Death of a Treasured Scouter in Flint River Council
Ed Henderson (biged@SCOUTER.COM)
Thu, 20 Nov 1997 18:53:25 -0600
Dear Friends in the Flint River Council,
It is with great sadness that I convey the passing of one of our most
revered volunteer Scout Leaders in the Flint River Council. For over 50
years Ray Howard has been the person who embodies what is best about
Scouting. He was the living history of Thunder Scout Reservation.
As a youth he was among the first group of campers at Camp Thunder. In
1938 he was a founding member of the Ini-to Lodge of the Order of the
Arrow. Ray has been with us every since. For as long as anyone can
remember he and his wife trekked down to Camp Thunder for as many weeks as
we had camp to retell the legend of Thundering Springs week after week.
For many years he was the advisor and continued to work with the Towaliga
Indian Dance Team.
Ray was Scoutmaster of Troop 7 and for years had one of the finest troops
in Spalding County. At his employer, Dundee Mills Ray was a strong
advocate for community involvement and was key in forging a strong
relationship between our town's largest employer and the council.
Ray was a Scoutmaster's Scoutmaster. Over the past few years he has been
to practically every Scout Troop in Griffin doing what he loved most,
teaching Indian Lore Merit Badge as only Ray could do it. Ray headed up
our last Council Camporee which was the largest event of its type ever held
at our camp and in our council.
How many tens of thousands of visitors to our council camp over the years
listened to Ray spin his yarns about ole Ralph and Bubba Gunch intermixed
with stories about the Camps early years, the O.A. Lodge, and the "legend"
of the powerful spring that to this day bubbles forth at our camp?
Please keep his wife and children in your prayers. Mays Howard is an Eagle
Scout and for many years served on the staff at Camp Thunder. Because of
Ray Howard, Scouting is a much stronger program today.
Just a few months ago Ray called together some of his friends, former
scouts, and family and spent a weekend doing what he loved best, being in
the out-of-doors on a camping trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in South
Georgia, as he did so many times with the Scouts of Troop 7.
Being here in Kansas City I can only express my feelings from afar but in
his lasts requests he asked that donations be made to Flint River Council
to continue the program that he believed in for so many years. Plans
should be announced tomorrow in the Griffin Daily News.
Yours in Scouting,
Ed Henderson
Past Chaplain for Thunder Scout Reservation
Associate Editor of Scouter's Journal Magazine
1-800-SCOUTER * P.O. Box 5840 Kansas City, MO 64171
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