral and fighter pilot, 26th Chief of Naval Operations.[43]
E. Fay Jones (deceased); Noted architect and designer.[59]
Thomas David Jones; Retired astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-59, STS-68 and STS-80.[53]
Darwin Judge (deceased); Marine who was an embassy security guard
Michael Kahn; Recognized film editor who won the Academy Award for Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List and Raiders of the Lost Ark.[1]
William Henry Keeler; Archbishop of Baltimore.[43]
Alfred Kinsey; Biologist and professor of entomology and zoology who is known for his research on human sexuality.[61]
Harry Knowles; Internet film critic.[62]
Gus Kohntopp; Commercial pilot with Southwest Airlines and colonel in the Idaho Air National Guard who was identified as one of the pilots involved in the 190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals friendly fire incident - March 28, 2003.[63]
Jon Koncak; Retired professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic.[1]
I. Beverly Lake; Jurist and public official, formerly the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.[64]
Greg Lashutka; Lawyer and former mayor of Columbus, Ohio, former NFL player for the Buffalo Bills.[65]
Mark C. Lee; Retired Air Force officer and astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-30, STS-47, STS-64, and STS-82.[53]
Sheldon Leonard (deceased); Pioneering film and television producer, director, writer, and actor.[66]
Howard Lincoln; CEO of Seattle Mariners baseball team and former chairman of Nintendo of America. In 1956 he posed for The Scoutmaster painting by Norman Rockwell.[43]
Don L. Lind; Retired astronaut who flew SpaceLab mission STS-51-B.[53]
Steven W. Lindsey; Air Force colonel and astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-87, STS-95, and STS-104.[53]
Gary Locke; Lawyer and former governor of Washington.[65][9]
Andrew Looney; Award-winning game designer, writer, cartoonist, photographer, computer programmer and activist.[67]
James Lovell; Retired astronaut who flew on missions Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13, former president of National Eagle Scout Association.[65][1][9][20]
Dick Lugar; Senator from Indiana.[65][9]
David Lynch; Award winning filmmaker and actor.[68]
Tom Mack; Offensive left guard for Los Angeles Rams and member of Pro Football Hall of Fame.[65]
Mark Madsen; NBA basketball player with Minnesota Timberwolves, coach of youth basketball camp.[9]
Ray Malavasi (deceased); Head coach of National Football League's Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.[65]
J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr.; Chairman and CEO of Marriott International.[65][1][9][20]
Wynton Marsalis; Trumpeter and composer who has been awarded nine Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize.[69]
William C. McCool (deceased); Pilot of the Columbia shuttle mission STS-107.[53][9]
Michael J. McCulley; Chief Executive Officer of United Space Alliance and retired astronaut who flew on shuttle mission STS-104.[53]
Capers W. McDonald; Executive in Residence, Johns Hopkins University; former President and CEO of BioReliance Corporation; established McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising.[2]
Rob McKenna; Washington state Attorney General.[70]
Sid McMath (deceased); Decorated Marine, renowned attorney and progressive reform Governor of Arkansas.[71]
Robert McNamara; Business executive and former United States Secretary of Defense.[72]
Michael R. McNulty; Representative from New York.[73]
Roy W. Menninger; Physician and former leader of the Menninger Foundation, older brother of Walter.[65]
W. Walter Menninger; Physician and former leader of the Menninger Foundation, younger brother of Roy.[65]
George Meyer; Writer and producer of The Simpsons.[74]
Richards "Doc" Miller; Dentist, one of the founders of Venturing, one of the authors of Wood Badge in the 21st Century and the 2003 Boy Scout Field Book.[65]
Tony Miller; Lawyer and former Chief Deputy for the California Secretary of State.[75]
Scott Mitchell; Former NFL quarterback.[76]
Lloyd Monserratt (deceased); Political and community leader in California.[77]
Michael Moore; Academy Award winning film director, author, social commentator, and comedian.[78]
Jim E. Mora; Sport radio commentator and analyst. Former head coach of the Baltimore Stars, New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.[65]
John "Jack" Murtha; Representative from Pennsylvania, and decorated war veteran.[3]
Ben Nelson; Senator from Nebraska and former governor.[65]
Ozzie Nelson (deceased); Noted actor and band leader.[65]
Sam Nunn; Businessman and politician who is the co-chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Former US senator from Georgia.[65][1]
Thomas J. O'Brien; Treasurer of Plymouth County, former Massachusetts State Representative, CEO of the Plymouth River Eels baseball team.[79][80]
Brian O'Leary; Retired astronaut who was the deputy team leader for Mariner 10.[53]
Ellison Onizuka (deceased); Air Force lieutenant colonel and astronaut who flew on shuttle mission STS-51-C. He died onboard Space Shuttle Challenger.[53][9]
Stephen S. Oswald; Navy rear admiral and retired astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-42, STS-56, and STS-67.[65][53]
Mitchell Paige (deceased); Marine Corps hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Guadalcanal.[65][9]
Francis J. Parater (deceased); Catholic seminarian from Virginia nominated for sainthood.[81][82]
Scott E. Parazynski; Astronaut who flew missions STS-66, STS-86, STS-95 and STS-100.[53]
Henry Paulson; former CEO of Goldman Sachs, president of The Nature Conservancy, United States Treasury Secretary.[9][20]
Edward A. Pease; Former representative from Indiana and former chairman of the National Order of the Arrow Committee.[65]
J.H. Binford Peay III; General, US Army, 14th superintendent of Virginia Military Institute[65][9]
Ross Perot Sr.; Businessman and politician who ran for president in 1992 and 1996.[65][1][9][20]
Rick Perry; Governor of Texas.[83]
Donald Pettit; Astronaut who participated in missions STS-113, Expedition 6 and Soyuz TMA-1.[53]
Fred Phelps; Leader of Westboro Baptist Church.[84]
J.J. Pickle (deceased); Representative from Texas.[65]
Samuel Pierce (deceased); Lawyer who was the former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.[65]
