By Craig Marx, Editor

The headstones of Queen of Peace Cemetery have recently been cleaned up to garner the penitence they deserve thanks to a local Eagle Scout and his volunteers. Hunter Igl helped spearhead the clean-up effort this past fall, a merit that helped him obtain the prestigious title of Eagle Scout earlier this month.

Igl at his Eagle Scout ceremony recently.

Igl, 18, has been involved in the Scout organization since joining the Cub Scouts in second grade. After making his way through the Boy Scouts, beginning at sixth grade, Igl has now reached the top of the Scout apex, a feat that is more challenging than one might realize.

Out of his original Cub troop of 28 kids, Igl was the only one thus far to reach Eagle Scout status.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned over the years [in the Scouts] is that when times are tough, there is always a way to get through things,” Igl said. “There is always more than one way to get through challenges.”

As part of the overall Boy Scouts of America program, founded in 1911, Eagle Scouts are required to earn 21 different merit badges before the age of 18, including such skills as community citizenship, communication, family life, and personal fitness. Since its inception, more than 2 million young men have gone on to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.

The young man’s service to society has led him to undertake numerous public service projects, including raising a public flagpole in Elcho and, Igl’s most recent community service, helping beautify Antigo’s largest cemetery.

Over the course of just under a week, Igl and 32 other volunteers helped clear away foliage and overgrowth from over 1,600 gravestones at Queen of Peace. The group, including members of Igl’s family, cleaned up the entirety of Lots 1 – 15 of the local cemetery.

The Queen of Peace Cemetery volunteers, including Igl and his family, helped to clean areas around headstones to make them more visible once again.

Cindy Igl, Hunter’s Den Leader in Cub Scouts and his dedicated mother in Boy Scouts, has been active for years helping her son along his journey to the Scouts’ top ranks.

“My mother has really me helped out a lot, donating a lot of time and money along the way. My father has really helped [our troop] out too,” Igl said.

The young Eagle Scout is currently a senior at Antigo High School. Igl looks to either work locally after graduation or pursue further education in surveying in Wisconsin Rapids. With the accolades he has obtained in the Scouts and higher institutions looking for such résumé-boosting character traits, the future looks bright for Hunter.