Warwick brothers advance to highest Boy Scout rank of Eagle

WARWICK-Warwick's Boy Scouts of America Troop 45 reached a new high in its impressive record when it advanced two brothers, James and Richard Fivehouse, to the rank of Eagle. The outstanding young men became the 60th and 61st Eagle Scouts from the troop since it was organized in 1960. The statistics are remarkable since only about two percent of all scouts attain this rank, the highest one awarded in scouting. On Saturday, Dec. 4, Troop 45 presented the awards at an "Eagle Court of Honor for James T. and Richard J. Fivehouse, the sons of Thomas and Janet Fivehouse of Warwick. The event was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, which sponsors Troop 45. State, county and local officials or their representatives as well as spokespersons from the Boy Scouts of America, local veterans groups and other organizations were on hand to praise the brothers for their achievements and to present awards. Letters of commendation and other awards from Federal agencies and appointed and elected officials, past and present, were also read. Thomas Fivehouse is the current Scoutmaster of Troop 45. "You have only come to a milestone in your lives - one of many," he said. "Never loose sight of the right path. The truth will always guide you in the right direction." James Fivehouse, 19, is currently a sophomore at Ramapo College of New Jersey. He joined the Boy Scouts in 1996. James earned 31 merit badges and currently serves as a volunteer Assistant Scoutmaster, an adult position. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in July 2002, but chose not to have his ceremony at that time. James wanted to wait until his brother Richard also achieved Eagle, so that they could have their Eagle Court ceremony together. For his Eagle project, James conducted a door-to-door food drive for the Warwick Ecumenical Food Pantry. He recruited and led a team of 68 volunteers in the distribution and collection of food bags and the sorting, weighing, and storing of the collected food. Approximately 3 1/4 tons of food were collected. The shelves of the food pantry were completely filled, with a large overflow of food packed in boxes for future use. It is estimated that this could provide food for more than 100 families. James, who is now on the Deans List at Ramapo College, graduated with honors from Warwick Valley High School in 2003. He is a member of the National Honor Society and Alpha Lambda Delta, the National Academic Honor Society. Richard Fivehouse, 16, is a junior at Warwick Valley High School. He joined the Boy Scouts in 1999. Richard earned 28 merit badges and currently serves as a Jr. Assistant Scoutmaster. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and, like his older brother, is involved in a wide variety of school and community activities. For his Eagle Project Richard ran a personal health care and school supplies drive to benefit the Warwick Ecumenical Council's Food Pantry. He directed a crew of 67 volunteers. More than 8,000 items were collected for those less fortunate. Over 90 packing boxes, plus pantry shelves were filled with much-needed hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and infant products along with a wide variety of school items including notebooks, pens and pencils.