Matthew I. Gregg, Theodore G. Peterson, and Andy Y. Wang of Scouts BSA Troop 542 in Maple Glen recently received the Eagle Scout Award, the highest rank attainable in Scouts BSA, at a Court of Honor held this month at Supplee Presbyterian Church.
Each Scout also received one or more palms for earning more than the 21 required merit badges for the Eagle rank.
Since its start in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank.
Matthew Gregg earned 44 merit badges and was presented with four palms. Gregg began his Scouting adventure with Cub Scout Pack 408 at Trinity Lutheran Church and crossed over to Troop 542 in 2018. His first leadership position was an instructor in 2019. He then worked his way up to troop guide, patrol leader, and assistant patrol leader. Gregg was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society, in November 2020.
In addition to attending numerous weekend camping trips and summer camp, Gregg traveled to Ontario, Canada to attend Olympia Scope in 2019 and sailed in the Florida Keys at Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in 2021. This summer, he will attend the National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.
For his Eagle project, Gregg led a team of 13 volunteers to clean up debris and plant 90 trees of varying species behind the Upper Dublin Sports Park in May 2022. Hundreds of trees were lost in this area during the September 1, 2021 tornado. The new trees will help restore the tree canopy and protect water quality along the Honey Run stream.
Gregg is currently in his sophomore year at Upper Dublin High School, where he takes part in the Ultimate Frisbee club and Quiz Bowl. He is interested in computer programming and chemistry and plans to study one of these subjects at a university following his high school graduation.
Theodore “Teddy” Peterson earned 36 merit badges and was presented with three palms at the April Court of Honor. He began his Scouting journey at Cub Scout Pack 410 and crossed over to Troop 542 in 2016, where he held leadership positions of patrol leader, troop guide, assistant patrol leader, and senior patrol leader. Peterson was Troop 542’s representative to the Order of the Arrow since his induction in 2018 and served one year as vice chief of the Order’s Baden Powell chapter.
Peterson attended nearly every weekend Troop outing and yearly summer camp. He also attended the National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, backpacked through the mountains of New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch, and sailed in the Florida Keys at Florida National High Adventure Sea Base.
Peterson’s Eagle project was the design and build of two large play structures in the dog park at Kohler Fields in Horsham, PA. Each structure was made from pressure-treated wood and measured 3 feet high, 3 feet wide, and 14 feet long.
Peterson will graduate in June 2023 from Hatboro-Horsham High School, where he earned his varsity letters in soccer and pole vaulting for both the indoor and outdoor track teams. He is also active in Hatter’s Inc. and Link Crew, which are high school clubs that focus on helping new students and students with special needs feel more welcome and at ease in school. He plans to study business and finance at college in the fall.
Andy Y. Wang earned 29 merit badges and was presented with one palm. He embarked on his first Scouting adventures when he joined Troop 542 in 2016. As a Scout, he held many leadership positions, including assistant instructor, patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster. Wang was also inducted into the Order of the Arrow.
The highlight of Wang’s Scouting journey was backpacking Philmont Scout Ranch in 2019. In 12 days, Wang and his crew hiked almost 100 miles and participated in activities such as cowboy action shooting, spar pole climbing, and horseback riding.
Wang completed his Eagle project in the summer of 2022 by building two benches and installing three flower beds in a Whitpain Township recreational area. Invasive species and weeds were removed, and mulch was spread to prevent regrowth.
Wang will graduate from Wissahickon High School in June 2023. During his high school years, he played on the boys’ varsity tennis team and was co-president of the science club and co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, Trojan Times. In the fall of 2023, Wang will study biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Scouts BSA Troop 542 is based at Supplee Presbyterian Church in Maple Glen, PA. Since its start in 1969, 202 Scouts from Troop 542 have earned the rank of Eagle.
Photo: (From left) Matthew I. Gregg, Theodore G. Peterson, and Andy Y. Wang