Merit badges, Eagle projects add up to top awards

Philip Gessert

Two Boy Scouts from Troop No. 761 of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church were recently honored with the Eagle Scout award.

Philip John Gessert joined Scouts at age 6 as a Tiger Cub. He became a Cub Scout with Troop 3761 and then bridged to Troop 761 where he earned 21 merit badges. He's also a member of the Order of the Arrow.

For his Eagle Scout project, Gessert repaired the potholes and resurfaced the parking lot of the Wheeler's Gorge Visitor Center in Ojai to beautify the lot and make it safer for bikers and pedestrians.

He's the son of Peter and Stacey Gessert of Thousand Oaks and a freshman at Cal State Fresno.

David John Meyer started with Cub Scouts at age 7. He's a member of the Order of the Arrow, serving as the Moskimos Chapter Chief in 2005 and a Vigil member in 2006. He earned the religious emblems given by the Catholic Church, the Ad Altare Dei and Pius XII awards. For three summers, he worked at Camp Whitsett Scout Camp as a waterfront instructor.

David Meyer

Meyer's Eagle project consisted of installing new parking area fencing to prevent vehicles from damaging the trees and bushes at Peter Strauss Ranch.

He's the son of Jim and Maureen Meyer of Thousand Oaks. Meyer attends Moorpark College.