The wooden sign greeting visitors at Newton Creek Park tells a story bigger than its welcoming message. Carved from a cross-section of tree trunk, the “Welcome to Philomath” marker represents more than civic pride — it’s a testament to youth leadership and a community tradition spanning generations.
Ryan Hindman, then a member of Troop 562, led the 2018 project that brought the distinctive sign to life. The challenge proved significant for the young scout.
“I can design it easily but when you ask me to build it, it took a while,” Hindman recalled in a 2018 interview. “I think it took two months for the log cross-cuts to come in and then the city had to approve it.”
For Wade Haslam, who served as Troop 562’s scoutmaster for about a decade before the troop disbanded in 2019, Hindman’s project exemplified what scouting aims to accomplish.
“For that kid, scouting made a difference for him,” Haslam said. “He’s a grown adult now and has taken a lot of those things he learned in scouting and applied them in his life. It’s been really cool to see.”
Hindman’s sign is just one of dozens of Eagle Scout projects that have shaped Philomath’s landscape over the decades. From basketball courts to disc golf courses, from murals to soccer dugouts, the projects represent the culmination of years of dedication by young scouts working toward the highest rank in the Boy Scouts.
More than a badge
Tom Klipfel, scoutmaster of Troop 161 since 2010 and himself an Eagle Scout from 1984, explained that the journey requires navigating seven ranks before age 18. The last three come with mandatory time requirements that force scouts to start early and stay committed.
“If you’re getting one rank a year, then you’re right on track,” said Klipfel, noting that covers three years of middle school and four years of high school. “In truth, most boys aren’t getting there until they’re really close to their 18th birthday. It works out because that means they stuck around.”
The statistics underscore the achievement’s rarity.
“They say only 2% or 3% of all boys ever achieve Eagle Scout,” Klipfel said. “I don’t understand why every middle and high school aged boy is not a Boy Scout because it’s just a really great program.”
Haslam emphasized that the Eagle Scout projects serve dual purposes.
“They hopefully stand the test of time but more importantly, they create an opportunity for a young man to lead a project that may have a long-term impact, or a short-term impact,” he said.
The requirements are specific and demanding. Projects must benefit a nonprofit organization, school, or similar entity — but not the Boy Scouts organization itself. The scout must lead, plan and organize the effort rather than simply execute it.
“The literal requirement is not to do a project, it’s to lead a project,” Klipfel explained. “The Eagle Scout can’t just do the project all by themselves.”
Visible legacy
Walk through Philomath today and Eagle Scout projects appear at nearly every turn. The nine-hole disc golf course at Marys River Park and Natural Area, designed in 2008 by David Bierek of Troop 161, winds through open and wooded terrain.
Bierek, then a senior at Philomath High School, worked with City Councilor Jerry Jackson to create something the community would use for years to come. In 2022, fellow Troop 161 member Zack Novak enhanced the course with new tee markers and maps.
Said Klipfel when asked about a project that stands out, “One that I think gets used a lot is the disc golf course at Marys River Park.”
At Philomath High School, soccer teams still use dugout shelters built through Eagle Scout projects. Devan Stucki led construction efforts in 2010, and his brother, Nathan Stucki, added a mural in 2012.
“They’re still standing and I can’t believe those have lasted that long,” Haslam said.
Perhaps the most artistically ambitious project involved Marshall Morrison of Troop 562, who in 2019 led the reinstallation of the popular “Flavor of Philomath” mural. The artwork, originally displayed on the exterior of the CD&J Cafe at Main and 13th streets, found new life on the Mainline Pump and Irrigation building near the corner of Applegate and Eighth streets after the cafe building was sold.
“That was a big one,” Haslam remembered. “I don’t know how he did it — his dad’s a contractor so I’m sure he helped.”
The mural, originally finished in 2012 by artist Gretchen Bracher and paid for through a Ford Family Foundation leadership program, recently inspired Philomath Frolic and Rodeo queen Alora Wright’s chaps design.
The oldest documented Eagle Scout project dates to 1978 when Mark Anderson led construction of a community basketball court behind the College United Methodist Church. At the time, Troop 161 was chartered by the Philomath Volunteer Fire Department.
