COUNCIL SEARCHES FOR EAGLE SCOUTS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- If you're a former Boy Scout who attained Scouting's highest rank of Eagle, the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council wants to hear from you.

The Boy Scouts of America has launched a decade-long effort to locate and identify all former Boy Scouts who are Eagle Scouts.

"This is a nationwide effort that began in 1990 and will continue through the '90s," said Mark R. Wappel, scout executive for the 14-county Southeast Missouri District Council, based at Cape Girardeau. "There are many Eagle Scouts who have moved into the Southeast Missouri area who may not be active in Scouting. There are also a large number have lived in this area even longer. We want to locate these former Scouts and invite them to come back scouting."

Wappel said scouting, now more than ever, needs good quality volunteers to help with the programs for scouting youth to meet some of serious problems that face society and youth today.

"We want to get character development back into the program by Eagle Scouts who have an appreciation of what scouting is all about," he continued. "We would like these Eagle Scouts to come back into the fold of scouting to give back to today's scouts what they received from scouting in their youth, and to help carry on the long tradition of scouting."

Wappel said the project has already helped the district build up its list of Eagle Scouts that go back as far as 1946. "But we would like to go all the way back to when scouting began, and the start of Eagle Scouts," he added.

To meet the goal, Wappel said Southeast Missouri Council President John Oliver of Cape has appointed Circuit Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., of Cape as chairman of the council's "Eagle Scout Search Committee."

Limbaugh, in turn, has appointed four Eagle Scouts to serve as Eagle Scout Search chairmen in each of the council's four districts.

In the Shawnee District, which includes Cape Girardeau County, the Eagle Scout Search chairman is Bob Hoppmann, a former Boy Scout from Troop 165 in Afton, Mo., in St. Louis County.

Hoppmann is now the manager of the Pasta House restaurant in the West Park Mall.

"There are lots of `former' Boy Scouts, but there are never any former Eagle Scouts," Hoppmann said. "Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout."

Although the council would welcome adult Eagle Scouters to serve in whatever function they prefer, Hoppmann emphasized the project is not meant only to find more volunteers for Scouting.

"We just want to locate former Boy Scouts who are Eagles who live in our district, and make them feel welcome," he explained. "For those Eagle Scouts who would like to get back into scouting, there are many ways they can help. In the word `scouting,' there are two words - in, and out. We'd like to ask these Eagle Scouts to put back `in' scouting what they once took `out' of scouting when they were a scout."

Hoppmann said the Shawnee District has sent notices to area churches asking them to run small notices in their church bulletins about the search for Eagle Scouts.

"We're also using the electronic and print media to help spread the message, and help us find Eagle Scouts," Hoppmann added. "Our main emphasis is to locate those Eagles who are not from Southeast Missouri, but have moved into this area for whatever the reason."

Eagle Scouts who would like to contact the council office can call 335-3346.