Kahuna

Great to hear that! I know they have tons of material on Bill. He has just been persona non grata. However, he's been gone for over 20 years. It's time to forgive and forget. Incidentally, there is a book in the very early stages being developed by a couple of people on this forum. I look forward to seeing that as well.

Sadly, the odds greatly favor kids hanging on it. Even if that's not what happened, most people will assume it. This requires a firm but calm effort by the professionals in Mobile to talk to leaders of units who were there when it happened. If kids did it, they need to understand the meaning of their play. It's part of Scout training to take responsibility. I'm sure if it was an authorized Scout event, there was liability insurance in effect for it.

Definitely need to get Green Bar Bill into the National Museum! Hope that will happen soon.

I would guess that the percentage of Eagle Scouts who become miscreants is smaller than the percentage of Christian pastors or, say, mayors of Toronto who go off the reservation.

Good for them! A ship commissioning is an amazing experience for anyone. I'm sure they will be glad they were there.

I don't think I could sign off on an Eagle application for a Scout I knew was leaving in January because of the policy change. If I were sitting on an Eagle Board with a young man in that position, I'd ask a lot the questions about exactly what Scouting means to him and why the award would still be meaningful.

Speaking as one of those old coots who is also a historical researcher, I can tell you for sure that oral history memories are always highly suspect. For years, I told a personal story about an event of no real significance that was fictional. The story started when I was in high school. I was in Germany and visited a base where Elvis Presley was stationed at the time. I visited the PX there and thought how great it would be to see Elvis there. So I told all my friends I had seen Elvis at the PX. To this day, I can remember seeing Elvis at the PX. I could probably pass a lie detector test, but

Those old Boys' Life magazines had some really good Scout skills information and a lot of neat stories. I saved all of mine for years and then sold them to a collector prior to a major move. Thanks for pointing this out, LeCastor!

I can't help with the event, but I can tell you it was at Gilwell Park in England and probably before about 1980, based on the old-style uniforms they were wearing. Bill wore the new uniform after it came out. You might try sending a direct message to Scouter Terry. He was very closely associated with Bill during this period and I'm sure he would know. Let me know if you have trouble contacting him. I would be very interested in any and all history you uncover on Bill Hillcourt. Best of luck in your efforts.

Interesting stats. Sounds to me like people are defining spiritual beliefs differently today. Many of those might be considered agnostics, but I guess the point is whether the Religious Declaration of the BSA is still relevant to the way people think. One of the reasons that AA has survived as long as it has is that it allows people to believe in God "as we understand Him." It allows people who are willing to admit the probability of a supreme being to belong. Perhaps that would work in Scouting. Although I'm Buddhist and my personal view of a supreme being has long been very different than th

Living in Florida and camping every month year around, our troop found it was an adventure for the boys and an experience for adults to go someplace a little cooler. We normally went to NE Georgia or North Carolina, both of which have hills and white water rafting available. They also gave us a chance to interact with leaders and units from other places. We were fortunate to have a troop that was well off enough that money was not a big deal, so that really wasn't a consideration. One of our greatest experiences was a week of summer camp at Owasippe in Michigan. That was really a worthwhile tr

LOL, I just noticed this discussion began in 2004. Some great suggestions for music. Another movie that had a lot of great music for a retrospective is The Natural. Not a great movie, IMHO, but the prologue and other segments are great musical backgrounds. Check this one.

Thanks very much!

Thanks! Probably the same man.

A Scouter recently sent me a list of men he considered great professional Scouters from the past. I only recognized one name, Cally Caldwell, who was SE in Central Florida Council in the 1960s. I would appreciate any info or hints. Many thanks. Jackson L. Grady. L.L. Stanley, Jack Hays, Douglas Cofield, Roger Ohmstead, Tom Burgess, James D. Wilson, Archie Crain, Buford Hill, Jim Terry, Alf Tuggle, E. O. Robbie Robinson, Ben Edwards, Rudy Flythe, C. W. Baker, Eugene Jones, Fred Bell, Russell McLean, Sam Buie, Jr.,Cally Caldwell

You're welcome. I haven't seen much in the way of Boypower/Manpower memorabilia lately, but a friend sent me a Recruiter strip image recently.

Anybody remember this program (or at least read about it)? Started about 1968, Boypower was intended to bring one boy out every three in the U.S. into Scouting by the Bicentennial in 1976. In the end, it led to major scandals concerning paper units, mystery Scouts and diversion of government funds. Combined with program changes designed to appeal to minorities, It also caused a drop in membership by 1980. There have been other cheating scandals and other program efforts that didn't succeed, but this one was a doozie. So, I'm wondering if there are any impressions among historians here. My

I would fight to the death over changing the charter to say "youth" in place of "boys." The BSA is about boys. Period. In programs that are coed, the girls are there because it improves the program for boys. We have to focus on what we do and that is to build character and promote citizenship in BOYS.

My reaction, too! Seems to me it wasn't just hills but distance that was a problem for everyone. Another bit of mis-advertising.

I'm not familiar with the book, but I see it's on Amazon. There are a number of books that have quite a lot on Beard and Seton and a couple of recent biographies. David Scott's The Scouting Party gives a pretty in-depth look at Seton and Beard and the relationship of both men with Baden-Powell. Dave includes a lot of detail as to dates, etc. Unfortunately, in my research, I haven't found any one book that gives a really good overall picture of BSA History. Of course, the most interesting parts of Scouting history are the things you probably least want to share with Scouts, such as the inter-pe

Great information. Thanks Dan!

I really like your web page. I'd like to use it as a guide in case I get some live Scouts who want to do the badge. I was also curious about the University of Scouting results. Sadly, I think most kids go for the exciting stuff or merit badges you can knock out in a day at ours. We had some historical items and books at our Sea Scouting display last year and surprisingly a number of boys and leaders took time to pour over it. I think I'll do the paperwork to get on the approved list and see where it follows from there. Thanks for posting that!

That sort of follows my thinking on it. Not being Eagle required, which it probably should be, definitely is a downer. It's not particularly easy, either, and requires actual reading and study. A real shame, since most Scouts and leaders know little or nothing about the legacy of Scouting. I'm glad to know you do historical displays. We have a gent in our council who does a display at many events. He is a major collector and has quite a lot of great history.

As a Scouting history buff, I'm very interested in Scouting Heritage MB, but am curious if any Scouts are. Has anyone had any interest in it from their Scouts yet? Any leaders thinking of including it in program in coming years? Does it seem like a good idea? I'd like to be a counselor, but it seems difficult to get Scouts for the required MBs, if you're not directly connected with a unit.

Great story! We had a guy in our leadership contingent at the 1969 Jamboree that had been to the 1937 Jamboree and we used a wash basin that he had at that Jamboree. I thought that was a pretty long time ago then. Now, it's been longer since the 1969 Jamboree and it doesn't seem that long ago.