Scouting Mentor: James McKellar, 1909-1998

[Longhaired_Mac]

I never knew of William Hillcourt growing up. Baden-Powell was the figurehead held up to us as Cubs and Scouts but most anything about him went in one ear and out the other of my self-centered teen-aged brain. Now the lives of Lord Baden-Powell and William Hillcourt are absolutely fascinating to me. Dedicating their lives to scouting, to the betterment of society from the ground up. There was a Scouter who had much the same brilliant impact on me as a Cub and then a Scout, and eventually sat across the table from me at my Eagle Board of Review. Jim McKellar, known to all in the local Scouting community as Grandpa Mac.

He dedicated himself to the Boy Scouts of America under Troop #1 of Cashmere from his twelfth birthday on April 15, 1921, to his death on January 3, 1998. During this time he was the First Eagle Scout of Troop 1 in Cashmere, WA in 1929 and went on to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting. He helped build the Cashmere Scout Building, established Scout Troops, trained Scoutmasters, and served on the board of Troop #1 for more than two decades. His writings have appeared in Boys Life and other well-known scouting magazines.

“Grandpa Mac” lived by the words that he carried on a card in his pocket: “A hundred years from now I will not matter what my bank account was, the cost of the house that I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but that the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” A Quote many of you will recognize from Forest Witcraft, another great Scouter. Well it's only 27 years since I earned my Eagle and only 20 years since Jim passed, but his examples still live on in my memories and my approach to Scouting.

Something else I recall about Grandpa Mac. If a Cub or Scout so much as looked in his direction at a meeting or jamboree, he would dole out this bit of string he kept in his pants-pocket and would give it a flick, tying it in a simple overhand knot with one hand. Then he would challenge the scouts to give it a try. Rarely would their whipping and slashing of the air produce much more than a gentle grin from Grandpa Mac. I've been practicing recently with a bit of paracord, still haven't managed it but a time or two...by accident.

Edited August 10, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[jjlash]

A nice remembrance.  Thanks for sharing.

[SSScout]

A very nice remembrance.  As we grow older, we tend to remember those that held us in their hearts, if only for a moment.

Concerning  that last remark, " Scouts get out of it what they put in to it. So put your whole self in and imagine the SELF that's going to come out. " ,  I have a t-shirt given me by my mom, it reads 

""What if the Hokey Pokey is really what it is all about?""   There you go, put "your whole self in and shake it all about...."

[Longhaired_Mac]

Scouting Mentor: Fr. John Shaw

 

Fr. John Shaw of the Diocese of Yakima. ..should be 94ish years old now and I think still living in the Yakima area of Washington State, though I've heard recently that he was on hospice care a year or 2 back. I know Father Shaw has served St. Mary's in White Swan, WA after his time in Wenatchee, and had retired by 2022 but continued to serve as the Diocesan Native American spiritual director and the English-speaking spiritual director of the Cursillo Movement, a ministry that focuses on training lay people to become leaders.

 

Here is what I also know about Fr. Shaw. In the 1980's & 90's Father Shaw served as Chaplin to Troop 8 in Wenatchee, WA. Chartered by the Knights of Columbus and supported by St. Joseph Catholic Church, Troop 8 was allowed the use of the CYO Hall (where Augustedge Accounting on Chelan Ave is now) every Tuesday night. Father Shaw would drop-in every once in a while, to make sure the boys were growing into young men of God and not degenerating into dirt throwing heathens. Depending on the week, who knows what he found lol. Father Shaw was sometimes a very enthusiastic and animated in his speaking. Such that he frequently had a foamy bit of spittle in the corners of his mouth. Something we Scouts giggled to ourselves about at the time, but is rather fond memory for me now.

 

While my family are not Catholic, we are Christian and my parents saw no harm in allowing my brothers and I to help at St. Joe's when the Troop volunteered. Father Shaw was always there helping when he could. I remember clearly one camping trip the Troop took to Merit Lake up on Highway 2 just past the Nason Creek area. It's about a 5 mile hike up from the trailhead to the lake, with SO MANY switchbacks. The Scouts had set up camp, dinner was made...mostly ate, and the light mostly gone for the night. And up the trail comes Fr. Shaw. He had come up to give the Scouts a Blessing for their weekend activities. After doing so and chatting with the adults for a short time, Fr. Shaw headed back down the trail. He was in camp maybe 20 minutes all told, and at 8:30 or maybe 9 at night, with the dark fully upon us, he headed home. It was the first time I had seen a head lamp before in real life. (Back then they were only used for intense joggers and cyclists. Who knew every Scout would have one thirty...twenty...well some years later.) We watched his light bob through the trees until he was out of sight then carried on with our mischief. I'd always thought he was a bit crazy to do that. The woods and mountains are pretty scary just to be walking in alone when you are 12. Slightly older now I'm grateful for the dedication he showed to the youth back then.

 

St. Joseph's Catholic Church originally chartered Troop 8 in December of 1922. The Knights of Columbus 1545 took up the duties and continues to support Troop 8 as its Charter Organization for over 104 continuous years now. At 98, I wonder how many Scouts Fr. Shaw has known and mentored over the years.