Not all projects leave permanent structures. Haslam cited an example of a Thanksgiving dinner organized by a scout one year in partnership with Habitat for Humanity — a project with short-term impact but meaningful community benefit.
A few of the Eagle Scout projects took place in Kings Valley. Nick Stucki organized and led a 2018 cleaning of gravestones at Kings Valley Cemetery. Three projects took place at Kings Valley Charter School, including Alex Munsee’s 2008 play structure work and both Max Clements’ outbuilding and Logan Sprague’s computer technology projects in 2017.
The secret ingredient
Philomath has produced an impressive number of Eagle Scouts over the decades, a success Haslam attributes to having two strong troops operating simultaneously.
“The main reason is we had two very solid troops going at the same time,” Haslam said. “Tom Klipfel with Troop 161 — that troop was being really well managed and there were just a lot of really devoted scouters going there.”
Family tradition played a significant role. Haslam himself has five sons who achieved Eagle Scout status, following in his footsteps and those of his grandfather, a World War II veteran whose original scout book Haslam still possesses.
“My grandfather was a really big scouter and he sent some of that off onto me because we did a lot of outdoor adventures together,” he said.
During peak years, certain families seemed to dominate the ranks.
“Our troop, for some reason, just had a big flood of young men come through our ward,” Haslam recalled. “I mean, we had the Ericksons, the Stuckis, the Haslams, the Calders — those families all had like five or six boys and those boys were all looking at their big brother going, ‘I want to be like my big brother.'”
The synergy created momentum.
“I think between parental support and the boys feeling that energy from their friends, it became a more popular thing to do,” Haslam said.
But family support alone doesn’t guarantee success. Both scoutmasters emphasized that achieving Eagle Scout requires a constellation of factors aligning properly.
“It takes more than just the boy,” Haslam said. “They’ve got to have a good parent, they’ve got to have a good scoutmaster, they’ve got to have good friends. And if they have that, usually they can achieve it.”
Staying power
The challenge intensifies as boys enter high school. Competing interests multiply — sports, jobs, social lives, and the allure of independence.
“The joke is, once they start smelling perfume and gasoline, they don’t want to be doing scouts so much,” Klipfel said. “But if I can get them to that freshman or sophomore year, then they will go through. I think they get past that point of, ‘all right, maybe Boy Scouts for some people isn’t cool but I don’t care. I’m having fun.'”
Klipfel can often predict right away which scouts will go the distance.
“Those who are committed — and you can usually tell on Day 1 — I can name off some kids in my troop right now who I know will go all the way through and it’s actually the majority of them because they’ve got good family support,” he said.
“Those whose parents are just looking for something to keep their kid busy or the parents aren’t involved or they don’t have a friend involved or they’re being forced to do it or whatever, those are the ones that will drift off,” he added.
Haslam stressed starting young.
“It’s a journey that has to start when they’re young because when they get close to going from middle school to high school, they have a lot of things that get in their way,” he said. “And that’s OK because those are things you want them to do. You want them to explore their careers and their athleticism and usually it’s cars and girls, too, that kind of get you going when you’re in the ninth or 10th grade.”
The commitment demands more than showing up.
“If they jump on board when they’re young and they commit that once a week to come to the troop meetings and get out for the camps every summer,” Haslam said, “they have to buy into more than just the reward of the badge on their shoulder or the pin on their lapel. They have to really see the benefit.”
Community partnership
Troop 161’s longevity stems partly from strong community partnerships. The troop, with a presence dating back more than a half-century, has operated under various charter agreements through the decades — from the Philomath Lions Club to the Philomath Youth Activities Club, and others including the College United Methodist Church.
When the Methodist church dropped its charter, Klipfel reached out to PYAC director Eddie Van Vlack.
“He didn’t miss a beat and took it to the board,” Klipfel said. “The missions line up perfectly. It’s about building youth and character, so it’s been working great.”
Troop 161 reciprocates through volunteer work, including PYAC’s firewood sale fundraiser where scouts help stack wood and load trucks.
