"Bob T"

(Posted last Thursday; mail problems prevented it from reaching the lists):

......I'm in Virginia Beach this week and next week I'm supposed to be in
Maryland for a FEMA conference. I'll be back at my home on Friday or=
Saturday.

=
=20
"Bob T"

I go to a lot of Council Service Centers=85what volunteers call the "Council
Office". I have several reasons for going there: The most important reason
is to find additional items for my personal resource files. There's a lot
of about Scouting I don't know about, and within the walls and aisles of the
local Council offices are literally hundreds of titles featuring new ways to
do Scouting, support Scouting, or finance Scouting better. =20

For a small amount of money, those items are available for take-home study
and review.=20

There's other, less-important reasons why I stop into a local Council
Service Center. They include finding a rare or interesting-looking patch or
device; getting replacements for the worn shirts and faded pants that I've
been wearing; to meet with Scouters that previously made arrangements to
meet me there --everyone knows where the Scout office is; and to observe and
sense how Scouting is done in that particular place in America.=20

One can get the "tone" of the work by just walking in the Center. Some are
very busy and full of people running around, answering phones and taking
down information. Others are more intense, with the professionals and
support staff not having time to talk or even to greet you. Still others
are so relaxed, many times I wondered if I had stopped into a medical office
by mistake.

I did not plan on stopping in the Scout Office of the Tidewater Council, but
Mark Dryer stated that if I was in the city, to stop by the Council office.
I did not know why he said that, but I was immediately glad that he did so.
I found a Cantonese interpreter strip along with an assortment of other
items that I have been looking for almost immediately after I entered into
the trading post part of the Center. I cannot remember if it was before I
turned the corner and started to look at the uniform shirts or after I
picked up the "My Son is an Eagle Scout" bumper sticker before placing it
down, that I first noticed the voice.

The voice belonged to a Black man, deep and rich with texture, without any
slang, talking with perhaps his wife. He was explaining the Cub Scouting
program to her, in simple words as not to confuse her but yet in a way that
showed he respected her lack of knowledge about Cub Scouting. Then, the
intercom announced "Bob T, you have a call on line 34", and then repeated
it. Bob T excused himself, turned around and spoke loud enough for everyone
to hear in the small office "Please have her take a message. I'm with a
volunteer right now". He returned his body to speaking with that=
volunteer.=20

"A black professional!! I've got to move a little closer to see this man,"
I thought. Not that I have never seen an African-American Scouting
professional before in my life -- I used to be a Paraprofessional at one
time and I have been introduced to several young Black men whom have went
onward to become some of this nation's senior managers of the Boy Scouts of
America's program. What interested me about this Black man was the way
that he was talking with this woman. A Black woman. A Black woman whom was
clueless about Scouting, let alone Cub Scouting. =20

He took his time, showing her books and explaining that "we would normally
have a lot of Wolf books", when he could not find one to show her. He then
walked with her to the uniforms.

I listened in, eavesdropping over their conversation. Bob T patiently
explained to her, and when she did not get the information, he explained it
again. He held up uniforms to explain the difference between the Cub Scout
and the "Weblow" Cub Scout. He suggested to the woman to get and wear a
uniform, and when she asked about the skirt, Bob T suggested instead to
"wear pants because you'll want to be conformable being around your boys." =
=20

Again, the intercom interrupted everyone's shopping enjoyment and insisted
that "Bob T please take the call on line 54," this time. The woman
understood this man's position, and started to walk away saying "go ahead
and get that=85..". Bob stopped her. "You've got a new Pack to organize. =
To
me, working with you is more important than any phone call. If it's
important, they'll leave a message. Let me show you the badges your boys
will earn=85" He redirected her toward the bins of various Scouting badges=
and
pins where I was standing previously, observing the two of them together.

