With inspiration from dad, son becomes Eagle
For community project, Lakewood Scout helped to make park ADA accessible
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Owen Heller (l), chairman of the Advancements Committee of Boy Scout Troop 441, Lakewood, holds an eagle feather as he explains the symbolism of the Eagle rank to Michael Emkin during Saturday's Court of Honor.

Leonard Emkin taught his son, Michael, to respect others. He showed his son what it meant to help others in the community and he encouraged Michael to strive for great things.

More than anything else, Leonard wanted his son to become an Eagle Scout.

On March 25, Michael realized his father's dream, but Leonard was not there to see it.

Leonard Emkin died in the summer of 2004.

With a heavy heart, Michael, 18, of Lake-wood, acknowledged his sense of achievement and said his father was his inspiration.

"I care about my community," Michael said, "but the real help came from my father."

In fact, for Michael's signature Eagle Scout project, his father served as the basis for the design.

"My father was handicapped. He was in a wheelchair from complications of diabetes," Michael said.

With that in mind, Michael decided to construct a wooden walkway at Pine Lake Park that would extend from the entrance to the beach all the way to the lake's edge. The walkway branched off to a patio and a pavilion as well.

"This way, people in wheelchairs can enjoy the sand," Michael said.

Planning the project, which would be compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), took more than a year.

According to Michael's mother, Barbara, her son raised funds for many of the materials and Woodhaven Lumber donated some of the wood. Leonard helped his son with the project until his death.

One month later, Michael and others completed the walkway.

"Some friends, former Lakewood Police Chief Mike Lynch, the Manchester PBA and the Lakehurst Knights of Columbus were all there," Michael said. "This was my father's dying wish."

Michael, who attends Ocean County College, Toms River, eventually plans to attend the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and study psychiatry.

Barbara Emkin remains proud.

"This was a number of years coming," she said. "It's a great honor that will follow him the rest of his life. This is something he can really be proud of."

Still, she reflects on her husband's dreams for Michael.

"(Michael) doesn't want to take the credit. This was his father's wish. This is for his father," she said.

Michael thinks his father would be proud of what he has accomplished.

"He would say, 'this is what I've wished for you, you've done something that very few people achieve. You've become an Eagle Scout. I'm proud of you and I love you.' "

Leonard Emkin might not have attended his son's Eagle Scout ceremony in person, but Michael is sure his dad was there in spirit.