Colonial Manor resident honored with NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award

Colonial Manor resident honored with NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award
John D. Searcy, David L. Searcy, John V. Searcy, Christopher V. Searcy and Kevin V. Searcy.

Eagles are in no way an endangered species when it comes to the Searcy family. 

Since the 1940s, seven Boy Scouts within the Searcy family have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, with John V. Searcy of Colonial Manor, patriarch of the family, receiving the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA)’s Outstanding Eagle Scout Award from NESA and the North Florida Council Aug. 7. The award recognized Searcy’s outstanding achievements and contributions as an Eagle Scout. It is presented to Eagle Scouts who have brought great honor to the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America through their personal and professional contributions at the local, state, and regional level.

“I was shocked and humbled when I received this award,” Searcy said. “It reminded me of how much scouting has been an important part of all aspects of my life – family, church, education, business and community. The principles I learned as a young Boy Scout still guide my actions. Having sons and grandsons, also Eagle Scouts, surrounding me at the awards ceremony was very special.”

John V. Searcy’s NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award
John V. Searcy’s NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award

Scouting has been a family affair for four generations of the Searcy family. Searcy became an Eagle Scout in 1946 when he was a member of Troup 222 at North Jacksonville Baptist Church. His brothers, William H. Searcy, Jr. and Howard L. Searcy, Sr., both now deceased, were also members of Troop 222. William also attained his Eagle designation in 1946 and Howard in 1947.

The Searcy brothers were a chip off the block of their father, William H. Searcy, Sr., a Scout Master who was awarded the Silver Beaver for his distinguished service to the Boy Scouts.

Searcy’s sons, Kevin V. Searcy and David L. Searcy, and his grandsons, John David Searcy and Christopher V. Searcy, are also Eagle Scouts. Kevin, a San Jose resident, attained his Eagle ranking in 1975 as a member of Troop 36 at All Saints Episcopal Church. David, a Colonial Manor resident, became an Eagle Scout in 1978 as part of Troop 183 in the Lakewood Presbyterian Church.

Grandson John David Searcy of Colonial Manor became an Eagle Scout in 2010 as a member of Troop 35 at Southside Methodist Church. Two years later, in 2012, grandson Christopher V. Searcy took home the Eagle honors as a member of Troop 268 at Mandarin Methodist Church.

Searcy’s youngest grandson, Luke V. Whipple, a San Marco resident, received First Class designation in April 2019 as a member of Troop 906 from St. John’s Cathedral.

Searcy’s scouting mindset recognizes the importance of church and community. It is reflected in his commitment to the Episcopal Church as a lay leader, chalice bearer, and sub deacon. He is a longtime Kiwanian and a member of the Men’s Garden Club. He has also served on the Jacksonville Building Codes Adjustment Board and has been a board member of Big Brothers of Jacksonville.

A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in electrical engineering, Searcy was licensed as Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. In his professional life, he owned John Searcy and Associates Engineering, which specialized in consulting and designing power systems for buildings. During his 50-plus years of practice in engineering, he designed power systems for many buildings in Jacksonville and elsewhere, such as the Wells Fargo Building, CSX, AT&T Tower, the new Prudential Building, and City Hall. He was chosen to be a member of an international team of architects and engineers that went to Seoul, South Korea, to review plans for one of the city’s largest multistory buildings.

By Marcia Hodgson
Resident Community News

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