On Dec. 8, Justin Maskell, a member of Abington’s Class of 2019, completed his final step to becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank achievable in the Boy Scouts. Maskell’s project was to clean up Ford Memorial Park, located at the split of Washington and Adams Streets, and install a bench which had been damaged from a car passing through it.

Maskell’s ceremony was held at the Park at 12 PM and lasted about a half hour. Important attendees included former State Representative and current republican Geoff Diehl; State Representative Alyson Sullivan; town managers; high school history teacher Jason Scott; the Historical Society of Old Abington’s president Doug Ulwick, Reverend Kristy Coburn of Abington’s United Church of Christ, who gave the invocation and benediction, and her husband Ken Coburn, a navy veteran who is the commander of the American Legion post 112.

Ford Memorial Park is dedicated to Kendra Libby Coburn who died in December of 1999 of a heart condition. She is the late first wife of Ken Coburn, who spoke at Maskell’s ceremony.

The Park site, located in North Abington, holds an important piece of Abington’s early history too. When asked about the historical significance of the Ford Memorial Park, Maskell said that “it holds the first settlers plaque that marks the area near where the first person settled in Abington territory.” The bronze plaque is on a boulder in the park.

Maskell kept busy, as he planned the whole ceremony and ran it all. His role was to host the re-dedication, while explaining his Eagle Scout project and introducing the speakers.

The next time you are passing Ford Memorial Park, stop to take a break at the bench and remember to thank Maskell for his Eagle Scout project.