By Barbara Morris
Eagles, although extremely rare, are often sighted in Rosedale. Seeing twin eagles soaring to great heights together is a very special rarity.
On Sunday, March 23, I ventured to Rosedale at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thompson and Boy Scouts of America Troop 556 to learn more about eagles. We met at St. Pius X School at 2 p.m. Jim and Ann English were kind enough to pick me up and drive me there.
On the way, we all noted and appreciated that the weather was so clear and spring-like, a perfect day for eagles. We were greeted at the door by Scoutmaster Spinelli and Monsignor Graham, signed in and began to chat with members of Troop 556 and other enthusiasts about the exemplary qualities of eagles.
I then went over to thank the Thompsons, who were dressed in their scouting attire, for the invitation and to ask if I could help in some way, since food was to be served after the big event. Verna Thompson said, “If you’d like to help with the salad, that would be very nice.”
I was glad for the opportunity to be in the kitchen with some of the other scouting enthusiasts whom I see all too seldom. As the last addition to the salad was being made, the group assembled and we were ready to begin. These rare twin eagles had been seen first by the Thompsons.
The nest where they had been raised is right on their property and, because the young have such hearty appetites, the Thompsons also always made sure that an ample supply of food was available for them. They encouraged the young to try their wings and were grateful to see them continue to climb higher and higher with each try. Now, finally, these two strong, handsome young eagles have gone as high as possible and we were there to witness the success of their achievements.
“Eagle Scout is the highest award that the Boy Scouts of America can bestow upon a boy.” That is what we read in the program we were given. Last May, a young man who worked with the twin eagles and considers Verna Thompson “like another mother” became an Eagle Scout.
This year he was a very self-confident master of ceremonies for the Eagle Scout Court of Honor that had assembled to welcome Maurice Thompson and Marlon Thompson (his good friends and “brothers’) into the very exclusive ranks of Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scouts.
They had both proven themselves to be “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.” What a wonderful world it would be if everyone possessed all these qualities.
Through the years the challenges they faced became harder, but they couldn’t stop. Sometimes their parents wouldn’t let them stop, and sometimes the competition between the two made them persevere. None of the assignments they had to complete was a pushover, but it was the last one for each of them that finally sent them to the pinnacle of success.
For his project, Maurice chose the scraping and painting of the huge wrought iron fence that surrounds the St. Pius School. As scouting families and friends do, a lot of people volunteered to share their expertise in that regard, and Maurice accepted their offers graciously. They did a superb job. I didn’t even see one splatter on the sidewalk.
Marlon chose a project that also required a vast amount of creativity and leadership. Beside that, it was near and dear to my heart because it was a great help to the Cornucopia Society Food Pantry that had served our area from the Rosedale Sports Association until they found the building to be unsafe.
Marlon and his group helped make the move to the Social Concern Building at 226-18 Merrick Blvd. in Laurelton, painting and all. It was a major undertaking, well done. Our congratulations and thanks to these young Eagles and their scouting family, friends and supporters. May they soar to even greater heights.
