Paul E. Eckman

Paul E. Eckman, 73, of Haddonfield, N.J., formerly of Everson, passed away Thursday, May 7, 2015, having suffered from heart/lung disease. Paul was the son of Edward P. and E. Lorraine (Coughenour) Eckman, of Everson. Paul is survived by his wife, Barbara (Lopusznick) Eckman; his son, Michael P. Eckman (Bonnie Weber), of King of Prussia; his three siblings, Marjorie Eckman (Van Hughes), of Cheswick, Richard (Elaine) Eckman, of Severn, Md., Susan (William) Schillinger, of Millersville, Md.; his uncle, Joseph V. Eckman, of Scottdale; his brother-in-law, Peter (Connie) Lopusznick, of Leonardo, N.J.; nine nieces and nephews; and many cousins and friends. Paul was a 1960 graduate of Immaculate Conception High School, Connellsville, and a 1964 graduate of St. Vincent College, Latrobe, where he majored in sociology. He received his Master's Degree from Duquesne University in 1966, and continued his doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Paul retired in 2011 from the Essex County, Department of Welfare, Office of Management and Budget, Newark, N.J., as an administrative analyst. He served as a special assistant to both the County Comptroller and the Essex County Administrator and worked with County Council on legal issues. Paul was "loaned" to other county departments because of his skills in grant writing, budget management, research and analytical ability. Prior to that, Paul worked at the Justice Department, Essex County as a SWAT Team evaluator, as well as the New Jersey Board of Education (evaluating grants) and taught at both Transylvania University in Kentucky and Rutgers University in New Jersey. Paul's lifelong involvement with the Boy Scouts of America is distinguished. Paul's scouting journey began with Troop 4 Everson where he earned the highest advancement rank in scouting, that of Eagle Scout. He also earned the Ad Altare Dei Award from the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg. Paul was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, Wagion Lodge No. 6 and served as lodge chief from 1958 through 1960. He was the only chief to serve two consecutive terms from 1939 through 2003 until the bylaws were changed. Paul was awarded Wagion Lodge's highest award, the Thunderbird, for his leadership and service to the lodge. Paul served on staff at Camp Conestoga for several summers, teaching the nature area. In 1960, as part of the national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, Paul was selected as the scout from Pennsylvania to travel to New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC to participate in scouting events, meeting with businessmen, dignitaries, and political figures, including the vice president of the United States. Paul continued on as an explorer scout with Troop 4, Everson, and achieved its highest recognition, the Silver Award. When Paul moved to New Jersey, he served as scoutmaster for Troop 65, Haddonfield. During his tenure as scoutmaster, the troop earned the United Methodist Bishop's Award of Excellence. In the 81 year history of the troop, Paul is the only scoutmaster to earn this award. Paul served as the Order of the Arrow Lekau Lodge Chief Advisor form 1957-1998. In recognition of service, the youth members of the lodge presented Paul with the Distinguished Service Award. After moving from scoutmaster, Paul continued as a roundtable commissioner, a member of the district's training staff, a merit badge counselor and eventually served as council commissioner, meaning he was a member of the Executive Board for the Southern New Jersey Council. He completed his assignments for his Commissioner Science Degrees, Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate. Paul is only one of six commissioners in the Southern New Jersey Council to have earned their Doctorate of Commissioner Science. Having participated in many National Jamborees, Paul eventually joined the staff in 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2010 at Fort A.P Hill, in Virginia. Paul was in charge of Action Alley, a military obstacle course. Despite being over the age of 60, Paul mastered every obstacle and was certified to run the area and oversee its safety. He received numerous awards for accomplishments, dedication and leadership to scouting: the Silver Beaver, the Cooper District Award of Merit, the District Committee Key and Distinguished Service Award for his position as Commissioner. Paul was a Mason, belonging to the Audubon-Parkside Lodge, No. 218, Audubon, N.J. As a Mason, Paul was able to attend Masonic events honoring long time commissioners and scouts in the area. Additionally, Paul was an active member of the Crows Woods Gardners. This is a community garden in Haddonfield, N.J. Paul worked two plots and found great companionship with his fellow gardeners. He was featured in one of their newsletters with his experimental technique of "lasagna gardening" which was a new paradigm for composting which did not require tilling, digging or weeding. Paul had a great love for history, particularly that of Western Pennsylvania. When he retired, he wanted to continue his writing skills, so he utilized his father's collection of old area photographs as the basis for his first book, "Around Scottdale and Everson", published by Arcadia Press in 2012 with his co-author, Tom Zwierzelewski, of the Scottdale Historical Society. This was a labor of love, reconnecting with old friends, and meeting new ones, capturing the history and spirit of his hometown. This spurred him to write his second book, "Around Connellsville," which was published in 2013 by Arcadia with co-author, Karen Hechler, and the Connellsville Historical Society. He was working on a third book for the Images of America series, however, health issues prevented him from completion, though he was in Western Pennsylvania, working on the book five days before he died. Funeral arrangements were handled by the HINSKI-TOMLINSON FUNERAL HOME, 81 Haddon Ave., Haddonfield, N.J. Paul was buried May 12, 2015, in the Colestown Cemetery, 100 Kings Highway, Cherry Hill, N.J. Colestown Cemetery is steeped in history, having its first burial in 1684 and the resting place of many of the founding fathers of Southern Jersey. In lieu of flowers, the family has established a Paul E. Eckman Memorial Scholarship through the Scottdale Historical Society, to be awarded each year starting in 2016 to a deserving senior, attending Southmoreland High School or Geibel High School in Connellsville, who embodies Paul's values, history, scouting and service to the community. Donations can be made to Paul E. Eckman Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Scottdale Bank and Trust, 150 Pittsburgh St., Scottdale, PA 15683.