An Eagle Ceremony for Jake Dovgan

Attended a great Eagle award ceremony for a scout, or whom I was Den Leader. The Scout is Jake Dovgan. He asked me to speak and I thought that I would attach my speech to give an impression of what a great scout this boy is. The ceremony was great with presentation of the Eagle Rank, presentation of special congressional letter from Congressman John Duncan's office and a great reception.

My speech:

Quiet Determination. As I pondered how best to describe Jake and my observations of him throughout his Cub Scouting, these words came immediately to mind. Quiet describes how he conducts himself and approaches the world.

In Isaiah 32:17, Isaiah writes….

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet and confidence forever.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 we are exhorted to ….

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands

Jake you certainly embody this exhortation throughout your cub scouting, whether through attentiveness in Den meetings or leadership of activities, such as our many hikes through the Charit Creek area. I know that you will continue to carry the quiet of righteousness throughout your life.

Determination has certainly been reflected in your scouting career.

I recently read a biography on President Harry Truman, where, when facing continuous crises, his motto was to simply get the job done. No fuss. No expectation of accolades. Harry Truman said

America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to simply do the job at hand.

I saw these same characteristics reflected repeatedly, whether through determination in earning your Webelos swimming pin or in diligence to completing your scouting advancement. As Cubmaster for Pack 22, I saw your work as Den Chief as integral to the success of our pack and clear exhibition of determination to give back to the Cub Scout pack. I like sports quotes, so I picked this out. Vince Lombardi wrote….

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the
determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of
ourselves to the task at hand.

Jake you have certainly applied the best of yourself to the task at hand, in achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, with quiet determination. I congratulate you and I am proud to have been associated with a small part of your journey.