Scout's cemetery service draws national attention

"Our goal was not just to have this out here but to get it publicized," he said. "The Internet is huge for people around the world, and every little thing helps (the book) become more publicized."

As a result of his service to the cemetery, Jencks was named one of two top high school volunteers for the state of Utah in the 2006 Prudential Spirit of the Community Awards Program. This month he was named one of the top 25 students in the nation for the Save Our History National Honors Awards program. His work will be featured on "Save Our History" and The History Channel within the next year.

Lori Jencks has enjoyed seeing how her son has grown from doing the project.

"I've watched him learn responsibility, solve problems, focus on the different languages," she said. "I just see this young kid learn all these skills and give back to the community."

Brad Jencks said there's still more work to be done. This year he plans to return to Bingham to let those he spoke with last year see his book and the results of his project.

"It's surprising to see awards falling in my lap after the fact and after I gave service," he said. "It's showed me what good things can happen if you do good things in the community."

He is the lookup volunteer for records in the cemetery. Anyone searching for information can contact him at binghamcemeteryinfo@jensgroup.com.

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com