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Apr 7, 2007

"We should not judge of a man's merit by his great abilities, but by the use he makes of them." --Francois de la Rochefoucauld

The Extraordinary Boy Scout

It's not easy making Eagle, the highest honor in Boy Scouts. You need at least 21 merit badges, and only 2 percent of Scouts get that far. A remarkable achievement. So what adjective should be used for James Calderwood, who has earned 121 merit badges? This teenager has every badge available, from American business to woodwork. He even has one they don't give out anymore -- "atomic energy" -- so make it 122. Bugling was probably one of the most difficult," said Calderwood, a high-school senior. "I've never been very musically gifted. And I was on five different continents over the summer, so I didn't have much time to practice." His commendable summer activities: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, working with an ecological program in Costa Rica, being with exchange students in Japan, and helping open a medical clinic in northern Kenya.