On Aug. 30, BSA Troop 307 from Tujunga, part of the Verdugo Hills Council of the Foothills district, honored four boys who achieved Scouting’s highest rank – that of Eagle Scout.

Aaron Weaver and his brother Jeremiah (JJ) Weaver are sons of Ron and Kim Weaver from Tujunga. William Weaver and his brother Weston Weaver are sons of Ray and Janet Weaver from La Crescenta. The occasion was special not only because the four boys being celebrated were related, but also because it was the first time that BSA Troop 307 had a Court of Honor for more than one Scout.

The Weaver boys achieved their Eagle Scout ranks at different times but their families were not able to plan their celebrations due to time limitations. Aaron achieved his Eagle Scout rank in June 2007 and shortly thereafter attended UCSB. Aaron graduated in 2012 with a degree in biochemistry. He has done research and biochemistry work with squid skin reflectance. Aaron and others were looking into turning the proteins from reflective squid cells into a synthetic form to be used in the next generation of TV screens.

William achieved his Eagle Scout rank in August 2009. In December he went off to Navy boot camp at Great Lakes, Ill. After graduating from boot camp, he immediately moved up one rank because of his Eagle Scout status. He is pursuing the field of nuclear engineering and is spending time in a submarine. William is now stationed in Connecticut.

JJ achieved his Eagle Scout rank in October 2009 and, like his brother, went to UCSB. He is studying electrical engineering and will be graduating in June 2013.

Weston achieved his Eagle Scout rank in February 2012. He graduated from CVHS in June and is working at Automotive Designs and Fabrication in San Fernando while deciding on his career.

The casual Eagle Scout ceremony, held at Crescenta Valley Park, started off with an invocation given by Vance Gilless, whose two boys Aaron and Joshua are also Eagle Scouts from Troop 307. The group enjoyed a meal of marinated beef and chicken on skewers that were barbecued by Ray and Ron Weaver. Sweet watermelon, bacon-enhanced beans, and homemade potato salad made for a gratifying meal. A BSA-themed cake was enjoyed after the ceremony.

After the meal, Bob Peters, Troop 307 Scoutmaster from 2001 to 2007 and emcee of the evening, began the Eagle Scout recognition celebration. Bob also has two Eagle Scouts from Troop 307 – Chris and Steven.

Bob also was the first of three Scoutmasters to call up an Eagle Scout for the pin exchange. In this case, it was Aaron with his mom and dad Ron and Kim.  Aaron pinned onto his parents the Mother’s Pin and the Father’s Pin. Bob was Scoutmaster of the Troop when Aaron achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and proudly pinned the Eagle Scout medal onto Aaron.

The next Scoutmaster, Ron Coste who was the Troop’s Scoutmaster from 2007 to 2010, also has an Eagle Scout from Troop 307. His name is Shane. Ron called up William and his parents, Ray and Janet, and JJ and his parents, Ron and Kim. William then pinned on the Mother’s Pin onto his mom, and then the Father’s Pin onto his dad. Next, JJ repeated the process with his mom and dad. Ron, who was the Scoutmaster for William and JJ, then had the honor of pinning the Eagle Scout medals onto the boys.

Finally, Patrick Sylvester called up Weston and his parents, Ray and Janet. Patrick is the current Scoutmaster of Troop 307 and has three boys currently in the Troop, all working hard on their road to Eagle. After Weston secured the Mother’s Pin and the Father’s Pin onto his mom and dad, Scoutmaster Sylvester proudly pinned the Eagle Scout medal onto Weston.

A highlight of the ceremony was the recitation of “One Hundred Scouts,” by Ron.

The four new Weaver Scouts presented eight Mentor Pins to people who played an important role in the boys’ scouting experience and the success in achieving their Eagle Scout goal.

The evening ended with an audience participation song and a closing prayer offered again by Vance.

Contributed by Janet WEAVER