lasteagle83

Indeed.

Eagle90,

I'm currently the chairman of my 20-year high school reunion committee, and have had EXCELLENT results using many of the high school reunion sites. (Classmates.com, Reunion.com, Schoolnews.com, and Gradfinder.com). Since all Scouts eventually go to high school, chances are you can search the area high schools, and post on the bulletin boards requesting more info.

You'll have do a good bit of cross-referencing and searching names in old rosters, but you may find a lot more folks than you think through these sites. Classmates and Reunion charge for membership (and only way you can contact or email others is if you are a member); usually $25/yr each if memory serves me correctly.

Also, there are a number of search sites that can provide you with addresses/phone numbers of people with similar/matching names; then it's a matter of good old-fashioned phone time to try to find folks. Searching these sites is generally free (AnyWho.com; whitepages.com; yahoo people search), although you'll oftentimes find a good deal of overlap between them.

Shoot me a message if you'd like more info on what I've done to find folks for my 20 year high school reunion; I'll be glad to share any ideas with you. Unfortunately, my troop folded in mid-80's (thus my username) after 28 years - still have my uniform with the 25-year patch on it, though.

My Eagle project was rebuilding/refurbishing a playground at the church that sponsored our troop. Even in disrepair, the playground was used a pretty good bit by neighborhood kids, in spite of the fact the church (increasingly elderly) really had no use for the playground, and wanted to remove it. So, the church didn't have to pay to have it removed, and the neighborhood kept a playground.

Two words to settle the Bob/yaworski dispute:

CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH!!!! (ala MTV)

Bob White: in full proper uniform, with reams of current documentation as his primary defense.

Yaworski: wearing his BDU pants and uniform shirt (with the mismatched button holes, of course), with a sinister wit and umpire mask as his defense.

LET'S GET IT ON!!!

disclaimer: no disrespect intended to either party, but it was a long, tough, crappy day today........gotta unwind somehow!!!! ;-)

AND HEY - IT'S ONLY CLAY!!!(This message has been edited by lasteagle83)

Too bad you didn't think to change it to

"BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELT".............

The entire door would likely have had to have been repainted anyway!! ;-)

Let's see, "You guys be quiet, this is loaded and I'm not afraid to use it"....

Reads to me as follows:

1. An instruction to refrain from noisemaking, as an important announcement is forthcoming.

2. The announcement itself, which simply advises that the device is operating properly, and collecting fluids as designed.

3. An acknowledgement that he is, indeed, competent in the use of this medically necessary device.(This message has been edited by lasteagle83)

I'll share one from long ago........

Summer Camp 1981, Camp Rainey Mtn Ga.

A new Scout thinks it's kinda funny to drop various rocks, sticks, etc. into the pit of the "two-seat reading room" just to see how long it takes them to fall and hit bottom. Kids are curious, and the pit is deep......

Anyway, he sets his flashlight down to drop a huge rock into the pit on the RH side - and promptly knocks his flashlight into the hole on the LH side.

We all had a "lighted target" for a couple of days - and I've been a dedicated user of Duracell batteries ever since!!!

ASM1, your latest post that describes his behavior in trying to control the other ASMs finally helped me peg this guy for who he is.

This guy sounds to me like a control freak who's really, really accustomed to controlling everything and everybody, and transfer or fire folks he just doesn't like. He obviously doesn't like you, because your experience (Scouting) is a perceived threat to his experience (recent military or otherwise). That makes him very uncomfortable, so not only must you go, but your wife and son as well. And if simply telling you to "go away" doesn't work, he'll ignore you (and your son, and wife), and work every emotion you have (anger, frustration, curiousity of why a problem, etc) until you finally get frustrated and leave.

DON'T GIVE HIM THE SATISFACTION.

He perceives you as having the most to lose by leaving the troop. You're his convenient scapegoat; his hope is that the other ASMs will see that he got rid of you, wife, and son because you "didn't fit the mold", and they will get frightened enough to "toe the line" - HIS line ONLY.

As my father always said, "give him enough rope and he'll hang himself". He's managed to bully the committee so far; and he's working on the other ASMs now. Keep with the program; eventually the committee, ASMs, and others (with the help of your ally, the COR) will see him for what he is - the new bully on the playground.

