Eagle Scout Tackles Monumental Project
Published July, 1999

By Courtney Jordan

While Eagle Scout Nate Franz stood watching a Medina County Memorial Day parade, he decided that he would like to do his part to honor local residents as well. At that time, he was working on becoming an Eagle Scout and needed to complete a final project. According to Nate, “To become an Eagle Scout, one must earn 21 badges and complete a project that benefits the community.” As a Westfield Center resident, Nate decided to try to build a brick area around the flagpole in Westfield Cemetery using engraved bricks.

In his plan, local residents could purchase a commemorative brick with their friends or family member’s name on it. What better way to celebrate someone’s life than to have their name displayed for all to see?

His idea was put into motion last October. The project’s first step was to get permission from the proper authorities. Franz had to speak to individuals from his Village Council, the Cemetery Committee and an architectural review board.

Surprisingly, Nate says that he was never nervous while presenting his proposal. After being granted permission, Nate researched the best way to go about selling the bricks. By seeing how other groups put together similar memorials, he settled on a price of fifty dollars per brick.

The sale was highly successful. Over seventy individual bricks were purchased, raising well over $3,500 The area was completed in April. If you visit the memorial, located on Greenwich Road in Westfield Center, you’ll see flowerbeds that surround the area. The response to the new memorial area has been overwhelmingly positive.

As a result of his hard work, Nate recently received his Eagle Scout status at a ceremony held in Leroy United Methodist Church. State Representative Chuck Calvert even attended the ceremony.

This was a huge honor for Franz, who has been involved with Scout Troop 454 since he was eleven. In a touching moment during the ceremony, his mother said that when Nate was a baby she knew he was going to be special. He is. Only one percent of boys who join Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts.

Nate says, “Being a Boy Scout has always been fun. My dad, Jack, is the Scoutmaster of my troop. We have done a lot of great things like caving and rock climbing in Montana and Canada.”

He is also quick to thank everyone who helped him pull his idea together, including his troop, friends and family members. “I couldn’t have done it without help from everyone. I really appreciated it.”

As for his future plans, Nate Franz wants to continue serving others. After graduating from Wadsworth High School next year, he plans to enroll in a ROTC program and serve in the military.