ALMONT — Brian Daniel Burkland has been awarded the rank of Eagle at a Court of Honor held June 22 by Troop 128 in Almont.

At the ceremony, letters of recognition and awards from President and Mrs. George W. Bush, Vice President and Mrs. Richard Cheney, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Monsignor John Zenz of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit and Glenn Mroz, president of Michigan Technological University, were read.

For his Eagle project, Brian designed and led the construction of two 20-foot shelving units in the Orchard Primary School in Almont. The shelving provides the faculty and staff extra space in their storage room. Brian is grateful to those who helped and contributed to his endeavor.

Brian, 18, is the son of Christopher and Joyce Burkland. He is a recent graduate of Almont High School, finishing 12th in his class. He will be attending Michigan Technological University in Marquette this fall to study computer science.

Brian also participated in school soccer and tennis, and enjoys skiing, reading and music.
He joined scouting as a Tiger Cub in 1994, Wolf in 1995, Bear in 1996, Webelos in 1997 and the Order of Light in 1998. He became a Boy Scout in 1998.

On his way to the Eagle rank, Brian earned 25 merit badges, held a number of positions in Troop 128, including librarian, scribe, troop guide, assistant senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster. He has attended various Camporees and spent several weeks at Camp Tapico near Kalkaska. A highlight of his scouting career was spending time in 2004 at the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico. — VIEW Staff

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