Is heft a disability? Possibly so, if it deems one inable to perform certain tasks. Same as those with poor eyesight, hearing, or ambulatory ailments.

Is it preventable? To some extent; geneticists are just now learning that the "excuse" of "fat genes" is more reality than most would care to accept. Stick it in the DNA code next to hair color and eye color, right next to height. However, a kid with rail-thin parents who worships the can of Pringles next to the Play Station isn't helping himself a bit.

Does it keep one from being "physically strong"?

HARDLY. You 200 pounders try carrying around an extra hundred pounds or so all day, and you'll soon gain some respect for the true strength of those who are heavy - leg strength, back strength, and other areas of the body that are "developed" by default, and simply "disguised" under a layer of unattractive flesh.

Is it a logical reason not to try to better oneself, or meet requirements? NO. Like the example of the Eagle above who finally passed the swimming test, you should NEVER give up. Large persons fight for respect and acceptance all day long; for me it was my Scout experience as a youth that helped prepare me for an adulthood of being a person of size.

Enough PC crap - I'm LARGE. 300+ in fact. And, while it DOES limit some things I am able to do, it certainly doesn't limit my determination to DO MY BEST, nor does it limit my determination to BE PHYSICALLY STRONG. Look at my parents and grandparents and you'll see the Big Belly Special pulling out of the station, and heading straight down the tracks for me. Even with diet and exercise, it arrived with middle age (36), along with its genetic cargo of diabetes. Preventable? Not likely. Treatable? In some ways; diabetics cannot readily adapt to some of the "wonder diets" out there without risking serious problems. So, you have a condition that can be partially related to size, but won't let you easily address the size without causing more problems.

I have applied to a couple of local troops recently as an adult leader, and never hear back from them. Quite frankly, I feel like it is my size that has prevented me from rejoining an organization that meant so much to me growing up. My wife and I do not have children; this was going to be my way of working with youth and helping them to grow as young men.

Which is quite ironic, if one looks at the Scout equipment catalog and looks at the 3X and 4X shirts, and pants up well in the mid-50 waist sizes.

Soap box retired for the night........

Here's another salute from another old Eagle!

My first instinct when I read the title of this thread was perhaps there were some restrictive dietary issues involved that neither the scout or the parents wished to share. Sounds more like a food preference and control issue instead.

We had this problem years ago when I was an ASM. Our Scoutmaster gave "McMom" a very detailed list of what every boy would like to have delivered for the next meal. He made sure there were PLENTY of special orders (no ketchup, ketchup only, no lettuce, extra pickles, various sizes of fries, different desserts and drinks, etc). When she objected to playing "delivery lady", especially with a list that would likely be a big pain, he then kindly let her know if she is not "courteous" enough to provide the other scouts with the same food she expects her son to eat in front of them, then her son will need to be "courteous" enough to eat the same food the other scouts eat. In our situation, the mother got the message, but keep in mind it might not work in every situation.

I'll throw in my 1.75 cents worth here.......

sctmom, I agree with you that if you've done it before, you should have no problem doing it again. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Let's think of how this "recertification" from Whittlin to Totin mirrors MANY adult situations:

a. Ever move from one state to another, and have to get a new driver's license? Some states require a new road test to pass, even though you may have been driving for many years in another state.

b. A driver's license learner's permit isn't a full license; in many areas it requires only a written test. The actual license, of course, does require a road test - AND a retake of the written test.

c. I have ASE certifications (automotive) that require recertification every 5 years. My wife is in the financial industry; her SEC licenses must be recertified every couple of years. I'm sure that those of you in other regulated or professional industries (or those that require some other form of governmental or trade industry certification) also have to renew or recertify your qualifications from time to time.

In short, although it WOULD be easier to let the Scouts just proceed without the Totin Chip, requiring them to "recertify" on certain skills does ensure their safety and knowledge of the handling of POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EQUIPMENT.

Soapbox retired........

20 years ago when I was a Scout, we regularly recruited on school registration day, at the local elementary school (with the approval and endorsement of the principal, of course).

We would set up a campsite in the yard, and we would have a table set up in the regular school registration area. Folks who were not familiar with us would ask "what do we do at this table?", and we'd tell them! :-)

We also had several Scouts in full uniform acting as guides for parents new to the school; directing them to the registration area, and (with school permission, again) giving tours of the school with the parent and new student.

