Scouts memorialize late member with library
CENTER TWP — Aiden Lutz never earned the rank of Eagle Scout, so his troop mates are finishing his Eagle Scout project for him.
Aiden died on Oct. 20 at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh after being struck by a vehicle on Oct. 19 while riding his electric bike on Dutchtown Road. The 15-year-old was a sophomore at Butler Senior High School, and had participated in Scouting since he was in kindergarten.
At the time of his death, Aiden was planning for his Eagle Scout project to be the construction and installation of a little free library at a Butler Area School District elementary school. Beth Orsborn, committee chairwoman for Troop 6, said the rest of the troop is preparing two libraries. They will be installed at McQuistion Elementary School — which Aiden attended — and Northwest Elementary — where Aiden’s mother works.
Even after his death, Aiden was able to help complete the project.
“(The project) is funded by his memorial donations,” Orsborn said. “Because people were really generous, we had enough to do two ... We benefited a lot from his family and friends but also community donations.”
Orsborn said the troop is partnering with the Little Free Library organization, so their locations can be supported and registered online. Each library cost $600 to buy, and the scouts have spent weeks putting them together and painting them yellow — Aiden’s favorite color, according to Orsborn.
Additional money from Aiden’s memorial donations will be used to pay for the gaga ball pits being built at Camp Bucoco, which are being dedicated in Aiden’s memory.
Orsborn also said Little Free Libraries operate on give and take donations, so Aiden will have an impact years after his death.
“There is still a bit of money left to (buy) books. It’s coming together pretty well,” she said. “The whole thing connected the community in a big way.”
Orsborn said the troop is looking to dedicate at least one of the libraries by the end of the school year.
Aiden’s troop mates remember him as a positive person who maintained childlike energy through his teenage years.
Before their regular meeting Monday, May 6, members of Troop 6 recalled their experiences with Aiden, some of which go back several years. Among the members who shared memories Monday were scouts Anthony Stoops, Bryson Stoops, Gabriel Kappler and Ryan Orsborn; Troop 6 scoutmaster Jeff Orsborn; and assistant scoutmaster John Stoops.
Anthony Stoops said he spent many nights camping in a tent with Aiden, and relayed a story in which their tent flooded and he and Aiden attempted to stay dry overnight in the tent.
Ryan Orsborn recalled an experience he had canoeing with Aiden and Anthony, where Aiden kept trying to flip other people’s boats over.
“Anthony and Aiden were in a boat together and then it was me and a kid we didn’t know too well, (Aiden) was splashing us,” Ryan Orsborn said. “At one point, Aiden tried to get a lot of water and leaned too far over, and the other kid sees that and pushed the boat and both fell in the water. Then Aiden was determined the rest of the time to flip my boat the entire trip.”
Aiden was also known for taking defensive measures against spiders at camp, putting a tent inside a tent to help keep bugs from getting into his space.
“They were supposed to sleep in the canvas tents at summer camp, so that was his solution,” John Stoops said. “When they came to do the inspection, he opened the tent and the guy looked in there and was like, ‘Why?’”
Bryson Stoops remembered a time he planned to swim a mile while at camp, but he couldn’t go alone. According to Beth Orsborn, Aiden was willing to do almost anything to challenge himself.
“Bryson swims, so he did OK; Aiden, he took a while but he made it,” John Stoops said. “Once he started something, it was hard to stop him.”
Beth Orsborn also said Aiden’s attitude influenced other scouts in his troop, especially those who were younger than him.
“The enthusiasm you have as a little kid, he had as a bigger kid. He was really good as a scout because he was always willing to try everything,” Beth Orsborn said. “When he became an older scout it made him a great mentor because the younger scouts could relate to him.”
