Jackson and Logan Thompson were joined by family members on June 10 as they received their Eagle Scout awards. From left to right: grandfather Drayton Gantt, Jackson, little sister Sarah Rylan Thompson, Logan, mother Sarah Megan Thompson, and father John Clark Thompson III.
Jackson Thompson (center) hugs his grandfather, Drayton Gantt, during his Eagle Scout ceremony on June 10. Gantt was heavily involved in his grandsons' Scouting career.
Jackson and Logan Thompson were joined by family members on June 10 as they received their Eagle Scout awards. From left to right: grandfather Drayton Gantt, Jackson, little sister Sarah Rylan Thompson, Logan, mother Sarah Megan Thompson, and father John Clark Thompson III.
Troop 392’s last Eagle Scout has flown from the nest.
Brothers Jackson Clark Thompson, 19, and John Logan Thompson, 16, received their Eagle Scout award during a court of honor ceremony on June 10 at the Boiling Springs Presbyterian Chapel.
“Eagle Scout is a very special designation. It’s something they’ll never take away from you. It will open many doors and I hope those doors will lead to God’s use of you,” said Rev. Al Rivett, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Barnwell.
Troop 392 Scoutmaster Tracy Waller said the troop has had more than 60 Eagle Scouts over the last 30 years. However, Jackson is the Barnwell troop’s last Eagle Scout since Troop 392 folded during the Covid pandemic.
“I'm proud to have earned the rank of Eagle, but it's sad that I was the last Troop 392 Eagle,” said Jackson.
Logan is also proud to have earned his Eagle, though his was through Troop 110 in Aiken.
During their time with Troop 392, the brothers learned how to cook, built bird houses, built shelves, changed tires, performed first aid, climbed over barriers, tied all kinds of knots, climbed Table Rock, hiked Virginia Creeper Trail, picked up trash, gave out fishing tackle at the fishing rodeo, toured the jail, paddle boarded, zip lined, and camped out in sweltering heat, freezing cold and pouring rain. “Mostly we had fun. They did all that while learning to be productive and law-abiding citizens,” said Waller.
“We had a good troop with some great leaders and had a lot of fun learning skills and camping together. I enjoyed everything I did in scouting, even when I got hurt. Scouts taught me the importance of setting achievable goals and working toward them. It also taught me to get along with lots of different kinds of people,” said Jackson.
Logan also enjoyed his entire experience in Boy Scouts. “I made good friends and had fun learning skills with them,” he said.
As part of the process to earn Eagle, the brothers had to each complete a service project. The brothers each chose projects to help their church, Christ Presbyterian Church.
Jackson's project involved clearing a path to "the Boiling Spring" behind the little schoolhouse at the church’s Boiling Spring Chapel, cleaning out the spring, and building a stone retaining wall so it pools up before going over the wall and downhill.
“I picked my Eagle project because my grandfather had told me the history of the Boiling Springs and his family. Then his cousin Dorothy donated the land where the spring is to the church, so cleaning the trail to the spring became a possible Eagle project,” said Jackson.
Logan's project was building an outdoor playset at Christ Presbyterian Church after church leaders brought up the need of having a playground set for Vacation Bible School.
“Thank you for their work on behalf of our church and you and your kingdom,” said Rivett during his invocation at the ceremony.
Jackson Thompson (center) hugs his grandfather, Drayton Gantt, during his Eagle Scout ceremony on June 10. Gantt was heavily involved in his grandsons' Scouting career.
Earning their Eagle Scout rank not only meant a lot to the brothers but to their grandfather, Drayton Gantt, who served as an assistant scoutmaster.
“Seeing both my grandsons make Eagle, as well as my son several years ago, feels like I've accomplished one of the great goals of my life,” said Gantt.
Both Jackson and Logan presented mentor pins to their grandfather for his impact on their Scouting careers. Gantt has been with them since Cub Scouts.
“I'm very glad my grandfather insisted on me and Logan being involved in Boy Scouts,” said Jackson.
Scouting has been an important part of Gantt’s life since he was a child.
“My father died two weeks before my eighth birthday. One of his pallbearers was Mr. Francis Herndon, the Scoutmaster of Troop 10 in Columbia. I have only sisters and at my father's funeral Mr. Herndon suggested to my mother I be involved in Scouting to have some male influence in my life. Mr. Herndon became a surrogate father to me and had more influence on my life than any other man except my father's brother, John D. Gantt,” said Gantt.
He earned his Eagle rank in 1975. He later got involved as a leader with a troop when he was at Clemson and then served as a unit commissioner in the Indian Waters Council when he returned to Columbia. He also was a Girl Scout leader for his daughters Lindsey and Megan in Columbia. After moving to Barnwell and upon his son Louis turning six in 1999, he and Louis got involved with Pack 692 in Barnwell and later bridged over to Troop 392 where Louis earned his Eagle.
"By the time Louis was 17, his nephews Jackson and Logan were six and three. I went from assistant scoutmaster back down to den leader and took Logan along as a mascot,” Gantt said.
Many young men went through Troop 392 over the decades, but ultimately the troop folded in January 2022. This was primarily due to COVID-19 decimating the troop’s numbers down to just five scouts. However, the troop was also informed by Barnwell United Methodist Church that the church’s national board had recommended churches no longer charter scout troops over fears of the settlement the Boy Scouts of America had made to end lawsuits, Gantt said.
The difficult decision was made not to recharter at the end of January 2022. Jackson had his Board of Review that same month so he could still be counted as a Troop 392 Eagle before turning 18 in May 2022 and aging out.
The remaining scouts were connected with Troop 110 in Aiken because Waller, the former 392 scoutmaster, works with Tommy Patterson, scoutmaster of Troop 110. Ultimately, only two former Troop 392 scouts continued on with Troop 110 from 2022 into 2023.
“I hate that Boy Scouts no longer exists in Barnwell. There are some Cubs at present and Logan has been working as Den Chief, but I doubt most of the parents are committed enough to drive their kids all the way to Aiken one evening a week for meetings. By the time you get home, it's 9 or 9:30 on a school night, which is tough,” said Gantt.
The brothers are the sons of John Clark Thompson III and Sarah Megan Thompson of Barnwell. They are the grandsons of John Clark Thompson II and Marsha Thompson of Williston and Drayton and Lisa Gantt of Barnwell.
Jackson wants to study and work in the field of wildlife biology. Logan is working an internship with the maintenance department at Swiss Krono, but hopes to become a certified welder.
The values and skills that Jackson and Logan learned during their Scouting years will help them soar to success in the future.
