`Owed it to them,' Andrew becomes 7th Eagle in his family

By John Howell
Posted 2/14/17

By JOHN HOWELL At a court of honor held Jan. 19 at St. Peter Church, Andrew Fredericks became the seventh member of his family to attain the rank of Eagle. His father, Richard, also an Eagle, said Andrew did not fall victim to the challenge of what those

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`Owed it to them,' Andrew becomes 7th Eagle in his family

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At a court of honor held Jan. 19 at St. Peter Church, Andrew Fredericks became the seventh member of his family to attain the rank of Eagle.

His father, Richard, also an Eagle, said Andrew did not fall victim to the challenge of what those in scouting refer to as the “three Ws” to attain the highest rank in Boy Scouting.

“Wheels, work and women really takes the boys off course,” said Richard.

But Andrew had something going for him to complete the ascent to Eagle, a process that takes a commitment and years to complete.

“I felt like I owed it to them to keep going,” he said.

Andrew doesn’t remember when he first became involved with scouts – maybe he was seven or a year older. Richard Jr., his older brother by three years, was a scout. There were more examples to live up to, including his uncle John, also an Eagle Scout, and his cousins who were scouts and also became Eagles.

From the start, becoming an Eagle seemed the way to go.

“It’s always been in the plan, always a goal,” he said.

The brothers were members of Troop 4 Warwick.

A junior at Pilgrim, Andrew is also enrolled in the construction trades program at the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center. He’s uncertain what the future after high school holds. He’s thinking of becoming a firefighter.

Nonetheless, he feels his scouting experience has already served him and will continue to help him make the right decisions.

“I made a lot of friends,” he said, “I met important people. “The process teaches a lot of leadership, builds character.”

He said the rank of Eagle is an accomplishment and lets people know “you can stick with it.”

For his Eagle service project, Andrew conducted a diaper and baby clothing drive for Project Link based out of the Providence Center, collecting more than 300 items.

His father takes pride in his sons’ accomplishments. He said he tried to guide them in the right direction, feeling from the start that the older boy would stick with scouting and go on to become an Eagle. He said he hoped they would become Eagles but didn’t push it.

“You have to want it,” he said.

Richard said scouting teaches self-reliance. As for being an Eagle, he said it “sets you apart. As they say, once an Eagle always an Eagle. A lot of people will look at you as a leader. You have to live up to being an Eagle.”

In addition to his sons and brother, John, Richard’s nephews Timothy and Tyler Card, members of Warwick Troop 117, and John Fredericks IV are Eagles.

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