The earliest reference to a Philomath Eagle Scout dates to December 1950 when Don Shrader earned the rank. At the time, Troop 161 was chartered by the Philomath Lions Club, and Don’s brother, Kenneth, the troop’s scoutmaster, placed the pin during a court of honor ceremony.
A newspaper article reported that Troop 161 had been organized in April 1948.
Philomath produced two other Eagle Scouts in the 1950s — Clinton Murphy in 1956 and Ken Stueve in 1959 — though newspaper coverage of their achievements made no mention of service projects.
The landscape has changed since those early days. Troop 562 disbanded in 2019 after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dropped its Boy Scout chartering in favor of its own youth development programs. But Troop 161 continues under Klipfel’s leadership, maintaining the tradition.
Building beyond boyhood
For Haslam, watching his former scouts mature into adulthood provides the deepest satisfaction. He reflected on Hindman’s journey — a young man who faced various challenges growing up but found direction through scouting.
“I know it’s not just one thing that builds the kids but you’d like to think that scouting has somewhat of an influence on building character,” Haslam said. “Of course, we’re all grateful for the same thing that comes from teachers and coaches and neighbors and other kids’ parents and all of that but it really is cool to see that kind of building block happen.”
The wooden welcome sign at Newton Creek Park, visible to westbound motorists and cyclists on the Hunsaker Bike Path, endures as Hindman’s contribution. But the true legacy extends beyond the physical structure.
“Hopefully they stand the test of time,” Haslam said of the projects, “but more importantly, they create an opportunity for a young man to lead.”
In Philomath, those opportunities have transformed both the scouts who took them and the community that provided the proving ground. The basketball courts, disc golf courses, murals, and shelter structures scattered throughout town tell stories of dedication, leadership and service — lessons that last far longer than wood and paint.
Klipfel prefers his scouts reach Eagle status later rather than earlier, keeping them engaged longer in the program’s positive influence.
“I’d rather have them involved all the way to 18 because it’s a great program and I want the older boys to lead the younger boys — that’s the whole point of the program,” he said.
The cycle continues. Young scouts look at older scouts’ projects and begin envisioning their own contributions. Parents who were scouts themselves encourage their sons. Community organizations provide venues and support. And piece by piece, project by project, Philomath’s character gets built alongside the character of its youth.
EAGLE SCOUT PROJECTS IN PHILOMATH
Editor’s note: The following list features only those projects that were completed in Philomath. There are several other Boys Scouts in Philomath that earned their Eagle Scout rank and completed their service projects in other communities.
TROOP 161
Note: Troop 161 archives show the following as earning Eagle Scout status but details about their service projects are currently unknown: Don Shrader (1950), Clinton Murphy (1956), Ken Stueve (1959), Fred Christensen (1976), David Guenther (1984), Andrew Crabtree (1985), Ryan Johnson (1990), Eric Karboski (1994), Robert Root (2002), Nathan Skaer (2005), Adam Skaer (2005) and Jayson Edblom (2005).
