On July 6, 1928, Bernie Queneau, then an Eagle Scout in New Rochelle, N.Y., along with three other Eagle scouts, set out on a month-long trip of 3,100-miles, to promote the vaunted, new Lincoln Highway.

The 15-year-old boys were second place winners in a national competition based on an essay, letters of recommendation, and their scouting records. First place winners received trips to Africa.

	Post-Gazette Bernie Queneau speaks of his trip as an Eagle Scout across the Lincoln Highway from New York to San Francisco in 1924 during a program Sunday at the Heinz History Center. He is the scout holding the California flag in the photo in the background. Click photo for larger image.

Riding on wooden benches in a truck covered with a tarpaulin to resemble the legendary Conestoga wagons of pioneer days, the seven-person caravan, which included a driver and two scoutmasters, was greeted by residents, politicians, and celebrities at most stops along the New York to San Francisco route -- the first highway to stretch from coast to coast.

"We had a great time, but it was a lot of work," said Mr. Queneau, now 95, of Mt. Lebanon.

He said the ensemble camped out, made their own food and fires. Sometimes they even helped their fellow early motorists with flat tires.

The scouts also demonstrated safety techniques to the crowds. Mr. Queneau, who recalls being the smallest of the scouts, often acted as lifeguard to show how a slight 100-pound boy could rescue a 200-pound man in the water.

In Green River, Wyo., Mr. Queneau had to dive into an icy river and swim against a swift current to show how to "rescue" a man.

"I also demonstrated how to save myself," he said of his rush to shore.

This past Sunday, Mr. Queneau was honored for his contribution to the Lincoln Highway at the "Summertime Fun Celebration" at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District. The event also included an outdoor classic car cruise, book signings and more.

"It was the romance of a road that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean," said organizer Brian Butko of what made the highway legendary.

Mr. Butko, of West Mifflin, is the History Center's magazine editor, and is also the author of "Greetings from the Lincoln Highway: America's First Coast to Coast Road," 2005, published by Stackpole Books.

The highway, named for President Abraham Lincoln, frequently incorporated existing roads, with the name changing only if the town chose to change it.

"Part of the fun today is to slow down and look for the history," Mr. Butko said of the red-white-and-blue Lincoln Way emblems that were placed along the route decades ago.

Mr. Queneau went on to graduate from Columbia College at 19, and earn a master's degree and a Ph.D in metallurgy from the University of Minnesota.

He was a professor at Columbia University until World War II when he was called to duty from the Navy Reserves.

Until his retirement, he worked for 31 years at U.S. Steel, in charge of quality control.

Despite his achievements, it was the Eagle Scout trip which would have the most profound impact on his life.

In 1997, Esther Oyster, then 72, and president of the Lincoln Highway Association, searched the web for the scouts.

She located Mr. Queneau and asked him if he would speak at a conference in Mansfield, Ohio.

"I thought he was very witty and intelligent. I was impressed," Ms Oyster said.

Following a long-distance courtship that included visits with each other's daughters, the widow and widower were married in May, 2003.

Two weeks ago the couple entertained the daughter of the late Edward Pratt, one of the scouts, who found Mr. Queneau's name -- where else again? -- on the latest superhighway, the Internet.