Hundreds gather to mourn Eagle Scout

CLARENDON – An enormous gathering of Boy Scouts met Saturday to say farewell to a well-known and well-loved Scout.

About 700 people, including 400 Scouts, attended the memorial service for Austin Boyd. Only half of the mourners could fit inside the Disciples United Methodist Church.

The big crowd was a testimony to Boyd’s influence in the Scouting and Holley communities. They were told to follow Boyd’s life example of service and excellence.

“Austin pushed others, including adults, to do better,” said Robert Drury, director of Camp Dittmer in Phelps, where Boyd worked for four summers. “We can do the best for him by doing what he wanted: Do our best.”

Boyd, 19, died in a car accident Oct. 28 in Clarendon. The Eagle Scout had worked four summers at Scout camps in Portageville and Phelps. He was serving as assistant Scoutmaster of Troop No. 59 in Clarendon and was in his second year as chief of the Order of the Arrow, which includes about 275 members in the five-county Iroquois Trail Council.

He joined Scouts at 11 and took his first leadership class with Scouts when he entered high school. Scouting helped transform him from a shy kid to an outspoken, yet respectful, leader.

“That program changed Austin,” said Terry Speed, Scoutmaster for the Scout’s National Youth Leadership Training program. “Austin was a prime example of selfless, cheerful service.”

The leaders at NYLT liked Boyd so much they asked him to join the staff for three years.

Boyd had a heart for the Scouts who didn’t seem to readily fit in.

“Austin was the one who made sure no one was left behind,” Speed said.

Drury said Boyd was the “go-to guy” at camp.

“He took care of business,” Drury told the mourners at church. “He just did it.”

Boyd was a freshman at Monroe Community College where he was studying liberal arts. He was considering a career in counseling or social work.

He continued to volunteer as assistant Scoutmaster for Troop No. 59, attending Thursday Scout meetings.

For his Eagle Scout project, he refinished and repainted the shelves for the children’s section at Community Free Library in Holley. His older brother Jordan Boyd told the crowd he was proud of Austin’s commitment to service and his ability to inspire others.

Tom Madejski, president of the Iroquois Trail Council, urged the Scouts and other community members to follow Boyd’s ideals.

“Continue to do the good work that Austin dedicated himself to,” Madejski said. “That may be the best way to remember him.”

Memorials may be made to the Austin J. Boyd Memorial Fund, Iroquois Trail Council, BSA, 45 Liberty St., Suite 2, Batavia, NY 14020. That fund will pay for camping upgrades and also will provide financial assistance for some Scouts to attend the camps.