1978 — Mark Anderson: Community basketball court at College United Methodist Church
1986 — Tim Fredericks: Down’s syndrome speech at Philomath High School
1991 — Rick Harris: Planter box containing three white crosses at College United Methodist Church
1992 — Clinton Young: Playshed at Philomath Elementary School
1992 — Martin Theurer: Raised planter box at the rodeo grounds entrance
1992 — Marcus March: New sign for Philomath Area Chamber of Commerce
1994 — Jamie Mellein: Organized parking with color-coded barrels and exit signs at rodeo grounds
1994 — Robert Symons: Sign above stage at open-air dance floor at the rodeo grounds
1995 — Mitch Theurer: Retaining wall, steps and landing, hand rail, gravel at College United Methodist Church
1999 — Merlin Theurer: Greenhouse at Philomath High School
2001 — Andy Tunison: Benches with wooden seats and steel frames at Philomath Youth Activities Club
2007 — Louis Donadio: Picnic table shelter at Philomath Scout Lodge
2007 — Andy Harvey: Kiosk at Philomath Scout Lodge
2007 — John Mayer: Flagpoles and veterans memorial at Philomath Scout Lodge
2009 — David Bierek: Disc golf course at Marys River Park
2009 — Cody Labahn: Bridge on trail from Philomath Scout Lodge to the property’s ponds
2009 — Matt Dowless: Log sign at the entrance to Philomath Scout Lodge
2010 — Andrew Bierek: Dining shelter at Philomath Middle School
2012 — Jonathan Bierek: Four picnic tables at Philomath Middle School
2013 — Tyler Pellett: Frolic sign on grandstands at the rodeo grounds
2013 — Cole Chambers: Cabling shed for PHS forestry program’s competition area
2014 — Bailey Choi: Split-log table and benches under shelter near Downing Research Forest
2014 — Jack Klipfel: Outdoor classroom shelter for forestry students near Downing Research Forest
2017 — Jayden Jensen: Corvallis-to-the-Sea Trail clearance near Philomath
2018 — Keltin Benson: Corvallis-to-the-Sea Trail clearance near Philomath
2018 — Colby Pellett: Baseball field signs at Philomath Middle School
2019 — Atli Thurman: Covered sandbox at Lupe’s Community Garden
2020 — Judah Wenger: Maple and dogwood tree planting at Philomath City Park
2021 — Chris Ludington: Remodeling/interior work at Philomath Community Services building
2022 — Zack Novak: Tee markers and maps at Marys River Park disc golf course
2024 — Tanner Dowless: Teaching kiosk in courtyard at Philomath Elementary School
2024 — Owen Thomas: Raised flower beds at Paul J. Cochran Veterans Memorial Park
2024 — Justin Rogers: Refurbished American flag staffs that line Main Street on holidays
2024 — Mike Novak: Sign and benches at Peace Lutheran Church
TROOP 562
2002 — Devin Fisher: Concrete pads and picnic tables at Newton Creek Park
2002 — Eric Nash: Organization of Friends of the Library book drive
2003 — Thomas Nielson: Food drive for the community
2005 — James Brandenburg: Flagpole acquisition, construction at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
2005 — Jon Erickson: Landscaping, play structure at Philomath Community Services
2010 — Devan Stucki: Soccer team shelters at Philomath High School
2010 — Jacob Erickson: Refinished doors and benches at Philomath High School
2011 — Austin Haslam: Scotch broom eradication
2012 — Brandon Lewis: Coordinated, publicized and conducted Safety Town event
2012 — Nathan Stucki: Mural at soccer shelters at Philomath High School
2013 — Chandler Stucki: Landscaping at Philomath City Park
2013 — Jakob Moss: Training roof for Philomath Fire and Rescue
2013 — Daniel Nielson: Cleaned up planters, spread bark, built shelf dividers at Philomath Middle School
2014 — Tyler Haslam: Shelves and storage for Philomath High School dance team
2017 — Nathan Haslam: Parking lot lines at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
2018 — Ryan Hindman: Welcome to Philomath sign at Newton Creek Park
2018 — Stephen Mecham: Philomath Frolic and Rodeo signs
2018 — James Erickson: Sign and benches at Philomath Middle School
2019 — Jesse Erickson: Benches at Flossie Overman Discovery Park
2019 — Marshall Morrison: Mural reinstall at Mainline Pump and Irrigation
2019 — Adam Hernandez: Shelving at Philomath Food Bank
2019 — Luke Haslam: Sets for play production at Philomath High School
Note: The years shown in the preceding list do not necessarily correspond to the year that the project was completed, but rather when the candidate earned his Eagle Scout rank or completed the requirements. A special thank you to Tom Klipfel of Troop 161 and Jane Brandenburg of Troop 562 for assisting with Eagle Scout project research. Anyone who has knowledge of an Eagle Scout that completed a service project in Philomath and was not included on the preceding lists, please email news@philomathnews.com.
2024 Thomas Smith rebuilt sign at Zion Lutheran church and school.
Hi Tim: I know Thomas did that project (I interviewed him) and there are many others from outside of town. The focus of this article involved projects that have directly impacted Philomath residents. … Brad
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