Eagle Scout project results in new sign at Gurney Field

Chris Gurney stands next to the sign he made for the field in Springfield named after his grandfather, Donald Gurney.

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2017-10-25 / Springfield Eagle Scout project results in new sign at Gurney Field By BILL LOCKWOOD Chris Gurney stands next to the sign he made for the field in Springfield named after his grandfather, Donald Gurney. - COURTESY PHOTOChris Gurney stands next to the sign he made for the field in Springfield named after his grandfather, Donald Gurney. - COURTESY PHOTOSPRINGFIELD — The Late Donald I. Gurney was very involved in the Springfield community. He was on the school board, the selectboard, and was a founding member of the Springfield Booster Club. In the late 1980s, a sports field at Springfield High School was named after him. The original sign that designated the field deteriorated over the years, and it eventually disappeared. About two years ago, Gurney passed away, and his grandson, Chris Gurney, began a process to create a new and good-looking sign for his grandfather’s field. This year, Chris is a senior at the high school, and he is also on the fall and spring track teams and the fall soccer team, all of which compete on Gurney Field. Chris is also a candidate for Eagle Scout with Troop 252, a troop with 20 to 30 members, that meet at the Congregational Church on Main Street in Springfield. Chris is currently the troop’s Senior Patrol Leader. He has been a Boy Scout since seventh grade, and he has seen obtaining their highest honor of Eagle Scout as “a nice goal to get to.” In order to reach Eagle Scout, one must have earned at least 21 Merit Badges, plan and complete a major project, and be approved by a Board of Review. The Boy Scouts of America website states that since the start of the organization in 1910, more than 110 million boys have been members, but in those 110-plus years, over two million have achieved Eagle Scout. Chris has the needed Merit Badges, he still needs to go before the Board of Review, and now he has completed his major project, which was to install a new sign at Gurney Field. Chris had to follow specific guidelines to create and install his sign. He first had to formulate a plan and come up with an estimate of the cost. He then had to raise funds from donations to obtain the needed materials and expertise. And he had to recruit other scouts and friends to help with the creation and installation. “It’s a lot of time they put into it, and if they’re active in other things, it’s hard to work the time in with all their other activities,” said Chris’ father, Brad Gurney. In addition to support from his parents, Chris had help with the project. It came from past and present members of his troop, the community, his friends, his Scout Master and leaders of the troop, and a member who has achieved Eagle Scout in the past. They joined in digging post holes, setting the concrete and brackets last fall. Then this spring, Chris and his crew painted and installed the sign. One big donation was some time and expertise from J & K Sign Co. in North Walpole, which helped with engraving and cutting out the lettering. Chris gave a quick estimate that he and his team put in a total of over 30 hours work. Both of Chris’s parents said they are proud of his accomplishment with the sign and his progress toward achieving Eagle Scout. Brad Gurney also sees it in terms of the many parks and recreation projects the scouts do to better the community. “Now, when parents come to a game they don’t ask where is Gurney Field?” he said. Chris still needs to complete his final Eagle Scout requirements before he turns 18 this coming June. After graduation from Springfield High School, he hopes to attend Vermont Technical College with a career in civil engineering as his goal. He hopes to continue on in the fine tradition of the many Eagle Scouts who have gone before. The first Eagle Scout was Arthur Eldred of Troop 1, Rockville Center, Long Island, New York, in 1912. Since then, many prominent and famous men have achieved the goal, among them Astronaut Neil Armstrong, former President Gerald Ford, Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer, film director Steven Spielberg, current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and four Nobel Prize Laureates. On Oct. 17, the Boy Scouts of America announced that they will now accept girls into Cub Scout dens, and create a pathway for women to achieve Eagle Scout as well.