Young people striving to earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout of the Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts of America) commit to years of hard work, service and personal achievement before becoming inducted to the most prestigious milestone of Eagle Scout.
On June 11, George “Connor” Allison (GHS ‘22), Jack Aidan Decrow (GHS ‘24), William Isaiah Largey Stein (GHS ‘22) and Nathan Thomas Chase (GHS ‘22) were inducted to Eagle Scout in a ceremony at Cressey Road Methodist Church. Scout Leader, Warren Allison shared, “I have enjoyed assisting in these boys’ development over several years. Scouting has better prepared them to tackle any test they encounter. I truly believe that society will benefit from their future stories.”
Meet the newest Gorham Eagle Scout Inductees!
Photo credit: Warren AllisonCONNOR ALLISON
George “Connor” Allison has been in scouting since the first grade. As a cub scout, he earned his arrow of light, which is the highest award in cub scouts. He enjoys canoeing, hiking, camping and service. He was a volunteer at Cub Scout Day Camp and has helped at Cressey Road United Methodist Church’s VBS every summer since sixth grade. He also went on a mission trip to West Virginia the summer of 2019. For his Eagle project, he built a permanent picnic table shelter behind the Little Falls Activity Center which provides shade and shelter to the two picnic tables. The shelter is a 10’x16’ wooden structure with concrete footings. Connor graduated magna cum laude from Gorham High School and will be attending The University of New England next fall, where he will be studying medical biology.
Photo credit: Todd ChaseNATHAN CHASE
Nathan Chase‘s Eagle Scout project consisted of improving a hiking and biking trail in Gorham that connects the north and south parts of the Village. The Meadowland Preserve trail provides a short connector between a neighborhood near route 25 to the Cross Town Trail, which follows a rail bed that runs east-west. The trail runs through a wetlands area where boardwalks had been in disrepair and were unusable and dangerous. Nathan’s Eagle project included fundraising, procuring building materials and planning a work day to assemble and install wooden boardwalks through the wetlands area. Shortly after the project was completed, an abutting neighbor in her 80’s spoke to Nathan and thanked him for improving the trail. She said she enjoyed walking on it and hadn’t been able to use it for over a year. The project also included clearing fallen trees out of the trail and cutting back branches to open it up.
Photo credit: Michelene DecrowJACK DECROW
Jack Decrow joined scouting in the first grade. As a cub scout, he won a few Pinewood Derbys and earned his arrow of light. Jack earned Eagle Scout on January 6, 2022 at the age of 15. He earned 31 merit badges, 21 required to earn Eagle rank and 10 additional merit badges which earned him a bronze and gold palm. In addition, he was also required to demonstrate leadership and community service by organizing and carrying out an Eagle service project. For his project, Jack self-funded and oversaw the water system replacement of the 100 year old White Rock Grange #380 in Gorham. This project entailed the removal of rusty iron pipes and upgrading it to PEX tubing. During his scouting career, Jack held leadership positions of Quarter Master, Outdoor Ethics Guide, Assistant Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader. Jack is also a member of the Order of the Arrow Madockawanda Lodge #271.
Photo credit: Lucinda-Largey SteinWILLIAM STEIN
William Stein joined scouting in first grade. As a cub scout, he was most excited to use knives, build fires, and go on adventures like Battleship Cove. As a boy scout, Will was honored to be the Senior Patrol Leader for a year and a member of the Order of the Arrow of Madockawanda Lodge # 271. William liked helping the younger kids with their scout skills but always shrugged when people thought he loved knot tying as much as his father. Will was lucky enough to go on many weekend adventures with some of his best friends, his father, Roger, and his brother, Jon. On May 5, 2022, Will earned his Eagle Scout rank like his dad did years before. Will likes that he beat his father by also earning a Bronze Palm (which is for earning 5 merit badges beyond the Eagle-required). For his Eagle project, William replaced the garage-style loading dock doors and reinforced the weak floorboards at the White Rock Grange #380.
Congratulations to each of Gorham’s newest Eagle Scouts.