Positivity: At 88, Florida man becomes an Eagle Scout
Updated: 3:33 p.m. ET July 30, 2007
Service in World War II had prevented completion of course requirements
More than a half-century after he finished the requirements to earn the rank, an 88-year-old man was honored as an Eagle Scout on Saturday, making him possibly the oldest person to ever collect the honor.
Walter Hart couldn’t become an Eagle Scout at the time he earned the rank because his service in World War II got in the way.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said Hart, who lives in a retirement center in nearby Lehigh Acres.
Scout officials say he may be the oldest person to ever earn the honor.
Hart joined the Cub Scouts in 1928 in Malden, Mass., and earned 23 merit badges during his years as a Boy Scout, scouting officials said. Of the 120 merit badges available, 21 must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout rank.
It all got set aside when he joined the Navy during World War II and served two years aboard the USS Alfred A. Cunningham.
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