Eagle Scout Scott Davidson Honored

Sayville resident Scott Davidson became an Eagle Scout, the highest Boy Scout ranking, in a recent court of honor ceremony at l. Davidson passed his Eagle Scout Board of Review on Aug. 24 and his Eagle Scout ranking is an accomplishment reached by less than five percent of all Boy Scouts.

As Davidson walked the trail to becoming an Eagle Scout that night, his fellow troop members and leaders spoke highly of his ambition, his progress and his leadership qualities. Davidson received his Eagle Scout pin, placed on by his parents, Maria and Scott Davidson. Davidson chose Mary Wachter, his first Cub Scout leader, as his mentor. "Mary is the one who really brought me into scouting and that is why I chose her as my mentor," he said.

Davidson has been in the Boy Scouts since first grade when he started as a Tiger Cub in Pack 184 of . Since that time, he has served many different roles within the troop including Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Chaplain's Aide, a Scribe and Instructor.

Davidson is an active member of  in Sayville, where he has been an Altar Server since the fourth grade. He also served as a Lector for the Liturgy of the Word with children and as a Recreational Counselor for Vacation Bible School. When the church was constructing its Bethany Center, it came to Davidson's attention that an open courtyard would need an aesthetic facelift.

Davidson knew right away that this would be the basis for his Eagle Scout project. With the help of Father Nick Figliola, Davidson began creating blueprints for a meditation garden. His plans included benches, floral arrangements, a fountain and different types of shrubbery. Davidson scheduled a car wash at the Prince of Peace School to help raise funds. The meditation garden was completed in August 2009 and serves as a peaceful and prayerful getaway to parishioners.

During the evening, Davidson was presented with many letters of appreciation, gifts and certificates from all over the U.S. Ed Neale of the U.S. Coast Guard presented Scott with a certificate from the Department of Homeland Security. "The Boy Scout motto 'Be Prepared' and the Coast Guard motto 'Always Ready' loosely translated mean the same thing," Neale said.

Suffolk County Police Officer Joel Reines also presented Davidson with a certificate from the department.

"I was a Cub Scout more than 50 years ago," Reines said. "The memories fade but the feelings don't change. I started scouting with encouragement from my parents but it doesn't take long, even in Cub Scouts, to realize it's much more than that. You start absorbing the value and community aspect of it and your family naturally starts to absorb the value of scouting. It's a win-win. Starting out, it's about the scouting community but it doesn't stay that way for long. If more people had that sense of community, my job would be much easier – and to a large degree it would be unnecessary."

Davidson also received letters from former president Jimmy Carter, a flag flown over the Capitol from Steve Levy, an Eagle tie from , as well as a letter from George and Barbara Bush.

Davidson plans to go to college soon but wants to stay involved with Troop 184 in the years ahead and eventually become an Assistant Scoutmaster.