Mahrt achieves Eagle Scout rank (2024)

Since the first Eagle Scout rank was awarded in 1912, more than 2 million people have achieved the highest rank issued by the Boy Scouts of America. On June 28, John Quincy Mahrt of Denison will be joining that prestigious group.

Mahrt will be honored at his Eagle Scout Ceremony Friday at First United Methodist Church in Denison. The son of Nathan and Amber Mahrt, he is a member of Boy Scout Troop 55.

Mahrt is the 81st member of Troop 55 to earn his Eagle Scout Rank. Currently, Troy Gehlsen serves at Scout Master.

Dr. Dennis Crabb was the former Scout Master for Troop 55 until he retired from the position in October 2023. Crabb was involved in Scouting for decades and oversaw the efforts of the other 80 Eagle Scouts from Troop 55.

“I am eager to see all the people that have helped me along the way to reaching this summit. It’s a huge deal for me,” Mahrt said.

As a special part of his Eagle Scout Ceremony, Mahrt said he plans to play the violin. He has played the instrument for the past eight years.

Mahrt joined the Cub Scouts when he was in elementary school. He steadily rose through the levels of the organization and joined the Boy Scouts in May of 2017.

“I enjoyed the activities they did after school, like crafts, in Cub Scouts. I also liked going hiking and competing in the Rain Gutter Regatta and Pinewood Derby. As I got older I needed something to keep busy and I loved their outdoor activities. So, when I joined the Boy Scouts I was able to be more involved and more active,” Mahrt said.

Since the day he joined the Boy Scouts, Mahrt said he was fixated on achieving his Eagle Scout rank. During his career he earned more than 40 badges including 21 special Eagle badges and an additional 10 merit badges.

Those badges range from horseback riding to aviation. Mahrt said his favorite badge was for Archeology as he learned the process for how artifacts are unearthed. He also learned how to use a method of etching to decipher the writing on old gravestones at a cemetery near Camp Cedars in Fremont, Nebraska, where the Mid-America Council holds its annual summer camp.

“This could happen for anyone with some amount of hard work. Reaching the rank of Eagle Scout is the goal of any Boy Scout that signs up. That is the light at the end of the tunnel or the peak of the mountain,” Mahrt said. “I’m proud of what I have achieved and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

Besides earning the required number of merit badges during his career, Mahrt also had to complete a community service project. Based on a suggestion from his father, Mahrt restored the Victory Bell located near the football field at Denison High School.

Originally belonging to the Denison Fire Department, the bell was used to alert members of the department that they were needed for a fire. However, Mahrt said the sound of the bell was very similar to the school bell that was rung to mark the start of the school day.

As a result, Mahrt said this created some moments of confusion. So, when the bell for the fire station was changed, the old bell was placed at the football field and became the Victory Bell.

After winning a home football game, the Monarchs would ring the Victory Bell as they left the field. However, in the late 1970s or early 1980s the Victory Bell was no longer used because it had been damaged over time.

Therefore, starting in August of 2022, Mahrt set about restoring the Victory Bell to its 1970s condition. This involved repairing the bell and painting it in the school colors of purple, yellow and white.

“I have a lot of pride for my school and the bell was already in the metal shop. So I was able to do the project pretty quickly,” Mahrt said. “Getting the mold to spray paint the letters of the school on the bell was difficult. I had to tape newspaper over the bell so I wouldn’t ruin the paint that was already on it. So, I will always remember that part of it.”

The restored Victory Bell was unveiled at the first Denison-Schleswig home football game of 2022. The Monarchs won that game, so the players were able to ring the Victory Bell after the game.

“It was great. I felt a sense of pride about being able to refurbish the bell. Bells are made to be rung, so I was happy for them to be the first ones to use it in so long,” Mahrt said.

Mahrt graduated from Denison High School in May. He plans to pursue a career in either geology or with the National Park Service.