Marion can add another Eagle Scout to its population.

Christopher Horton Jr. was celebrated at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Sunday afternoon at the First Congregational Church of Marion. Friends, family and scouts gathered to share stories of Horton and present him with his Eagle Scout pin and neckerchief.

As the scoutmaster and helpers of the troop took to the microphone to talk about Horton, much was made about his charming personality, endless enthusiasm and impressive cooking skills.

“I’ll miss Chris as much as I’ll miss his cooking,” Scoutmaster Paul St. Don joked.

Horton attributed his cooking ability to his parents, and admitted it made him something of a favorite on camping trips.

“When everyone else is eating hotdogs and hamburgers, we were eating swordfish kebobs,” he said.

However, the speakers had just as much to say about the scout behind the kebobs.

“His personality is as good as his cooking,” Kristen Campbell said. “Chris, you’re remarkable. Everyone that knows you knows that, and everyone you’ll ever meet will know that.”

As for Horton, he paid tribute to some of the values he learned as a Boy Scout over the years.

“I learned forgiveness,” he said, telling the story of seeing two fellow scouts get into a heated argument during a camping trip. “They pulled each other aside and immediately forgave each other. That was quite a lesson to be learned.”

He also thanked his mentors, Al Winters and Peter Sowden, who helped him build the benches outside the church for his Eagle Scout service project.

“Mr. Sowden, sorry again about your saw,” he said.

Next for Horton, he’ll head to Suffolk University in the fall to study marketing and business law – a feat he said he owes to the Boy Scouts.

“[Being an Eagle Scout] is a big part of why I got accepted,” he said. “Stay with it,” he encouraged the younger scouts.