A Century of Scouting

I've been aware for a period of time that it is the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. That's pretty amazing for a youth organization. What's even more incredible, for me, is that for over 50 of those years I've either been involved in scouting or close to it. I was a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Explorer. We didn't have Venture Scouts until I was an adult, not Tiger Cubs. I've served as a Cubmaster (Ventura, CA), Assistant Scoutmaster (Lawton, OK, Cedar Rapids, IA, & Bloomington, IN), a Webloes Den Leader (Cedar Rapids, IA), 11-year old Scout leader (Bloomington, IN), and a Commissioner (Cedar Rapids, IA & Bloomington, IN). Today JoAnn serves as a Wolf Den Leader. Our son-in-laws and daughters have served and continue to serve in a variety of capacities.

I was going through my patches (see below) and realized that over those 50 plus years I still had my 50-year camporee patch from Abilene, Texas (I was 14), my 75 year Chartered Partner patch, bolo tie, and district patch from Cedar Rapids, IA (you can figure my age out) and now the 100th Anniversary patch from Las Vegas. I almost forgot the LDS Church's 75th anniversary celebration, also while we lived in Cedar Rapids. In all that time I can still recite the Scout law and oath as they appeared in my 1952 Scout Handbook. It has impacted my life, and that of our children, and now grandchildren, in very positive ways. Now, if I'm fortunate I will also be able to achieve the 125 year patch to add to my collection.

Classic Monday - 3, no 4 Generations of Scouting

I was going through some old photos recently and came across some Boy Scout photos of myself. I did a little deeper search and found some of my sons, and then found some of my grandsons. Truth is, when I got to the photos I was a little short on photos of a couple of them, but I will make it up.

Me as a Cub Scout on
Guam. The eyes are closed
as it is a family trait.

My earliest days of Scouting harken back to when I was a young man living on Guam (in the South Pacific) and my mother was my Den leader. Mostly I remember the games we played. Later I attended my first, and most memorable, Scout Camp while living on Guam. We had an ocean front camp. Of course I do remember when sharks got inside the reef and we couldn't swim until they left. Next I remember a winter campout in Bellevue, NE at the nearby scout camp. My brother and I huddled together all night to stay warm - we thought for sure we were going to die from cold. Remember, this was in the 1950s, long before contemporary camping equipment was available. You ask, "how cold was it?" We had to defrost our eggs in the camp manager's home before we cooked them. I remember a scout camp in the Sand Hills of Nebraska (if you haven't read about the sand hills you should). We rode up in a stake truck (a flatbed truck with fence like walls). This was in the days before safety concerns and requirements. Then there was our Scout building in Biloxi, Mississippi, which was a barracks and it was where our Scoutmaster used (we were on Keesler Air Force Base) as his quarters (he was single). It was a great building. We got to decorate it all the different ways we wanted. By the time we moved to Abilene, Texas my Scouting days were waning. I was getting too old and I had little encouragement. I finished as a Star scout with enough merit badges for Life, but I never pursued it. We did fly to San Antonio to Lackland Air Force Base as an Explorer Post to attend a conference. We flew on an Air Force DC3. We had parachutes, benches along the side of the airplane (metal), and a 50 gallon drum strapped to the middle of the aircraft for if we got sick (no airbags). Also, there was no restroom, no airconditioning, and no heat.

I just pulled out my 1948 Handbook for Boys (the scout manual of my day) and on the inside I had written some of my troops and patrols. On Guam I was in Troop 20 the canteen patrol (think we were in the military); In Bellevue, NE I was in Troop 53, the cobra patrol; in Biloxi, MS I was in Troop244, the wolf patrol, and in Abilene, TX I was in troop 96 and was the troop scribe, but I did not list a patrol.

Beach front Scout Camp on the Pacific Ocean. Does it get any better?

As an adult I became involved in Ventura, CA as a Cubmaster in our church Cub Scout Pack. Even later, in Ames, IA I provided basic Scout Leader Training for members of our church. In Cedar Rapids, IA I sat on the District Council. In Ames, IA and Bloomington, IN I organized camporees for those troops from out Stake (about 10 units), Eagle Courts of Honor (only in Des Moines) with a General Authority present.

My most rewarding Scouting experiences were as a father. I was my oldest son's Webelos Den Leader. We had 11 boys and we met every week in our kitchen in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They were great kids and I loved all of them. They were a tight group and worked well together. All but one of the boys achieved their Arrow of Light. That was our goal. I was my second son's scout leader for his 11-year old period. There were 4 boys and they were buddies. The best remembrance I have is seeing the 4 boys walking down the trail with arms wrapped around shoulders, 4 abreast. All 4 boys achieved First Class that year and had the requirements for Star completed also.

Tim receiving his First Class Award. He went on to become an Eagle Scout.
The first Eagle Scout in our family.

Scouting builds strong boys and gives them direction and skills for today's world they aren't going to get anywhere else. I'm glad we have 3 generations of scouting in our family. Actually, you can count 4 generations if you count my mother and I just remembered that my Dad was the Cubmaster while we lived on Guam.

Calvin receiving his Tenderfoot & 2nd Class Awards in Spanish Fork,
Utah. He is an inspiration to all of us and is our first 4th generation scouter.