Valley Stream scouts become Eagles

Since the first Eagle Scout award was presented in 1911, more than two million young men have earned the rank nationwide. Ryan Potter and Joe Ford, from Valley Stream Boy Scout Troop 109, can count themselves among that group.

Potter and Ford earned their Eagle ranks on May 1 at a court of honor ceremony at Grace United Methodist Church, which sponsors the troop. The boys were joined by family and friends, fellow scouts, troop leaders and numerous local officials.

Ford, 18, has been involved with the scouts since his early days of elementary school. He joined Cub Scout Pack 109 and moved up to the Boy Scouts, where he made it his goal to become an Eagle Scout. “It sounded really prestigious,” he said. “I have a personal drive to be the best I can.”

He earned 21 merit badges on his road to Eagle Scout. Last December, Ford went before the Eagle Board of Review and they determined he met the requirements to earn scouting’s highest honor.

For his Eagle project, Ford created a children’s garden at the entrance to the Tanglewood Preserve in Rockville Centre. He said he is proud to have done something that others can enjoy.

Ford graduated from Central High School in 2009. He is a freshman at SUNY Farmingdale and is majoring in aviation administration to become either an air traffic controller or airport manager. The leadership skills he learned in Boy Scouts, Ford said, will serve him well in his future career.

Potter, 15, is a sophomore at North High School and lives in Malverne. He was a Cub Scout with Pack 74 before moving onto the Boy Scouts four years ago with Troop 109.

When he earned his Arrow of Light Award as he passed from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts, Potter knew attaining the Eagle rank would be his next goal. He said most satisfying is that it is something that can never be taken away — “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle” is the unofficial motto.

“It was tough, very long, but fun,” Potter said of the journey, in which he made new friends and learned many skills.