ROCKFORD — Christmastime for Barbara and Richard Lunde was filled with the excitement of having everyone home from college for the holiday, including their five grandsons, all of whom are Eagle Scouts.
The Boy Scouts of America say that its national office does not track specific data, but the Lunde boys may hold a record for the most family members to achieve the highest rank, adding that, “Attaining Eagle status is an extraordinary achievement, and we congratulate this family on their accomplishments.”
Eric, 23, Stephen, 22, Matthew, 21, David, 20, and Alex, 19, followed their grandfather’s footsteps. He conquered the rank in 1958.
The lifelong commitment the boys' fathers, Mike and John, both of Roscoe, have displayed in their Scouting endeavors is a huge part of their success, said Richard.
“I think anytime parents stay involved, the chance of them being successful and staying involved is much greater,” he said.
The Lunde legacy, he adds, began with his mother, Ruth Lunde, who was involved in Girl Scouts her whole life.
Besides heading and completing a major project, a Scout must earn 21 merit badges to qualify for the prestigious Eagle ranking. Each is centered around helping others and character development, of which, the boys say is already helping them in their early adult years.
“The leadership the Boy Scouts prepares you for is really useful regardless of where you are. When dealing with people there is always going to be orders that need to be followed. I feel that leadership is not taught enough anywhere except the Scouts," Eric said.
Matthew agrees but added, “There is that leadership position, but there is that subordinate where you’re taking orders from other people and have to function as a group, which then ties in with the job market and what you’re doing in life.”
Sitting in his living room, surrounded by his sons and grandsons, Richard said, “They are as different as night and day, but there is a bond, and I think Scouting assisted in that.”
Nodding, David said being a Scout "definitely develops you as an individual more.”
They also agree that it benefits everyone, no matter their background.
“In school there are so many different students, it cycles and changes so much that you might not really feel like you’re growing and developing with a small enough community; but with Scouts, you have the same people that you’re with and you’re having more experiences than you do at school," Matthew said.
“It wasn’t very cliquey. For example, at summer camps, we would do almost everything together. We would have group events or play games together. It’s more of a family experience," Stephen said.
“When I got older, my brothers and cousins were aging out," said Alex, the youngest of the Lunde five. "The Boy Scouts was just a second family for me that taught me necessary things to move on with my life.”
A large part of that time involves the final Eagle Scout project, where each boy must choose a service to provide, lead, organize and plan all aspects of from start to finish. Each of the Lunde boys worked on the others' projects.
Eric was only 14 when he began his Eagle project. The Burpee Museum of Natural History was undergoing an expansion and its landscaping flowers needed to be relocated. With some supplies donated, his brothers, cousins and other members of Troop 41 on hand, he rebuilt the gardens.
Barbara’s volunteerism through Swedish Historical Society of Rockford helped a few of the boys choose their service projects, including David's and Matthew’s. Both worked on cleaning, organizing and renovating the basement of a house that had recently been acquired by the society. Alex worked on Erlander Home Museum across the street on the artifacts room, cleaning, staining and organizing, with much of his supplies donated.
Stephen’s project had a different spin and was closer to his home in Roscoe. It required a lot of financial backing. He wanted to build a pavilion in the Chickory Ridge subdivision, near the pond where 17-year-old Dana "D.J." Beauchamp lost his life in a drowning accident in 2008. The teen went door-to-door raising $10,000. Contractors helped by providing some materials and labor at cost.
“Luckily, I had Uncle John’s building skills to help, too,” he said, smiling at his uncle sitting beside him.
“Building relationships with their fathers, having opportunities that are outside-of-the-box, getting along with other kids, you grow with those experiences," Barbara said. "We already see many positive things from all five of these boys.”