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DOWAGIAC — A Dowagiac resident recently earned Boy Scouts of America’s highest honor.

Abraham Guernsey joined his older brothers, Zacharias and Jeremiah, in earning the rank of Eagle Scout. 

He was recently honored with a ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niles. Guernsey started his journey in 2011 in Cub Scouts in Dowagiac and moved to Niles Boy Scout troop 579 when there was no longer a troop in Dowagiac. Due to COVID, many of his fellow scouts did not finish but he did everything to finish what he had started. To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, Abraham had to earn 21 merit badges which ranged from cooking, hiking, and camping to more in-depth merit badges such as citizenship in the community, the nation and the world along with First Aid and several others. 

For his Eagle Scout project, Guernsey and the other scouts cleaned up the Catholic cemetery in Dowagiac, built two benches and planted flowers around the statue of Jesus. One of the requirements of an Eagle project is to raise the money for the project. Abraham went before the Catholic churches in Dowagiac asking for donations for his project and they were very generous and supportive. Guernsey thanked both the Dowagiac and Niles communities and scouting programs for all their support and help over the last 12 years in helping him active this great accomplishment.