RALEIGH, N.C. – The Occoneechee Council – Boy Scouts of America and John William Pope Foundation have announced the 2019 Pope Eagle Scout Scholars. The annual program recognizes four Eagle Scouts who are graduating high school and have demonstrated exceptional leadership and personal achievement in their academic and scouting lives. Each student receives a $20,000 college scholarship.
This year’s recipients are Matthew Bryan Gillespie of Raleigh (Heritage High School), John Paul Simis of Cary (Panther Creek High School), Robert Morris Treadway, III of Raleigh (Cardinal Gibbons High School) and Pieter Jan Westerbeek, III of Cary (Athens Drive High School).
Over 50 scouts applied for the scholarship, and a committee of four community leaders and interviewed finalists and selected recipients. The late John William Pope, a Raleigh businessman and philanthropist, established the Pope Eagle Scout Scholarship Program in 2001 to support the studies and development of future free enterprise leaders. The program has continued with support from the John William Pope Foundation, Sloan Foundation and former Occoneechee Council executives.
The Occoneechee Council is the largest Boy Scouts Council in North Carolina and serves an average of 20,000 scouts annually through programs in Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Lee, Moore, Orange, Vance, Wake, and Warren Counties.