Forty-five years after he earned the honor, Dr. Cleveland L. Sellers Jr. was formally presented with his Eagle pin during a ceremony Monday.
While Sellers had earned Scouting's highest rank as a member of Rome Baptist Church's Troop 137 in Denmark, his paperwork was lost and he never received it. His assistant scoutmaster and mentor, Dr. Frank Staley, presented the honor during the ceremony in West Columbia.
Sellers used the opportunity to challenge the community, including African American churches and youth-serving organizations, to consider starting Scouting units.
"Young men need adult males committed to a long-term investment in their future," he said. "Scouting helps channel young men, helping them develop principles, responsibility and goals. Scouts are provided opportunities for community service that promote the development of a social conscience and build self-confidence."
Sellers, director of the African American Studies program at the University of South Carolina, was wounded in the events of 1968 that came to be known as the Orangeburg Massacre. He was the only person ever convicted in connection with the events, but was later pardoned.
Upon receiving the honor Monday, Sellers thanked Staley; his scoutmaster, the late Timothy Smith and Field Executive William Nimmons.
"I'm real proud of all those who were engaged as teachers, ministers, friends and relatives who have been keeping me going, allowing me the opportunity to live the motto of the scouts: 'Be prepared,'" Sellers said.
Sellers said that he was privileged to attend the Philmar Scout Ranch in New Mexico as well as the 1960 Jamboree, where he was exposed to scouts from all over the country.
"I think more important were the experiences of bonding, the sleeping out under the stars and the camping out and actually growing and developing," he said.
Sellers said such experiences were important for young people coming up in that particular time.
One of his responsibilities as a scout was gardening. He had to plant a garden, harvest it and show the quality of the products.
" It helped us self develop, gave us self-developing skills where it helped us feel better about ourselves," Sellers said.
Sellers said the ideals taught by the Boy Scouts are still needed today.
"We have reached a point, especially in the African-American community, where a lot of our young people are very idle, don't have a lot of faith, don't have a lot of hope," Sellers said.
He said, "I still believe in the ideal of justice. I believe in the ideal of hope. I believe in trustworthiness. I believe in being kind, respectful, reverent and all those other kinds of things."
Sellers believes that in order to inspire someone else to join in the walk, he has to do it as well.
"I'm going to have to go back to Denmark and see if I can't try to get a troop going again." Sellers said.
Sellers encouraged younger scouts to work hard, set goals, dream, go out and sleep under the stars and think about what they may want to become.
"Dream big dreams, have a lot of dreams. And when you get knocked down by some of these obstacles, get back up quickly, dust your self off, keep dreaming and keep setting goals and remember, be prepared," Sellers said.
For more information about scouting, visit the Indian Waters Council Web site at www.indianwaters.org.
T&D Correspondent Randolph Middleton can be reached by e-mail at randolph.middleton@gmail.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.