17-year-old joins former generations in his family to achieve milestone
By Julie Gerke
Another generation of Grojeans has become an Eagle Scout. Will Grojean, 17, of Springfield, son of Adam and Amy Grojean, officially accepted the badge during a court of honor on May 19. He joins his great-grandfather, the late Joe Grojean; grandfather Charlie Grojean; and great-uncles Tom and Joe Grojean, in earning scouting’s highest honor.
“It means a lot to me,” Will Grojean said. “When I first joined [scouting], I wasn’t fully confident I’d make it to Eagle. It’s probably one of the biggest achievements of my life. I’m very happy to carry on the torch. My great-grandfather also had a [council-level] Silver Beaver [award] and was a scoutmaster.”
Will, a junior at Pleasant Plains High School, joined Troop 305 in seventh grade. He knew he wanted to reach Eagle Scout, and his mom says he put in untold hours to make it happen.
“I liked ideals of discipline and honor and – obviously being an outdoorsman – hunting, fishing, camping,” he said. “They teach you a lot of skills you can take with you the rest of your life, like sharpening knives and pitching tents.”
Each Eagle Scout produces a project, and Will’s was to build and replace wooden benches at the Emma Mae Leonhard Wildlife Sanctuary, 1050 E. Vandalia Road, Jacksonville. He’d been working on mulching and weeding the sanctuary with local outdoorsman and retired teacher Pat Ward when the two noted the current benches – an Eagle project from decades earlier – needed help.
Once Will decided to move forward with the project, he found blueprints and bought lumber. “I built them from scratch. … It was pretty simple. I was pretty impressed by how they turned out,” he said.
The benches have been installed; custom plaques will be added later.
Will, an avid student of nature, already is looking ahead to college, with a likely major of anthrozoology. The degree would open the door to work in a zoo or aquarium, or as a conservation officer. Long-term, he also is interested in learning gunsmithing.
The fourth of five children, Will is the only Grojean of his generation to earn Eagle Scout. He’s “just outdoorsy, he was just born outdoorsy, it’s always been his thing,” Amy Grojean said. “Even when he was an infant, he’d stop crying if I’d take him outside and point him toward a treeline.
“I’m really, really, really proud of him,” she said. “For Adam, he’s proud to see him continue that legacy.”