This yearly recruiting and community service event served us well for many years.

sctmom, I heard about the accident last night and wondered if your troop was involved. I used to work in the area many years ago, and I'm familiar with that WMart.

Sadly, too, I just finished watching the early news and heard of the passing of the young boy who was injured.

Our thoughts are with the family of the boy, as well as the scouts who had to witness this tragedy.

Scouts aren't supposed to "grow up" in the space of one afternoon.....

Glad to see that enthusiasm on the southside!

Collarless shirts were available up until the early 80's when the "new" (current) uniform came into being. I never liked the collarless shirt myself - it looked "naked" without a neckerchief.

OGE, congrats to you and your son. May he continue to learn from and enjoy all that Scouting has to offer.

Perhaps you could "requisition" a suitable size label from a pair of GUESS jeans??? ;-)

You might want to keep a close eye on e-bay. They had an old Baker on there about 6-8 months ago, and an Overnighter about 3 months ago.

I'll throw my two cents in here; not as a homeschooled student, but as a former (1983) public school graduate.

While in high school, I was enrolled in the gifted program, which required students to select, create, and achieve a certain set of educational goals in a subject of the student's choosing; with close guidance from the instructor, of course.

I regularly used many of the Eagle required badges (and several elective badges) as the basis for my curriculum; my instructor required me to go beyond the requirements of the badge for the "school credit" portion (as any good instructor would, of course), but she herself asked for copies of merit badge pamphlets for future coursework planning suggestions for her OTHER students not in the gifted program (she was a social studies teacher in addition to the gifted program instructor and was especially impressed by the requirements of the Citizenship badges at that time).

Using the badge requirements as a basis for the curriculum, I had a desire not only to earn the badge, but also to pass the quarter's coursework; consequently I did BOTH with a GREATER DESIRE TO LEARN because "it wasn't just school anymore".

"Double dipping"? Perhaps - but did I learn the subject matter? You bet. Did I earn Eagle because the merit badge work became part of the school curriculum? Yes. Did I graduate with honors because the merit badge work encouraged and taught me to work harder on my entire curriculum? YES. Isn't our goal here the full development of the boy, whether through schooling or Scouting?

My final thoughts to homeschoolers on this subject: Use the merit badge requirements as a "foundation" or "accompaniment" to the curriculum; but to make it the sole basis of the curriculum teaches the boy to "do no more than is required to get the badge" - certainly not anyone's goal for Scouting, or for life.

My apologies for the verbosity, friends, but I had not yet seen anyone who had "student" experience versus "instructor" or "parent" experience. I hope this opinion helps.....even if it is 20 years old!

As the former - ahem - circumferentially and vertically challenged kid in my troop when I was young, the LAST thing you want to do is discourage this Scout from continued physical activity. If the requirement simply says "shows improvement" and it is shown, move ahead. If your outdoor program is strong, he'll continue to show more improvement OVERALL physically by remaining strong in the program, rather than becoming a couch or computer potato.....

That last note is kinda ironic on a BB, don't you think??? ;-)

First, a little intro to you all. I'm currently in the process of "rejoining" Scouting after a 18 year (!) hiatus. During my youth Scouting experience, I was involved in Cubs, Explorers, and Scouts (Eagle 1983; last one in this troop before it went belly up around 1986); and served for 1.5 years as an Assistant Scoutmaster before college had to become a priority. Middle age has convinced me that it's time to step back in to the program, and I've submitted an application with a local troop to assist on the Committee. This troop is very much a uniformed adult troop; including committee members.

Anyway, back to the questions at hand: I have service stars for Cub, Scout, Explorer, and Leader.

a. Is it appropriate to wear service stars earned so long ago? I'm not a "fruit salad" type looking for decoration (after all, I do remember those things get WARM in the summer on bare skin), but I'm PROUD of the experience I have in Scouting as a youth and I'd like it to be an example to others.

b. Explorers used to use the RED backer; that is now designated for Venturing. Since I'm obviously too "snowy-headed" now to have ever been in Venturing, is it still appropriate to wear now as a sign of being an Explorer in my youth? I would almost view it similarly to a discontinued merit badge; it was earned at the time it was valid for the service, so it should be ok to use.

Your thoughts?