Seth Wickens-Walther, son of Corrine Wickens and Carole Walther of DeKalb, received the Eagle Scout Award as a member of Boy Scout Troop 33, sponsored by the First Lutheran Church in DeKalb. The Eagle Scout award is Scouting’s highest honor.
Wickens-Walther began as a Cub Scout in Pack 173 at St Mary’s School in DeKalb, where he earned the Arrow of Light Award.
He joined Boy Scout Troop 33 in DeKalb in spring 2013. Years of adventure and challenging activities marked his journey toward Eagle.
Among his cold weather adventures were; Klondike derbies, cabin campouts, snow base, snowmobiling, snow tubing, sledding and ice fishing, which took place in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Warm weather adventures included summer camps at Canyon Camp and Camp Lowden. Exciting high adventure trips took him: canoeing 62 miles across the Atchafalaya Swamp in Louisiana, attending a National Scout Jamboree in Virginia, backpacking and climbing in Kentucky on two different occasions, plus canoeing a 50-mile route through the Boundary Waters in Minnesota.
An important part of Scouting includes community service. Wickens-Walther has worked in numerous local service projects in the DeKalb area each year. Disaster relief work included helping at Illinois tornado sites at Washington and Fairdale.
He is a member of the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s National Honor Society.
Wickens-Walther earned 31 merit badges, which distinguished his Eagle Award with Bronze and Gold Palms. Some of his leadership responsibilities included serving as patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader and assistant scoutmaster.
All Eagle Scouts plan, develop and give leadership to an Eagle Service Project.
His project involved the building and installation of three large shelving units, custom-fitted to create an organized resource center for the youth area at the DeKalb County Courthouse.
Wickens-Walther is a 2020 graduate of DeKalb High School. He plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study foreign languages and linguistics.
