Starkville High School senior Murphy Buckner knows the Oktibbeha County Hospital pretty well. After having surgery on his hip, Buckner, 17, underwent physical therapy and spent a great deal of time under OCH care.
But when it came time for him to choose an Eagle Scout service project, he had a hard time coming up with an idea.
At a Scout meeting one night, Buckner was talking with one of the assistant scoutmasters, Rick Maiers, about completing his Eagle Scout requirements. Buckner said Maiers, whose wife works at OCH, told him he heard the employees at the hospital would like a place to sit outside and eat.
“He told me there was a small area next to the Wellness Center that would be perfect for a picnic area,” Buckner said. “So we went and looked at it and I got several ideas.”
Buckner said he initially considered constructing a gazebo, but after looking at plans and talking to a local landscape architect, he decided a picnic table and an extra bench would be more feasible.
For Buckner, the undertaking was not simply about construction. Troop 14 Scoutmaster Russ Hayes said an Eagle Scout project can be an engrossing endeavor and is meant to give Scouts an opportunity to showcase their leadership skills, while giving back to the community.
Hayes said Buckner was in charge of developing, budgeting, scheduling and finding funding for the project. He also presented a formal proposal to OCH Associate Administrator Mike Andrews.
Andrews said was excited to have this new addition.
“We are honored Murphy chose to earn the rank of Eagle Scout by being a part of the growth here at OCH,” he said.
For the labor of the project, Buckner sent out flyers detailing the project and the assistance needed and nine of his friends and fellow Scouts volunteered to help him out after school and on the weekends. He also had help from adults on some of the carpentry needs.
Hayes said OCH employees and patients already are responding to the picnic area.
“We stopped by a few days after he finished the project to take some pictures and a lady walked up and told us that she had started to have a devotional there,” Hayes said. “Murphy’s a real strong, Christian young man and for him to have that kind of impact in someone’s life was just great to see.”
Buckner is the son of Donnie and Jennifer Buckner and he will be graduating from SHS later this month. During his time at SHS, he played football and was a member of the track team and he plans to attend East Mississippi Community College in the fall. Buckner has been a part of the Starkville Rotary Club chartered Boy Scout Troop 14, since 2006.
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