Danny Pintauro; Actor known for his role in Who's the Boss?.[85]
Jere Ratcliffe; Retired Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America.[86]
Beasley Reece; Sports announcer and former NFL defensive back.[86]
Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr.; Retired astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-48 and STS-60.[53]
Frederick Reines (deceased); Physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1955.[87]
Robert Coleman Richardson; Physicist who was awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize.[88]
Burton Roberts; Contestant on Survivor: Pearl Islands.[89]
John Edward Robinson; Serial killer.[90]
James D. Rogers; CEO of Kampgrounds of America, brother of T. Gary.[86]
T. Gary Rogers; CEO of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, brother of James.[86]
Dana Rohrabacher; Representative from California and former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.[86]
Mitt Romney; Governor of Massachusetts.[91]
Mike Rowe; Host of Dirty Jobs and narrator.[92]
Warren Rudman; Former attorney general and senator from New Hampshire.[86]
Donald Rumsfeld; former United States Secretary of Defense, former representative and ambassador to NATO.[86][1]
Harrison Salisbury (deceased); Journalist who was awarded the Pulitzer prize.[86][1]
James Sanderson; Retired Navy vice admiral.[86]
Dale V. Sandstrom; Justice on the North Dakota Supreme Court.[86]
Mark Sanford; Governor of South Carolina.[9]
Terry Sanford (deceased); Governor of North Carolina, president of Duke University.[86][9]
Robert Lee Scott, Jr. (deceased); Air Force brigadier general, WWII fighter ace, commander of Flying Tigers, and author of God is My Co-Pilot.[86][9]
Richard A. Searfoss; Retired Air Force colonel and astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-58, STS-76, and STS-90.[53]
Elliott See (deceased); Astronaut who was the backup pilot for Gemini 5 before his death.[53]
Jefferson B. Sessions III; Senator from Alabama.[86]
Pete Sessions; Representative from Texas.[86][9]
William Sessions; Judge and former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[86][9]
Raymond P. Shafer (deceased); Lawyer and former governor of Pennsylvania.[86]
Casey Sheehan (deceased); Army specialist who was killed in action during the Iraq War, son of activist Cindy Sheehan.[93]
Paul Siple (deceased); Antarctic explorer and geographer who took part in six Antarctic expeditions, having first gone representing the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout.[94]
Ike Skelton; Representative from Missouri, Silver Buffalo Award recipient.[86]
Samuel K. Skinner; Politician and businessman who served as Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff, CEO of Commonwealth Edison, CEO of US Freightways, on the board of directors of Odetics ITS, and on the board of directors of Dade Behring.[86]
Chuck Smith; President and CEO of AT&T West.[86]
Gordon Smith; Lawyer and businessman, senator from Oregon.[86]
Stephan Smith; Singer-songwriter, musician, poet and political activist.[95]
Steven Spielberg; Academy Award-winning film director; helped introduce Cinematography merit badge.[86]
Wallace Stegner (deceased); Historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist who won the Pulitzer prize.[96]
Ryan Stout; stand-up comedian.[97]
Bart Stupak; Lawyer and US representative from Michigan.[3]
Percy Sutton; Civil rights activist, pilot with Tuskegee Airmen, lawyer and entrepreneur who co-founded the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation and revitalized the Apollo Theater.[86]
John Tesh; New age/contemporary Christian musician and nationally syndicated radio host.[98]
Meldrim Thomson, Jr. (deceased); Served three terms as governor of New Hampshire.[99]
Leo K. Thorsness; U.S. Air Force figher pilot, Vietnam War prisoner of war, Medal of Honor recipient.[100]
Carlisle Trost; Navy submarine officer, graduated first in his class in 1953 from both the U.S. Naval Academy and submarine officer school, 23rd Chief of Naval Operations.[101]
Richard H. Truly; Retired Navy vice admiral and astronaut who flew on shuttle missions STS-2 and STS-8 and first former astronaut to head NASA.[101]
J. Kim Vandiver; Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor & engineer.[102][101]
Victor Veysey (deceased); Politician from California who was the assistant secretary for Civil Works for the Army, secretary for industrial relations for California, a congressman, a member of the California state assembly and a professor at CalTech and Stanford.[101]
Richard Vinroot; Attorney and politician from Charlotte, North Carolina who is a former mayor of Charlotte.[101]
John D. Waihee III; First Native Hawaiian governor of Hawaii.[101]
David M. Walker (deceased); Astronaut who flew missions STS-51-A, STS-30, STS-53 and STS-69.[53]
Sam Walton (deceased); Founder of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club the largest single employer in the world.[101]
Ehren Watada; First commissioned officer in the U.S. armed forces to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq, saying that he believed the Iraq War to be illegal.[103]
Larry D. Welch; President of the Institute for Defense Analyses and retired Air Force general and fighter pilot who was the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.[101]
Togo D. West, Jr.; Attorney and public official, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. He was the former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former United States Secretary of the Army.[101][1]
William Westmoreland (deceased); Army general who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak and who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army.[101]
John C. Whitehead; Chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, former chairman of Goldman Sachs, veteran of WWII.[101]
E. O. Wilson; Distinguished biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist and a prominent intellectual.[105][101]
Walter B. Wriston (deceased); Chairman of Citicorp.[101]
</code></pre>
<p>I am an Eagle Scout and am proud of my accomplishment, but honestly, it took less effort than many of the other EC's I do.</p>
<p>My experience with Eagle scouts does not give me much appreciation for their "major project".
