(Photo provided)
In Indianapolis, a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church Troop #998 Chesterton received the Eagle Scout of the Year Award at the American Legion Department of Indiana Annual Conference on Saturday July 11, 2026. Eric Plath was also named Eagle Scout of the Year Runner Up nationally by the American Legion. His Eagle Project was rebuilding the Nature Play Zone at the Paul H. Douglas Center Environmental Education Center in the Indiana Dunes National Park. Troop #998 and the park are holding an open house for the Nature Play Zone in conjunction with Plath’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor August 15, 2026, from noon to 3 pm, and the public is invited.
Plath, a recent Marquette Catholic High School Magna Cum Laude graduate who will attend Valparaiso University dual majoring in Exercise Science (Pre Physical Therapy) and Business, competed at the varsity level in cross-country and track throughout high school while remaining active in scouting. In April, he became an Eagle Scout after completing his ambitious Eagle Project. In addition to being named Eagle Scout of the Year, Eric recently received the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship from Catholic Scouting America, one of the organization’s highest honors. Plath has been a Boy Scout since starting in the first grade making his way up the scout ranks at Troop #998.
For his Eagle Project, Plath, who is the guitarist and lead singer with his siblings, Matthew and Katie Plath in the touring rock band Massasauga, nearly sold out the 500-seat Hobart Art Theatre, which donated the use of its venue for a fundraiser concert. The event raised more than $5500 for Eric’s Eagle Project at the Indiana Dunes National Park.
