Only four percent of Boy Scouts ever reach the rank of Eagle Scout, so it’s a rare day when any Boy Scout troop holds an Eagle Scout Court of Honor.
It is even more rare for three Scouts to rise to Eagle at the same time, but such was the case recently for West Haven’s Troop 802. On June 12, three close friends, Dan Lanziero, Ian Cooke and Chris Sandor were awarded the highest rank in Boy Scouting by Scoutmaster Steve Shine, himself an Eagle Scout. The well-attended ceremony was held at the Harugari German-American Club on Highland Street in West Haven.
All three young men are graduating from high school this month: Ian Cooke and Dan Lanziero are graduating from West Haven High School; Chris Sandor is graduating from Sound School. All three will be going to college in the fall.
Lanziero will be attending Bentley University, in Waltham Massachusetts, and plans to study economics and finance. Cooke will attend UCONN-Storrs and will pursue a degree in mechanical engineering; he hopes to join the Army ROTC while he is there. Sandor will attend SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, majoring in naval architecture.
Over the years, these three young men—now Eagle Scouts–have formed a close friendship through Scouting; they are, and will always be, a credit to their families and to their community.