A promise kept
If there were a merit badge for persistence, 88-year-old Walter Hart certainly qualifies. Hart, who lives in a nursing home in Florida, officially became an Eagle Scout last weekend, more than 50 years after completing all the requirements. Hart had earned 23 merit badges by the time he was 17, but before he completed the Eagle Scout process, World War II intervened. Hart joined the Navy in 1943. Afterward came marriage, children and a long career with Raytheon. The widower recently rediscovered his old Scout memorabilia and contacted the Boy Scouts, who were happy to fulfill his long-delayed ambition to attain scouting’s highest rank. Scout officials say Hart is probably the oldest Eagle Scout recipient ever ó which says something about his determination, as well as his loyalty to an oath taken in his youth.