William Sullebarger (Courtesy photo)

Eagle Scouts run in the family for William Sullebarger. His father, two uncles, and a cousin all achieved the top rank in the Boy Scouts. Now the Harvard teen is attempting to do the same and culminating his effort by constructing an improvement to one of Harvard's most well-known landmarks, the Fruitlands Museum.

To reach the rank of Eagle, Boy Scouts must earn a number of merit badges and complete a community service project. Sullebarger plans to build 80 feet of boardwalk along nature trails in a marshy section of the Fruitlands property.

"A friend of mine, Josh Zimmer, did a similar project for his Eagle, and the curator, Mike Volmar, said there's a lot of other trail areas to be done," Sullebarger said.

Fruitlands, on the site of a short-lived utopian commune from the 1840s, is an art and history museum that also offers hiking and other outdoor activities on its picturesque hillside grounds.

Sullebarger plans to do the bulk of the work this winter, working around snowstorms if necessary, he says. He plans to enlist the help of his fellow Boy Scouts, National Honor Society members, and other peers looking for community service opportunities. He's also asking for $1,000 in donations from the community to cover the cost of materials.

Sullebarger has been involved with scouting since he was in elementary school. He sees his quest to become an Eagle Scout partly as the completion of a charge his parents gave him when he first asked about joining.

"I remember when I was 6 or 7 years old and I was just starting Cub Scouts, and I asked my parents, 'Can I be a Cub Scout?' and they said, 'If you decide to do that, you have to see it through,'" Sullebarger said, noting that he has seen several fellow Scouts quit since then. "That moment, for some reason, I've never forgotten it. And here I am, on the pinnacle of scouting."

From the Scouts, Sullebarger said, he has learned values like a good work ethic, a volunteer spirit, cheerfulness, and trustworthiness, traits "you should have and need to do well in life." And, he said, the Scouts have provided him with opportunities like a trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for over 100 miles of wilderness hiking.

"That was a crazy, awesome, and totally amazing experience," Sullebarger said.

Sullebarger, 16, is a junior at Bromfield. He's preparing to apply for colleges now and is considering studying chemical engineering or finance, he said, though he's nowhere near decided yet.

And, Sullebarger said, he doesn't intend to end his community service with his Eagle Scout project at Fruitlands.

"I do have a lot of other aspirations for community service that are much more aggressive," he said.

Sullebarger is accepting donations to his Eagle Scout project by mail at William F. Sullebarger, Eagle Scout Candidate - Troop 1 Harvard, 8 Simon Atherton Row, Harvard, MA 01451. Contact him at 978-772-4762.