In 1917 in the city of Passaic, German-born Henry Roehrich became one of the first Eagle Scouts in New Jersey. A merit badge at the time could be earned for "signalling," which required knowledge of radioing, semaphore flags and lighting, ways to communicate from a ship.
In 1941, his son, Ken Roehrich, scavenged for aluminum as a Boy Scout to contribute to the war effort.
A generation later, in 1977, Ken Roehrich’s son William, who today lives in Washington Township in Morris County, traveled to Canada to attend a Boy Scout jamboree in Ottawa.
In May, the Roehrich family could claim a fourth-generation Eagle Scout. Eighteen-year-old Brent Roehrich spent 30 hours helping to beautify a church parking lot in Hackettstown with mulch, a cherry-blossom tree and a fish-shaped garden.
Today, the Boy Scouts of America turns 100, and the history of the entire family of Scouting comes full circle. Candles will brighten the outdoors tonight in northern and central New Jersey towns as Boy Scouts young and old celebrate one of America’s most cherished youth groups.
