Eagle Scout Thompson B.McLeod
Troop 51
Pearl Street AME Church
Jackson, Ms.
As a two-year-old preschooler, Eagle Scout Thompson B. McLeod provided his family a glimpse of what to expect for many years to come. On his first day of school, he walked into the classroom, greeted the teacher, hung up his backpack, and walked over to the table to play independently until class began. While most of his peers in the class cried or clung to their parent’s leg their first day, Thompson demonstrated a confidence and independence that amazed both his teacher and mother alike. He was ready!
An eleven-year member of ScoutsBSA, Thompson began his pathway to Eagle Scout in the first grade as a Tiger cub with Pack 1626 at Moore Elementary in Houston, Texas, within the Sam Houston Area Council. Active in camping, hiking, and his favorite, Pinewood Derby, Thompson eventually earned Arrow of Light before bridging over to Troop 242 of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. Thompson completed scout and tenderfoot ranks at Wheeler and became lifelong friends with his middle school buddies and fellow scouts Adine Johnson and Daniel Russell. The three boys made a pact to all become Eagle Scouts together.
In the fall of 2019, Thompson’s parents enrolled him at The Piney Woods School, the nation’s oldest African American boarding school in Piney Woods, MS. He also transferred to Troop 51 at Pearl Street AME Church in Jackson, MS. However, several months later, the COVID-19 pandemic would occur, and Thompson, along with his peers, would return to their homes for Spring Break, which ended up lasting for the next two years. Nevertheless, his desire to fulfill the requirements for Eagle Scout never wavered.
With the help of family, school teammates, classmates, parent volunteers, and best friends Daniel and Adine, who drove from Houston to assist, Thompson completed his Eagle Scout project entitled “Equal Footing for the Homeless Socks and Shoes Drive,” where he procured over 800 donated items for the homeless in the Greater Dallas metroplex. On February 9, 2023, after finishing all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank and successfully passing his Eagle Scout Board of Review, Thompson became the first scout in Troop 51’s heralded 91-year history to earn the Eagle Scout rank with 41 merit badges, along with the bronze, gold, and silver palms. Thompson’s accomplishments are divinely ordered, for despite the unusual trajectory of the national pandemic and relocation out of state, he kept his eyes on the prize and faithfully continued his pathway to Eagle Scout.
The only child of a lawyer father and a university professor mother, Thompson’s inheritance of tenacity, service, and leadership was established well before his birth. His parents and grandparents instilled in him the importance of using his God-given talents to serve his community, which he plans to do beyond Eagle Scout. A junior at The Winston School in Dallas, Texas, Thompson is a leader in his community. He is currently the Vice President of the Senior Teens of the Dallas Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. He was the 2022 Top Community Service award recipient for the South Central Region of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. His school’s athletic director also selected him for the 2020 Eagle Award, reserved annually for one student-athlete who demonstrates excellence in sportsmanship, academics, and conduct.
Thompson plays basketball, golf, and soccer and runs track. He is interested in attending an HBCU with an ROTC program or one of the U.S. military academies. Thompson has expressed a desire to serve his country after college as a military officer who will specialize in law as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corp. His favorite quote is “Service is the rent we pay for being,” by educator Marian Wright Edelman, whom he had the opportunity to spend time with as a part of The Freedom School at the Alex Haley farm during the summer before he entered third grade. Thompson will graduate from high school in May 2024.
To learn more about the Association of African Methodist Episcopal Scouts (AAMES) and how to start a Scout Unit or the AAMES 2024 Camporee, contact:
Michele Neal, Connectional Director of AME Girl Scouts Email: michele@amescouts.org; Rev. Dr. Missiouri McPhee, Connectional Director of AME Boy Scouts Email: info@amescouts.org
And to see what AAMES is up to, visit our AAMES WEBSITE: amescouts.org, or Facebook Page “AAMES Scouting Connection“
