STEUBENVILLE - What has occurred in the Kevin Lewis family of Steubenville is considered to be a rare bird indeed, locally and perhaps nationally, too.
As 16-year-old Adam Lewis became an Eagle Scout during an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony at LaBelle View Church of Christ, he followed not only in the footsteps of his older brothers David, Joshua and Matthew, but his father Kevin, as well.
And the father and sons all earned the highest advancement rank in Scouting through the exact same troop - Troop 3 sponsored by LaBelle View Church of Christ.
"I've been here for all the boys," observed Tom Sweda, Scoutmaster of the troop for nearly 24 years but an adult volunteer with the program closer to 32 years.
"It's a special day today," Sweda said, following the Sept. 14 Eagle Court of Honor where the entire Lewis family was on hand for the occasion, including mother and wife Pat Lewis, a faithful helper with the troop through the years.
Clark Israel, Scout executive for the Ohio River Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America, categorized the occasion as "extremely rare."
The ORVC is made up of two districts - the Two Chiefs District, which covers parts of Jefferson, Harrison and Belmont counties in Ohio and Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia; and the Mountaineer District, which covers Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Monroe and half of Belmont counties.
Troop 3 is part of the Two Chiefs District, which represents 23 Cub Scout packs, 25 Boy Scout troops and four Venture Crews, serving 1,049 youth members and their families.
"When you think about the fact that typically only four Scouts out of a hundred become an Eagle, it is extremely rare," Israel said. "This troop has always had an outstanding record of service of young men who have worked through the Scouting program, but this is truly an unusual, distinctive event," Israel added.
Jay Mauck, Two Chiefs District senior executive, said the district had 35 Eagle Scouts in 2007. "To have 35 in one district alone is outstanding," he said, noting the ORVC overall had 52 Eagle Scouts. Nationally there were about 425.
"That just goes to show the Scoutmasters in our district are running a program that our boys are sticking with. It's very difficult to become an Eagle and to have 35, they're doing an outstanding job working with boys and keeping them interested in the program long enough to do that," Mauck said.
The troop's newest Eagle Scout was happy about his ranking as well, one that involved fulfilling requirements in the areas of leadership, service and outdoor skills.
"I'm pretty excited," Adam said following the ceremony where a reception was held in his honor in the church fellowship hall, a forum where his mother had displayed scrapbooks and memorabilia showcasing Scouting experiences of her husband and four sons through the years.
Adam, a junior in the scholars program at Steubenville High School and a part-time employee at M&M True Value Hardware, completed an Eagle Scout project that involved restoration and tombstone cleanup at an older cemetery in the Georges Run, Mingo Junction, area.
Scouting has been an experience Adam said he has enjoyed overall. "It's a great learning experience," he said, noting that for him, it cultivated an interest in trap shooting and target shooting.
Kevin Lewis savored the occasion as well. "I just think it's great," he said of having witnessed the youngest of his four sons become an Eagle Scout.
Kevin's entrance into Scouting came around 1969 just after his parents, Kathleen Lewis and the late Russell Lewis, moved to the Steubenville hilltop neighborhood. Troop 3 met in LaBelle View Church of Christ just two blocks from the Lewis home.
"It was just over the hillside from me," Kevin recalled of his involvement in the troop led by Bill Arthurs, who was the Scoutmaster at the time. Kevin was the first in his family to join the Scouting program. "We did a lot of camping and hiking and learned a lot of new skills I probably never would have learned anywhere else. Scouting teaches you priorities," he said.
In 1974, Kevin earned his Eagle Scout. "My parents were proud, and it was an exciting time."
His involvement didn't end there. After he and Pat married and started a family, their first-born son David joined the Cub Scout pack at the church.
Kevin became its Cubmaster, and Pat elected to help. He served as a Cubmaster for nearly 22 years and also as assistant Scoutmaster.
"It's been an education," Pat said of her role as a volunteer with the Scouting program. "It kept us together as a family, and it kept the kids focused," she said. "They've made good decisions because of being in Scouts. It's helped quite a bit," Pat added.
Her greatest joy has been not only in seeing the positive impact it has had on her sons, but also in seeing others grow up through the program. "It is a positive influence on your kids but parents are needed. We have them an hour a week but parents have to help their child through the week. It's not a drop-your-kid-off program. Parent involvement is essential in something like this."
David, now 29 and an accountant, lives in Steubenville with his wife Melissa.
He earned Eagle Scout rank in 1996, his project involving renovation work at the church.
"I just enjoyed the camping and the positive attitude people had," David said of his Scouting experience.
Joshua, 26, of Steubenville, also an accountant, earned his Eagle Scout in 1999. His project involved improvements to parking lots near Steubenville High School.
He credits his father with getting him interested in Scouting. "It was fun, and I met new people," Joshua said.
Matthew, 21, is studying business with a concentration in accounting at West Liberty State College. He earned his Eagle Scout in 2004, his project involving improvements at the church.
"Ever since I was real young I was in Scouting. My older brothers were already there, so I kind of went along with the ride. A lot of my friends were in it, too," he said.
With five Lewis family members sharing the Eagle Scout rank as a common denominator, there could be another generation involved in the Scouting program as David and Melissa have two sons - Dillon and Austin.
"Probably," David considers the possibility, "but it's up to them, though."
(Kiaski can be contacted at jkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)
