Congratulations to Harold Kast

Last night the La Cañada City Council honored my friend,  17-year-old junior assistant Scoutmaster  Harold Kast, for earning every merit badge there is. That's right. Every one of them. Harold's dad Martin, Scoutmaster of Troop 509, chartered by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, simply explained it the best, "There have been 110 million Scouts in the past century, he explains, and only 190 have earned every available merit badge. That's one in a million; Harold is one in a million." Now that he is, and I ain't sayin' so just because of this badge thing. Harold is one of only three youths in the 103-year history of the organization to have as many as 135, according to meritbadgeknot.com, which tracks, verifies and celebrates the achievements. He had an edge there - they didn't used to have so many of them. 'Course Harold earned his Eagle when he was just 14, and his sisters set the bar pretty high too - it's a committed scouting family - so he really had to distinguish himself. And that he did. Harold's turning 18 in a couple of weeks, takin' off for Fullerton in the fall, and I, for one, can't wait to see what happens next for young Mr. Kast.