Wrong Number

Cliff Golden:

As I said in an earlier post in this thread, I was a scout with John McKenzie, and we had a 55th. Class reunion last Sat. 8-8-09, and thought you might enjoy this picture..

This was taken on 8-8-09.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/WrongNo2/55%20Class%20Runion/IMG_0364.jpg

Congratulations on your service. 50 years gets you a gold membership card. Would you care to remark on what has changed for the better and for the worse over those five decades?[/Quote]

 

I will answer back to you on this, as it has been a while, so I will have to sit down and recollect the times.

 

One thing that I did see that was changing was, when I was a scout (in the late '40's and early '50's) we were there because we were there to learn and enjoy friends and meet new ones. Later when I went back to my old troop as the ASM, I noticed the troop was a free baby sitting program, and the scouts raised all kinds of cane, and were only around a month or two and quit. I know, parents work more today, and I have been out of scouting quite a few years, so I hope things have changed.(This message has been edited by Wrong Number)

I guess I'm still from the old school, but your troop needs parent participation.

No better way than to get the SM and the PL's together and set it up so when a scout goes to a BOR, at least one of his parents needs to attend, (this will give them incite as to how their boy is doing in scouting, and what is expected from him for the next BOR).

What I mean here is, a parent should attend the BOR, not as a member of the BOR, but as an attending parent so they know what their scout has accomplished and what will be expected of him in the future. This is the start of parent participation in the troop, which can lead to getting more members on committees.

(This message has been edited by Wrong Number)(This message has been edited by Wrong Number)

I guess I'm still from the old school, but your troop needs parent participation.

No better way than to get the SM and the PL's together and set it up so when a scout goes to a BOR, at least one of his parents needs to attend, (this will give them incite as to how their boy is doing in scouting, and what is expected from him for the next BOR).

Now you have a parent at a meeting of the scouts, now is the time for the SM to really meet them, (and is a good time to feel them out as to what help they can provide for the troop as a whole).

When I was a SM and started with a completely new troop we had this all set up with the institution, committees, etc. before we even had the first scout meeting. We got to the point that when we had a BOR we had both parents of each scout that was in front of the BOR attending (along with the required CM's).

We had 28 scouts on the register with 26 active 95% of the time, and never ran out of CM's.... We were a patrol troop, they set up all activities for the month ( two months in advance), when we went on camp outs (monthly) they set up their own meals, and who was to bring what, and did the meals together switching jobs as the camp carried out.

I remember one camp out one patrol was going to have bacon and eggs for breakfast, and they got their lists mixed up, and no one brought the eggs, but they all brought bacon, so that is all they had for breakfast that time. It was a couple of months before they even thought of having bacon for breakfast again (even at home).

Chuck(This message has been edited by Wrong Number)

Much as I hate to sound rude.

If I were the SM, I wouldn't want or allow any Committee Member to attend a PLC.

My role as SM is provide the program.

The role of the Committee is that of support.

As an SM, I'd be happy to attend Committee Meetings and give a full report of what the Troop is doing, how it is doing and where it is going.

I'd be willing to share the vision and mission I have for the Troop and myself. I might be willing to share some of the goals I have set for myself.

But! I see the PLC as my time with the P/L's.

My time to help train and prepare them.

For me Scouting is all about relationships and the relationship between the SM and the PLC is not one I'd be willing to open up and share with members of the Committee.

Just like every other volunteer, my "Term of office" runs from year to year. If the Committee finds that they are un-happy with the selection that they made (Me.) When the time comes to recharter they can of course remove my name from the charter and select someone else.

The Troop Committee Agenda should cover everything that a Troop Committee needs to know about the Troop.

Eamonn[/Quote]

 

I agree wholeheartedly, I have been there done that, from all sides.

As a scout, scoutmaster, committee member, be careful..

 

Chuck

 

(This message has been edited by Wrong Number)

8-1-09

I just ran across the forum so I thought I would post here.

I have been around for 73 years, and in those years I have been in Scouting for 50 + years as:

Cub Scout - Mendota, Ill

Scout - Mendota, Ill

Senior Scout - Mendota, Ill

Scoutmaster - "Charter Member Scoutmaster" troop 45 Sandwich, Ill.

Asst. Scoutmaster - My old troop 106 Mendota, Ill

Neighborhood Comm. - Methodist Church Mendota Ill.

Institutional Rep. - Methodist Church Pontiac, Ill

Dist. Chairman - Corn belt Council Bloomington, Ill / Pontiac, Ill.

Today is Aug. 1st. 2009

Hello all scouts.

I was at CBG during the summer of 1962 as the scoutmaster of troop 45 from Sandwich Ill, along with 26 scouts.

I was in scouting for over 50 years, cubs, scouts, senior scout, scoutmaster, asst. scoutmaster, neighbor comm., institution rep., and finally as Dist. chairman out of Pontiac for the Corn Belt council.

When I started as a scoutmaster to troop 45 in Sandwich Ill. they were sponsored by the Methodist Church and I was the 'Charter Member Scoutmaster', 50 years have gone by, and I was invited to their 25th year get together of the signing of the Charter. Any one around from troop 45, as I'm sure there should be 3rd. generation scouts there. If there would be a 50 year get together, contact me at wrong_no@hotmail.com , and I would surely attend.

Another note from reading the threads is, I was in scouting with John McKenzie, and we are having our 55th. high school class reunion in Mendota on the 8th of Aug. 1009.

Saw this in the paper.

"The Mendota Township High School Class of 1954 is having a reunion on Saturday, Aug. 8 at the Mendota Civic Center. Friends are welcomed to join the classmates for a social time scheduled to begin at 8 p.m."

Chuck Howarth