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Every once in a while a Scout reaches the extraordinary achievement of earning all 121 merit badges. I can imagine few other ways to gain experience in a crazy quilt of interests like American Business, Archeology, Bird Study, Cinematography, Dentistry, Entrepreneurship, Farm Mechanics, Genealogy, Geology, Journalism.
Music, Nuclear Science, Pottery, Railroading, Surveying, Textile, and Whitewater. Here are three who have achieved this remarkable distinction recently:
Here’s an interview with one Scout
Raymond Adrian DeLeon Jr. is an Eagle Scout, founder and president of Venture Crew 1209, and recently graduated high school senior. He also has earned all 121 merit badges in the Boy Scout program. On June 1,2007 I talked with Adrian about his experience.
Link to interview.
News story about
from Frisco, Texas:
“I felt that earning all 122 merit badges would be a unique opportunity to learn about career opportunities and hobbies and get a taste for the adventures they provide,” he said.
Additionally, for every five merit badges over what is required for an Eagle, Boy Scouts can earn a palm. Cameron has 20 palms. Link to whole story
Eagle James Calderwood from Chevy Chase, Maryland
It’s not easy making Eagle, the highest honor in Boy Scouts. You need at least 21 merit badges, some required. Only 2 percent of Scouts get that far. A remarkable achievement. So what adjective should be used for James Calderwood, who has attained 121? Scout’s honor.
Least favorite badge: “Insect study was something I wasn’t as fascinated by as much as the other ones,” he said. “But there wasn’t a badge that I dreaded getting. I mean, every single badge intrigued me.” Link to the full article
Listen to a radio interview with James at the NPR website.
In a way merit badges are mile posts on a journey of learning. Some people keep a score of their miles, some do not. Some people focus on the journey, some on the mile posts.
I say that the information that somebody has earned all the merit badges is in itself meaningless. What is interesting is _why_ that person has earned all the badges. If the goal has been just to have the most badges, I feel like hearing about a person who has taken the Haute Route through the Alps, but when asked about the trip, can only tell how many kilometers it was.
On the other hand, for a teen to set him/herself a goal of earning all the badges, because _somebody thought that this badge is worth doing_, means that they want to learn something new. Perhaps what they learn does not interest them further, but as enough people thought the topic needed a badge, so at least it is worth a try.
Myself, I can understand the latter attitude. E.g. I have read a book about parachute jumping. I don’t have the slightest interest in jumping out of a perfectly functional airplane, but I appreciate the interest of other people in doing it and I enjoyed learning about it.
kiravuo
I’m always ambivalent when I read about these stories. I can see the point about getting lots of exposure to different things, but getting every merit badge smacks of careerism to me.
I’d rather see an older boy challenging himself by developing greater skills such as backpacking, whitewater, etc. Most merit badges are not particularly challenging by the time boys are in mid high school. A boy who keeps banging away at them seems stuck in a rut to me. 20 eagle palms?
That’s just my thought. Any other perspectives on this?