Scout gives Melbourne cemetery a makeover

Project is part of Eagle Scout quest for 17-year-old Holy Trinity student

BY JOHN A. TORRES
FLORIDA TODAY

MELBOURNE — Through the years, Aleksander Bologna grew frustrated trying to explain to friends the location of an old African-American cemetery off U.S. 1.

He couldn’t blame them, though. Lack of money had kept caretakers from properly keeping up the cemetery throughout the years, allowing it become overgrown.

“When I took over, it was all wilderness,” said volunteer trustee John Hendley, who has held the position since 1985. “You couldn’t even see the cemetery.”

Hendley — whose grandmother and aunt are buried there — said he had no idea how many graves are there.

That’s what prompted Bologna, a 17-year-old student at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, to undertake the restoration of Shady Oaks Cemetery as his Eagle Scout project.

The cemetery, which dates to 1912, also is known as the J.N. Tucker Memorial Cemetery.

“We’re going to take out the all the brush, the dead limbs and trees, and we’re going to put in an archway, a flagpole and even some benches donated by Keep Brevard Beautiful,” Bologna said. “I’ve been passing this cemetery since I was 10 years old, and everyone knows it’s around here, but they just don’t recognize it.”

When Bologna and his crew of volunteers is done, the archway facing U.S. 1 will change the cemetery’s entrance. Originally, it was only accessible from Pineapple Street.

“I thought it would be nice if people cleaned it up and made it better. Then people might come and visit,” Bologna said. “Maybe someone else can build on what I’m trying to do.”

That someone else could very well be Bologna’s buddy, 16-year-old Cody Pimentel, who is looking for an Eagle Scout project of his own.

“Maybe I can finish or add on to what he’s doing,” Cody said, adding that recent work involved digging for footings for the archway and flagpole.

John N. Tucker, for whom the cemetery is named, moved to the area in 1925 and was caretaker for more than 50 years. His son, Leon, said he’s thrilled to see the improvements.

“Our entire family has their plots there,” he said. “We’re going to try and improve even further. Maybe we can get the property fenced in. It takes time, but we’ll do it.”

The Eau Gallie section of Melbourne has historic roots to the black community, including the first predominantly black neighborhood in the area, the nearby “Booker T. Washington” area.

While some physical labor has been done, Aleksander’s job is to coordinate a push this week to clear the area and plant trees and other items.

He said part of the problem is that many graves have started to sink.

“They couldn’t afford anything but wood, and now it’s all started caving in,” Aleksander said, referring to the graves. “It’s a shame.”

No one is happier about the work than Hendley, who said between five and 10 burials take place there annually.

“I think it’s so wonderful,” he said. “We’re just not able to do things like this. It’s a dream come true.”

Source: FloridaToday.com

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