I work in a church and each year we get several boys coming in to ask if they can do their Eagle project at the church grounds. (our church is not affiliated with any of the local troops.)
One project (agreed to only after boy's mother called repeatedly asking for a project for him because he just had to have an Eagle project) was painting two offices. After several days the boy and his friend finished painting and left, literally. We had to clean up the paint cans and drop cloths after them. Then the mom came in and asked to be reimbursed for the cost of the paint! I said I thought finding funding was part of the project, and mom replied they were told they were not to do any fundraising.
Last summer another one came in. This time we specifically said what we wanted, basically upgrading the landscaping on the church grounds. Benches that needed restaining and repair, planters that needed plants, shrubs that needed replacing or pruning, and we mentioned a sign for the entrance would be nice too. The kid ordered us a sign from the local sign shop , installed it in a 3X3 patch that he weeded and was done. (after asking us how much we would be willing to spend on the sign we told him to come up with ideas to pay for it. He collected bottles and cans from our church to pay for it)</p>
<p>I don't hate Eagle Scouts but seeing the dozens of local announcements in the paper for Eagle Scout Awards and given our experience it does not seem to be a very exclusive (or difficult to attain) EC.</p>
<p>In my experience, Eagle projects are significantly more involved than the ones you described. As with any large organization, Boy Scouts has its share of lazy members who don't belong in it. It is a shame that these boys made it to Eagle.</p>
<p>rlm, that's the point where you call up the offending troop's committee, and instruct them to more thoroughly review the process the scouts go through towards completing their Eagle Project. The projects should never be so shoddily done; the scout oath does say, after all, that "I will always do my best to do my duty to God and my country..."</p>
<p>I made it to Eagle as well.</p>
<p>After being idle as Life for about five months, I did everything (recs, project, app, 2 remaining merit badges) in two months during the summer with Math Analysis as Summer School. This kind of "wowed" the Eagle Board and my Scoutmaster.</p>
<p>Hopefully my Scoutmaster can write a good rec for colleges (the optional ones).</p>
<p>
Properly run, it is a difficult award to attain. In fact, only 4% of Scouts reach Eagle. Sad to say, some troops do have a reputation for being somewhat lenient (or worse) in order to graduate more Eagle Scouts.</p>
<p>There are fairly set rules for Eagle Projects (including the # of manhours), and you're required to get your proposal appproved. Frankly, I'm surprised the painting project wasn't laughed at. My project consisted of completely removing dangerous playground equipment from the church playground, bringing in a fresh load of mulch, installing several huge new playground pieces, and fixing old playground pieces to meet safety standards. It was a massive undertaking that required the regular help of 30+ people.</p>
<p>okstudent, it depends on how much focus you put on it. I put a great deal of time into Scouts (as well as being a Vigil Member of OA), so I made it the focus of my applications. It's not a hook, but it is definitely a good ec to have. There are specific scholarships for Eagle Scouts, so I'd advise looking into those as well.</p>
<p>its very easy to obtain! All you have to do is sit in a lawn chair all day and give orders and eat pizza... Easy as that!</p>
<p>I worked for over a month on my Eagle project, though I feel I'm an exception; other scouts just did a 5 hour project...</p>
<p>I dedicated a lot of time to scouting (and not only scouting), so this better pay off in some ways. And though I won't gladly admit it, I did learn a lot and gain experiences of working with others and such.</p>
<p>I put in several months of work into my project. A five hour project barely meets the requirements on lower ranks. How could anyone in their right mind approve that?</p>
<p>Scouting definitely gave me a lot of leadership experience and knowledge.</p>