01/15/2026
The Southeast Missouri Eagle Scout Association is proud to announce Paul T. Combs as the honored sponsor of the 2025 class of Eagle Scouts. Officially named the Paul T. Combs 2025 Class of Eagle Scouts, forty-seven Eagle Scouts from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois will be honored at Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday, February 14th at 2:00 PM in Academic Auditorium. Mr. Combs will provide the keynote address and present the Eagle Scout medals to each Scout. This event is free and open to the public, and is the 64th annual Court of Honor to be held at SEMO.
Mr. Combs, an Eagle Scout from Troop 89 in Kennett, is President of Baker Implement Company, a family-owned retail farm equipment dealership with fourteen locations in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas. He is also President of Combs Farming Company and Sunrise Land Company, which together own farmland in Dunklin, Pemiscot, and New Madrid Counties in Southeast Missouri. Mr. Combs is a shareholder of the 4-Way Gin Company, and a Director of FM Bank & Trust.
Mr. Combs’ contributions to Scouting, his community, state, and region are significant. He has been an avid supporter of Scouting programs since his youth, and although partial to Camp Lewallen, he and his family have provided significant resources for Scouting in our area and beyond. He currently serves as a member of the Executive Board of Greater St. Louis Scouting. Mr. Combs is President of the Board of Supervisors of The Little River Drainage District, Vice President of the Board of Supervisors of The Elk Chute Drainage District, and a member of the Board of Supervisors of the Varney River Drainage District. Mr. Combs served two terms as a Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He is a past member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the USA Rice Federation and previously served as Chairman of the USA Rice Farmers. In 1995, Missouri Governor Carnahan appointed Mr. Combs to a six-year term on the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri System. During his tenure on the Board of Curators, Mr. Combs served as both Vice President and President of the Board.
The ceremony is free and open to the public, and all holders of the rank of Eagle Scout are encouraged to attend. It is estimated that less than seven percent of all Scouts will ever earn the rank of Eagle. The prestigious award requires formal demonstration of leadership over several years, creating and managing a significant service project that benefits the community, and earning a minimum of 21 merit badges that require proficiencies such as first aid, environmental science, lifesaving, emergency preparedness, personal management, citizenship and outdoor skills. A lengthy formal review before a board of Eagle Scouts and community representatives is the final hurdle prior to a Scout’s elevation to the rank of Eagle.
