PORT ANGELES — An 84-year-old man clutched a Boy Scout handbook as he sat before a five-person Eagle Scout board of review Saturday.
After an hour recalling merit badges and telling tales of candy making, camping trips and the values of scouting, Erling “Bub” Olsen passed the final step to receiving the highest honor in the Boy Scouts of America.
It took him 70 years to get there.
“I am very proud to be sitting here today,” the white-haired Port Angeles resident told the board. “You gotta hurry, because I’m getting pretty old.”
The members of the board, representing the Boy Scouts’ Chief Seattle Council, unanimously agreed to pass Olsen, who may be one of the oldest people ever to receive the award.
A scout must usually earn his Eagle before age 18, and only 4 percent of scouts ever achieve the rank.
Officially, Olsen remains an Eagle Scout candidate until the National Advancement Committee approves his paperwork next month.
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