Wetumpka Boy Scouts celebrate with joint Eagle ceremony

Four Wetumpka Boy Scout Troop 50 members held a joint Eagle Court of Honor at Trinity Episcopal Church March 15. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill was the keynote speaker.

The four scouts to receive the Eagle rank were Alex Young, Cade Womack, Joseph Paul (JP) Baughman and Cade Taylor.

All four earned the Arrow of Light in 2013 and crossed over into Boy Scout Troop 50.

Young has been involved in Scouts since 2008. In 2017, he was elected to the Order of the Arrow, the National Scouting Honor Society, and spent two weeks attending the National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia. 

Young’s Eagle project consisted of building a GaGa Ball pit at his school, Churchill Academy. He has battled through thyroid cancer, a spinal deformity, multiple learning disabilities and autism to reach his objectives. 

Womack joined Pack 50 Cub Scouts in 2008 and since 2013, 

he has served in multiple leadership roles, including as a senior patrol leader. In 2016, he was inducted in the Order of the Arrow, where he reached the Brotherhood membership level. He also attended the National Jamboree in 2017.

His Eagle project was building a fence at Fort Toulouse. It is 400 feet long and provides a barrier between campers and the Coosa River. 

Baughman joined Pack 50 Cub Scouts in second grade. In Troop 50, he has served in multiple leadership roles, including as a senior patrol leader. He is also a brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow, which he joined in 2017. 

Like Young and Womack, he attended the National Jamboree in West Virginia in 2017. He has worked at Camp Tukabatchee for the past two summers and will return for his third year as camp staff. 

Baughman’s Eagle project was in partnership with Main Street Wetumpka to install a seating area highlighting Lock 31 on the Tulotoma Snail Trail. 

Taylor joined Pack 50 Cub Scouts in 2008. 

After attending National Youth Leadership Training in 2015, Taylor served in several leadership roles in Troop 50, such as librarian, troop guide and patrol leader. He also served as a den chief with Cub Scout Pack 50. 

In 2018, he was inducted into the Order of the Arrow and elected by his peers to serve as the Pinhoti Chapter chief. He also earned his lifeguard certification in 2018 then worked for two summers as a lifeguard and merit badge counselor at Camp Tukabatchee. 

Taylor’s Eagle project consisted of building three bridges on Redland Elementary School’s outdoor trail.