An emotional farewell at Grandview Elementary this week, as longtime Scoutmaster Paul Niebauer wrapped up his final troop meeting.

With a standing ovation and a symbolic passing of the bayonet, a chapter closed for Paul Niebauer — the Scoutmaster who helped build Troop 52 from the ground up.

“The first Scoutmaster and I were driving home from Custaloga Town after a Cub Scout event and we said, ‘Geez, there’s no troop at Grandview. We should start one.’ And so, we did,” Niebauer says.

It was his final meeting as Scoutmaster — one that brought back former Scouts and families whose lives were shaped by his leadership. I spoke to some of the Scouts who say Niebauer will always be someone they look up to.

"He's a really great man, a very reliable leader," says Zachary Telerico, an Eagle Scout.

"The face of Troop 52 — someone who just helped everyone that's made it to Eagle and in the troop through it," says Jacob Esser, an Eagle Scout.

For the past 35 years, he’s led Troop 52, guiding 62 young men to the rank of Eagle Scout — the highest achievement in Scouting.

"He's really taught us to be persistent, and he’s made it easy for us to learn," says Vihaan Koraan, a Scout.

He says the real reward has been watching the Scouts grow into the kind of men he always hoped they’d become.

"They show up and a lot of them don’t even know how to boil water. By the time they’re done, they can at least make spaghetti," Niebauer says.

Now, that legacy lives on in Scoutmaster Joe Scott, who officially takes the lead of Troop 52.