Man soars over obstacles to Eagle Scout

Richard Keebler, 27, has Down's Syndrome. But that didn't keep him from obtaining the Boy Scouts of America's highest rank.

By SHERYL KAY

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2000

CARROLLWOOD -- Considering their varied backgrounds and personalities, it is hard to imagine what local resident Richard Keebler could possibly have in common with Ross Perot, Bill Bradley, Gerald Ford, and Steven Spielberg.

Yet all five men enjoy the distinction of having attained the level of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

The organization estimates that only 4 percent of all scouts ever achieve the Eagle rank, and for Keebler, 27, this is even more significant given that he has Down's Syndrome. On Friday night, Keebler was set to be honored at a Court of Honor at St. Timothy's Church and pinned with the coveted badge.

"I feel great," said Keebler, a part-time employee for Tampa Work Services and resident of Beacon Woods. "Eagle Scout is the best."

According to his father, Ray, Keebler started Boy Scouts at 17, the age at which most boys attain the Eagle award if they qualify.

Keebler then had to work his way up, like all scouts, through six other ranks, showing competency in everything from personal fitness to first aid to knot tying.

"Not all of it seemed easy," Ray Keebler said.

The challenges were apparent to troop leaders as well.

"His dexterity is not always that good, which causes him to be more frustrated than anything else," said Tom Kochansky, one of Keebler's former scoutmasters.

"But no one ever cut him any slack as far as requirements go. It may have taken him longer than the others, but he did it, and it would never occur to him to do less than his best," Kochansky said.

Although his parents had some initial concerns that Keebler might not fit in with the other boys, those were quickly overcome.

"The other boys were great," Ray Keebler said. "They treated him just like everyone else."

Kochansky agreed.

"From the first night he showed up he was one of the boys," Kochansky said. "He's the kind of guy, he goes someplace, everyone wants to know him and everyone wants to be his friend."

Though the experience has been both social and educational, attaining the Eagle Scout award has also been an end unto itself for Keebler.

"There were some short-term goals he set for himself, and then about two ranks back he started to get excited about Eagle Scout," Ray Keebler said. "This was his goal, and we are all proud of him."

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