The Grapevine

Alex Haran, a student at Archbishop Hoban High School, recently built four wood duck boxes for the Richfield Heritage Preserve for his Eagle Scout project. He built them at his home and with the help of Jeff DeLuca, RJRD’s operation’s chairperson, and Chris Moore, the park’s maintenance technician, he and a team of Boy Scouts installed two of them in the Upper Lake and two in the Lower Lake.

Alex Haran not only built four duck houses for the Richfield Heritage Preserve, he also had to learn to install them in a body of water. He installed this duck house in a swampy area of the Upper Lake. Photo submitted.

Ryan Cunningham made an informational sign and bench for the Wheatley Family Cemetery on the corner of Wheatley and Brecksville roads.

The Richfield Historical Society held a dedication ceremony in the Wheatley Cemetery where Ryan Cunningham (r) constructed a bench and created a sign with the history of the cemetery and the Wheatley family to gain his Eagle Scout designation. Mary Ann Thomas (l) came from Columbus to represent the Wheatley family at the ceremony. Photo submitted.

Joseph and Jane Wheatley emigrated from Yorkshire, England, to America in 1830 and traveled by canal boat with their eight children to Peninsula to get near the 100-acres that they had purchased at what is now Kinross Lakes business park. The last burial at the cemetery was in 1940. In 2017 the remaining members of the Wheatley family transferred the cemetery deed to the Richfield Historical Society, which pledged to maintain, conserve and beautify the cemetery.

Ryan is a third generation Eagle Scout following the footsteps of his great-grandfather, Daniel Taussig, and his grandfather, Jeff Taussig when he joined pack 3387 as a first-grader. Ryan has also inspired his brother, Kyle Cunningham, a 7th-grader at Revere Middle School to work towards Eagle Scout rank.

Ryan is a senior at Revere High School and the goalie on the varsity soccer team. He plans to study physical therapy upon graduation. ∞