By: Mike Rhodes—
Charlie Murphy is no ordinary Eagle Scout. Not by a long shot.
To become an Eagle Scout, one must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, complete an Eagle Scout Community Project and take a leadership role for a set amount of time in a Boy Scout Troop.
Charlie needed 21 merit badges to obtain his Eagle Scout designation. He earned 137—every badge the Boy Scout program offers. His sash is completely covered—front and back—with brightly colored, embroidered merit badges.
Statistically, 6 percent of Boy Scouts earn the Eagle Scout designation. Less than 1 percent of Boy Scouts receive ALL the merit badges offered in the program. Charlie is in that 1 percent club of Boy Scout superstars.
“I’ve been in Boy Scouts for about 8 years now and I began Cub Scouts when I was in first grade. I went all the way through the program. From Cub Scouts to becoming an Eagle Scout. For my Eagle Scout Community Project, I created many different items for the Muncie Animal Shelter for the dogs. For the cats, I recommended something called a Stretch-and-Scratch that we put in the cages that allowed the cats to release stress while in the cage,” Charlie said.
A few of the 137 merit badges on Charlie Murphy’s sash.
For Charlie, the most difficult patch to achieve was the Sustainability Patch. “That one required a lot of paperwork and documentation,” Charlie said.
Each merit badge comes with a book. In the front of the book are requirements for the specific badge, along with worksheets to fill out. Charlie has two large plastic containers at home, where he keeps all 137 folders of his merit badge books, worksheets and papers.
On becoming an Eagle Scout, Charlie said, “I have more experiences than most other Boy Scouts. I’ve been all over the United States. Mainly, all over Indiana. I’ve even gone to Texas to get the Scouting Heritage badge.”
Charlie has also received the William T. Hornaday Award, a Conservation Award typically given to only 4 Boy Scouts a year.
Charlie plans to attend Ball State after he graduates. “I’d like to be a history teacher,” he said.
Charlie belongs to Scout Troup 1. They meet at the Riverside United Methodist church once a week on Mondays.
Click here to view the entire list of 137 merit badges Charlie earned in the order he received them.