"Wow", I thought. "If this was a lot of other professionals I know, they
would have excused themselves, went for the phone, and would never be seen
again for minutes on end. But this guy went right on=85.no "excuse me,=
I've
got to take this". No "I'm sorry, as you can see I'm really busy right
now=85can we finish this later on??" Not even a brush-off to someone else
working there while he's frantically seeing who's called him." =20

Total dedication to his volunteer. He must be a Field Director, the
supervisor of several District Executives, to spend so much time with a
volunteer. He could be, dressed in casual pants and a polo-type shirt. Or
he could be one of the other senior professionals in the Tidewater Council.
I didn't know for sure, but this I did know (or thought I knew, anyway): he
wasn't a District professional. DEs and District Directors I knew just
don't do these kinds of things any more today. The emphasis is on raising
money, and on making chartered partners happy and all of the rest of that
stuff that made volunteers hate their professional team members.=20

He must be well-liked, for everyone called him "Bob T" instead of "Mr."
Whatever the "T" in his name stood for. The office manager once again asked
for Bob T to pick up the phone and once again, Bob T asked them to please
leave a message and that he's with a volunteer.

I finally made my way up to the counter, whereby the clerk was cleaning and
putting away the various lapel pins she dropped before my arrival. "I'm
really impressed", I started, pulling out my charge plate and placing the
items I wished to purchase onto the counter, insuring that I did not cover
up her work.
"Not just with the stuff you have here=85.I'm really impressed with Bob T=
over
there. I've been in this store for over 40 minutes, and he's still working
with her." I then waited for her to finish up my order before I asked her
to do me a large favor. I watched as she carefully placed every item I
purchased into a plastic shopping bag, the name of one of the Council's
partners in Scouting prominently displayed on the shopping bag.

As a paraprofessional, I would never have my business cards -- we called
them "calling cards" back then -- on my person at the right time. I would
have them in the pocket of my suit or in a suitcase. I would have them on
my desk. But seldom would I have them when I was in "street clothes". Most
professionals are like that, I've observed. I was willing to bet that Bob T
did not have a business card one on his person and that he would have to go
back to his cubicle -- his office -- and get one if I asked for it.

I asked the woman if she would ask Bob T for a card. She first stated "you
can ask him", but I explained that I didn't want to interrupt him with his
volunteer and I was sure that he would have them back in his office. She
then walked over and asked Bob "There's a man over there that didn't want to
interrupt you and he's asking for your card." Bob looked over at me and I
sheepishly raised my right hand and said "Hi!" Bob looked back at the clerk
and after checking his pockets, told her exactly where he leaves his cards.
"Bring a couple please". =20

The woman returned with a card for me, and I thanked her ever so much for
the card. But it was me that received an even larger surprise: for "Bob T"
was not his name=85.his name was pronounced " Bob T" but it was "Baute", and
from his card, he was not a Field Director nor a senior member of the
Tidewater Council team but rather the District Executive of one of
Tidewater's six field Districts.

I went to the men's room, carrying my new card along with the other items in
the shopping bag. When I exited, I looked back into the trading post area
and Baute was still at it, explaining to the woman the difference between
the activity pins for WEBELOS Cub Scouts and the academic and sports pins
for all Cub Scouts.

When I was growing up, each month I would look forward to "Scouts In
Action", a monthly featuring in Boys' Life magazine. It would tell how a
Scout or Scouter saved or attempted to save someone's life and the rewards
that they received for doing such heroic Good Turns. Perhaps, Scouting
magazine -- or the non-BSA connected Scouters' Magazine -- should have a
column called "Career Scouters In Action", telling how professionals make a
difference for the volunteers they work with.=20

"Bob T" would be in there, alongside the many other professionals out there
that consider coaching and training key volunteers the most important part
of their job. He was a good professional to observe, and that one-hour or
so "personal coaching and training session" may make the difference between
her Pack organizing and growing and not even getting off of the ground.

I have "Bob T" 's card. I think that I'll let him know how proud I am of
him and the positive modelling he performed for me today.=20

Id' better write, though. I don't think I'll get through to him on the
first try if I called, and to me, not hearing from him right away would be a
GREAT THING.

Settummanque!

(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
(settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
---- FORWARD in service to youth ----
=20

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