Sunday Scouting Hot Finds Newsletter January 15, 2017

My older brother Chris probably has more memories of my dad going camping as he was the Scoutmaster back in the late 70s and early 80s. We are 8 years apart so for example my brother attended the 1981 Jamboree and I went in 1989. But along the way my dad was active in the District and received the Award of Merit and later the Silver Beaver. Going though his jewelry box yesterday I recognized the familiar blue and white ribbon.

In every lodge you are going to have those adults that loved to get up on a roof and work all weekend. He was a chapter adviser for a while and his service led him to be bestowed with the Vigil Honor in 1986. Now the irony here is that the weekend that he was tapped for Vigil I was also my first OA event. His health prevented him from continuing on much more in the outdoors after that but he and my mom were still active for years after that.

One example of how devoted my dad was to family is this one statistic. I don’t think he ever attended a Dixie Fellowship including the one that our lodge hosted in 1983 when he was very active. My mother’s birthday is April 26 and that always meant that going to the Dixie would fall on her birthday weekend. He knew that although Scouting was a big deal being there for my mom was priority #1. They were married for 53 1/2 years.

To finish the story my dad became sick in 1986 and for the next thirty years my mom kept him straight even though new health issues kept cascading after a 22 year career in the Air Force. As my son has started Tigers this year I’m happy to say that Patrick is now a 4th generation Scout as my grandfather was my dad’s Scoutmaster for a time as well.

 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE JANUARY 15, 2017 ISSUE OF THE SCOUTING HOT FINDS NEWSLETTER

 

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