Boy killed in wreck awarded Eagle rank

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, October 21, 2006

LAKEWOOD – Scott Skiles was a track star, an honor student and a pianist.

Now, he can also be called an Eagle Scout.

Scott, who was honored last week with a new plaque at the Lakewood High School stadium, was awarded the rank of Eagle by the Boy Scouts of America days after he died in a traffic accident near his home in late August. He was 17.

His medal – a silver Eagle hanging from a red-white-and-blue ribbon – is on his parents’ dining room table surrounded by cards, flowers and gifts that have poured in from the community.

“It’s something where he took the ball and ran with it,” said Todd Skiles, Scott’s father. “We certainly supported him and encouraged him the whole way.”

The stadium was a special place for Scott. He was a standout runner for the school’s track and cross-country teams, and he cleaned and repainted the stadium as his Eagle Scout service project.

The Skiles family paid for the new plaque, which was up in time for Saturday’s Cascade Conference cross-country meet at the stadium.

“It’s a place (Scott) saw quite a bit of,” Todd Skiles said.

Scott had fulfilled all the requirements to earn his Eagle. The only thing he hadn’t done was meet with his Scout leaders for a final review. That requirement was waived.

For his Eagle Scout service project, Scott wanted to do something to revitalize the stadium.

With help from fellow Scouts and his track teammates, he spent about two weeks working on the old building.

“It was something that needed to be done,” Todd Skiles said. “It made the stadium look that much better for the upcoming season.”

Mark Brower, one of Scott’s Scout leaders, said Scott worked hard to finish the project.

He is missed by his friends in Scouting, Brower said.

“When we’re together with a group of young men he was a part of, something will happen and someone will say something about Scott,” he said.

The Skiles family was pleased that Scott was given his rank, said Todd Skiles, who is also an Eagle Scout.

“It’s something he did on his own,” he said. “He showed a lot of leadership ability.”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.