Kyle Ralph earns Eagle Scout badge

Kyle Ralph is the 66th member of Boy Scout Troop 48 to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Historically, fewer than 3 percent of Boy Scouts nationwide achieve Eagle honors. En route to Eagle rank, Ralph earned 21 merit badges. He cites Shotgun Shooting and Family Life as his favorite badges.

“I have always wanted to know more about guns, and earning the Shotgun Shooting badge taught me everything I need to know,” he said.

He added, “Family life taught me how to communicate and work with my family. It makes you realize that your family is the number one thing, besides God, that you should keep close to you at all times. They are the ones who will be there for you when no one else is. So treat them and love them as if you won’t see them again for the rest of your life.”

Ralph enjoyed t wo summers working as a staff member at Skymont Scout Reservation, where he taught Scouting skills to hundreds of first-year Scouts as a Polaris Program Instr uctor. “Like most teachers, I had a couple of trouble makers who just loved to try and ruin my day, but I never let that happen,” he said.

Ralph led an Eagle Leadership Service Project that logged 199 volunteer hours. He and his Troop 48 volunteers constructed a large pergola for Faith Presbyterian Church. The pergola will provide shade for day care children. Ralph and his father also planted three Carolina Jasmine plants around the pergola.

Ralph is a senior at Germantown High School and will attend Southwest Community College in the fall. After two years, he will choose between the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville or Chattanooga. He plans to major in chemi- cal engineering.

Ralph’s leadership roles in Troop 48 included assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, senior patrol leader and his favorite, junior a ssi st a nt scoutmaster. He plans to continue service as a Troop 48 adult leader.

Continuously chartered since 1929, Troop 48 is the fifth-oldest Boy Scout Troop in the Chickasaw Council. B. S. A. Troop 48 holds top-level Gold status in the Boy Scouts of America’s “Journey to Excellence” troop rating program.

Troop 48 is chartered by Faith Presbyterian Church in Germantown and Brian Issing is the scoutmaster.

Kyle is the son of Richard and Theresa Ralph of Memphis.