4 Eagles

[BillG_in_TX]

Just ran across this picture from 1966 of my Dad and his 3 sons.
(I'm the good looking one /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif).

Dad was a WWII USMC officer (looks the part, huh?).

However, his first claim to fame was in 1937 (at age 16) prevailing in a competition to find the best scout in his SE Texas region. He won a train trip to the 1st National Boy Scout Jamboree in Washington DC. He also went to NYC - quite a trip for a fatherless Beaumont boy who had never been farther than Houston.

He'll be 81 this fall and he's still my hero /w3tcompact/icons/king.gif

 

[pajoube]

Bill,
Great looking family you grew up in. I hope the scouting movement comes back again. It is a great character builder for young boys. I started in scouting (cub scouts) then at age 15 worked summers at Many Point Scout camp (6 years) through college. Greatest summers one could every hope for being a counselor for scout troops. In the winters I taught swimming for the boy scouts. My first job outside of Boy Scouts came because I was a scout and marit badge counselor; the storeowner had been a scout as well.
PJ

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Great Family Memory... A cherished picture..... I did all the Scout stuff but never made Eagle... Our Leader just never pushed it..... While in Explorers in High School we did a week Canoe Trip up in Michigan. Very fond memories. I cannot believe what it would be like for a couple of Counselors taking a group of boys on a week trip like that these days. It's sad but it's too much liability. The kid across the road just made Eagle but it was his Dad's dream and the kid didn't have much interest in it..... Wish I had been encouraged to make eagle...

Tom

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Tom & PJ,

Yes, many great memories of scouting, especially since most of them included my dad and older brother. I went to Philmont twice, once with my father and once with my younger brother, and those were special weeks. /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

I missed out on the National Jamboree because I came down with blood poisoning from blisters on my feet caused by new boots and hours of close order drill in the weeks before the trip. (Gave my father an opportunity to tell me about pouring blood out of his boots during OCS.) I didn't want to tell anyone about the blisters and be considered a sissy, so I went too long without treatment. Big disappointment /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif.

My father was in the oil "bidness", and I started Boy Scouts in Houston, got my Eagle badge in Findlay, Ohio, and finished up as an Explorer in Midland, Texas. Lots of great camps in all three places.

 

[Golfgar4]

Great picture, Bill! /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

I was a Scoutmaster for 5 years, and what a wonderful experience it was. I was fortunate enough to get to Philmont once with my son. Our troop never made it there, but we had a number great "high" adventure trips that were once in a lifetime experiences.

My son never made it to Eagle /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif, and now that he's grown, he's regretted it many times. As Scoutmaster, I felt that it was my obligation to provide every scout the opportunity to make Eagle, so we always made sure that we did everything we could to keep the boys on track. It's an unbelievable feeling to get that invitation to the Eagle ceremony for one of your "boys", and see him earn his award. I even had a boy transfer from our troop in Wisconsin to a troop in Indiana, and two years later I received an invitation to his Eagle ceremony. The great thing was that I was able to attend!

Congrats on 4 Eagles in one family. You don't see that often! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[PitbullMidwest]

Bill,

Great picture. Both my brother and I went through the whole experience from Bobcat to Eagle. I went on to Explorers and helped start a buckskinning historical re-enactment Post. My brother served for many years on the Council Executive Board and was presented with the Silver Beaver for his service. All this made the folks pretty proud, especially mom who was office manager for the SE Iowa Council for 22 years.

Hold on tight to that picture, your brothers might want to wrestle you for it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Gary,

Thank you for your 5 year hitch as Scoutmaster. That has to be one of the most demanding and rewarding experiences I can think of. My father was our Scoutmaster in Findlay, and I know it took up just about all of his free time. In fact, he basically gave up one of the great loves of his life for 3 years - Golf!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Of course, my brothers and I didn't mind - it meant more time with us./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Male role models are so important in the lives of adolescents, and I see way too many kids these days without them. Thanks again for your service. I know it meant a lot to all of your scouts - including your son.

 

[Golfgar4]

Thanks for the nice words, Bill. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Yes, it did take a lot of time. The last year I served, I was literally gone every night of the week. Of course, it wasn't all directly related to the troop. I was our District's training chairman, I served on our O.A. board, and I was the Course Director for that years' Junior Leader Training Program.

But as has been mentioned, it was very well worth it. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

WOW! Giving up golf!? /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I didn't sacrifice that much. Of course, it helped that I was a golf merit badge counselor! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Did you ever get a chance to go through Wood Badge? That was one experience I truly cherished. My biggest regret about leaving scouting was never having the opportunity to serve on a Wood Badge staff.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Golf Merit Badge?!?/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif I'm sure they didn't have such a thing in the 60's. If they had, our whole scout troop would have been working on it for sure./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I was never involved with Scouts as an adult, so I haven't been exposed to Wood Badge. My father's leadership skills were based on what he learned from his Scoutmaster, Will L. Smith of Beaumont, TX. He was a surrogate father to my dad, and one of the finest men he ever knew. In fact, I was named after him. During my college years, I had the privilege to work for him as an intern in the Texas House of Representatives, where he served as Beaumont's representative for many years.

Will L was a jeweler and lifelong bachelor and Scoutmaster. He made a profound difference in the lives of many depression-era young men who went on to serve their country and families with distinction. /w3tcompact/icons/king.gif

 

[Golfgar4]

<font color=blue>"Golf Merit Badge?!? I'm sure they didn't have such a thing in the 60's."</font color=blue>

I suppose there are a lot of merit badges available now that weren't available back then. I never participated in scouting as a kid. We moved around so much because of my Dad's work, that I never seemed to be in one place long enough to get started. My wife said that I became so enthusiastic in Scouting as an adult because I was living my second childhood! /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif She was probably right! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif