Contributed by
Boy Scout Troop 50
This spring, Troop 50 bestowed the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank during a ceremony honoring new Eagle Scout Thomas “Camp” Steiner. He is the son of Thomas and Joscelin Steiner of Auburn. Camp is the troop’s 21st Eagle Scout since its founding in 2012. In addition, he is a third-generation Eagle Scout: his grandfather, Edwin Beck, earned the Eagle Scout rank in 1956, and his father, Thomas, earned the rank in 1977. Camp’s ceremony was held on Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Lee County Historical Society’s Pioneer Park in Loachapoka.
Steiner joined Troop 50 in September 2017 after transferring from Troop 316 in Pass Christian, Mississippi. He has served in several leadership positions including quartermaster, patrol leader, senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster before becoming an assistant scoutmaster. He earned 31 merit badges and was elected for membership in the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society. In 2019, Steiner was selected by his fellow Scouts as the recipient of the troop’s James A. Baird Jr. Honor Scout Award.
For his Eagle Scout leadership service project, Steiner planned and led volunteers to build a fence enclosing Pioneer Park’s McLain Garden — a collection of culinary and medicinal herbs, some of which were used as folk medicine in the South. Family, friends and fellow Scouts and leaders logged more than 145 service hours planning and constructing the project. The new fence ties in with two arbors built by fellow Troop 50 Eagle Scout Jacob Van Horn in 2018.
After completing the Eagle Scout rank requirements, which included planning and executing his service project, Steiner appeared before the Saugahatchee District’s Eagle Scout Board on Sept. 17, 2019. He is among the two Troop 50 Scouts to earn the Eagle Scout rank during 2019.
Steiner is a graduate of Auburn High School, where some of his activities included Film Club, Scholar’s Bowl, leading STEM nights at local elementary schools with the Technology Students Association, Spanish Club and ultimate frisbee. He began his collegiate studies this fall as a Presidential Scholar at The University of Tulsa (Oklahoma), where he is majoring in computer science, with minors in mathematics and possibly Spanish.
The first Eagle Scout was awarded in 1912, and since then more than 2.5 million Boy Scouts have completed the Eagle Scout’s performance-based rank requirements, which currently include serving in progressive leadership positions, demonstrating outdoor and scouting skill competencies, earning at least 21 merit badges and planning and executing a seminal Eagle Scout leadership service project.
During 2019 alone, 61,535 Boy Scouts earned Scouting’s highest rank — beating the previous record of 58,659 set in 2012, the 100-year anniversary of the award first being presented.