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Three generations celebrate ancestor’s 100th Eagle Scout anniversary

By on November 13, 2019

One century after their Lititz-born ancestor achieved the highest rank in Boy Scouts, the descendants of Harvey Bachman continue to earn Eagle Scout awards and uphold the traditions of scouting.

The second, third, and fourth generations of the Bachman family gathered at the General Sutter Inn Oct. 26 to celebrate the anniversary of Harvey becoming an Eagle Scout — exactly 100 years and one day later, according to his certificate.

Harvey belonged to Troop 2 in Lititz and earned the rank of Eagle in 1919, nine years after Boy Scouts of America was founded. His daughter, Barbara Hann, of Manheim, said he was the second person to earn Eagle in Lancaster County.

Harvey graduated from Lititz High School, went on to Bliss Electrical School in Washington, D.C., and then graduated from Penn State in 1927 with an electrical engineering degree, Hann said.
Of the three children Harvey had with wife, Mary — Philip, Barbara, and Kenny — the eldest, Philip, earned Eagle in 1945 in Washington, Pa., according to his daughter, Amy Keller.

Eighty-six-year-old Hann is the last of her siblings. At the celebration, she shared her father’s life story with approximately two dozen members of the family, some of whom donned Boy Scout uniforms.

All of the former and current Boy Scouts of the Bachman family gathered recently for a photo. They are (front row, left to right) Chris Bachman, Gary Bachman, Thomas Bachman, Jayson Halteman, and Tim Keller; (back, l-r) Mark Bachman, Craig Bachman, and John Bachman.

“He would be so proud of all of you. If he could see you now, it would have meant so much to him,” Hann said.

‘Distinguish yourself’

Growing up in Lititz, Harvey had many jobs, including working at Wilbur Chocolate factory and lifeguarding at Mount Gretna lake, Hann said.

Harvey married his wife, Mary, at a small church outside Gettysburg in 1926, unbeknownst to their families, Hann said.

They moved to western Pennsylvania when Harvey got a job with West Penn Power, but Mary returned to Lancaster to give birth, Hann said. Hann and her siblings were born at St. Joseph Hospital, she said.

Harvey served on the Washington School District school board, and during that time helped initiate an elementary school wrestling program, according to Hann.

She shared many fond memories of her father, but his life was cut short when he died at 59 from a coronary occlusion, Hann said.

As the years have gone by, one phrase Hann’s father used to say has stuck with her.

“I woke up this morning with a thought I had forgotten,” Hann said. “What he used to say to us when we’d go to school or to an event. Distinguish yourself.”

Her voice breaking, Hann left her family with this final thought.

“Whether I’m 5, 50, or 100, I will always be daddy’s little girl.”

Members of the third and fourth generation of Eagle Scouts in the Bachman family are (left to right) Chris Bachman, Thomas Bachman, and Tim Bachman Keller. Thomas is holding a picture of Harvey Bachman.

Eagle Scouts abound
The youngest descendant of Harvey’s to earn Eagle, or nearly earn it, is Tim Bachman Keller, of Pottstown. The 17-year-old finished his Eagle project over the summer and will not officially be an

Eagle Scout until he undergoes a review process by his local Boy Scout Council.
Tim said he built a canoe shelter at a Christian summer camp. He is part of Troop 127 in Kenilworth.

The requirements to become an Eagle Scout have changed over time, and though Tim did not follow in exactly the same steps as his ancestor, he said he feels proud to become part of the family tradition.

“I think I personally had the drive,” the teen said. “Being able to continue it (the tradition) is sort of an added bonus.”
Also in the fourth generation are Tim’s older brother, Sam, and their cousin, Chris Bachman.

Bachman, 26, earned his Eagle in 2010 while a member of Troop 605 in Wallingford by building a hiking trail.
Sam Keller, 24, also of Troop 127, earned his Eagle in 2014 by building an outdoor classroom at a church. Sam was not present for the celebration as he is in the United States Marines Corps.

The sole member of the family’s third generation of Eagle Scouts is Thomas Bachman, of Perkasie. He earned his Eagle in 1995 by painting lines for parking spaces and installing concrete parking bumpers in a church parking lot in Warrington, he said.

Though the Bachmans say they never pressure their young scouts to earn Eagle, the next in line to do so would be Thomas’ 14-year-old nephew, Jayson Halteman. He is a member of Troop 007 in Haycock and is two ranks away from Eagle Scout.

“I definitely feel like the pressure is on me to be next,” Jayson said. “But it’s a good thing; it’s an important tradition in our family.”

Mary Grace Keller is a great-granddaughter of Harvey Bachman. She is a reporter for the Carroll County Times in Maryland and resides in Gettysburg. 

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