Trail Markers<sup>sm</sup> - News and Information about Boy Scouting

This "branch" of Leaders' Online^tm includes articles written by a wide variety of journalists and public relations professionals, favorable and not-so-favorable about the programs of the Boy Scouts of America. A short summary or title follows; in order to read the article, click on the link provided. The source of the article is also attached.

As of 4 May 2001:

NEW Young Alex King's spirit soars with eagles (April 27, 2001 - Charlotte Observer) The following Biblical passage was on the front of the bulletin distributed at the Sept. 20 funeral of Fred T. Foard High School ninth-grader Alex King: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles." Donna Harrill, a friend of the King family, suggested that "ironically, eagles keep popping up." They popped up again Tuesday evening when Dick McCoy, former Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 249, presented Alex's Eagle Award to his parents, Joyce and Turner King of Hickory. Before Alex's death from cancer, he had risen to the Life rank and was just four merit badges short of attaining the Spirit of the Eagle Award. Because three people wrote moving and persuasive letters of recommendation, the Piedmont Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded a posthumous Eagle Award, something they've never done before.

NEW United Way won't stop funding for local scouts (April 27, 2001 - Morning Call) Satisfied by the way the local Boy Scout council clarified its position on homosexual issues, the board of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley has voted unanimously to keep funding the Scouting group. The Minsi Trails Council can exclude a scoutmaster or other member whose sexuality or behavior "becomes publicly inappropriate" under a policy the council approved earlier this year. The wording of the local policy places stronger emphasis on behavior rather than on sexual orientation. The Boy Scouts of America policy states "an avowed homosexual is not a role model."

NEW Man of honor (April 27, 2001 - Central Maine) When Clyde Webb isn't busy working in the woods in central Maine, he spends some of his spare time helping out his neighbors. He was recently honored for that community spirit. Every year, members of Manchester Grange 172 vote for a person they believe is worthy of the Community Citizen Award. In the past, members of the town's fire department and other organizations have earned the award, according to the grange's secretary, Ruth Daggett. This year, Webb was chosen to receive the honor, which is presented to a nonmember of the grange. "He has worked unselfishly for the Boy Scouts," Daggett said. "I didn't realize he had done as much as he had done. I know he is a good man."

NEW Scout Troop Rallies Support for Fallen Leader (April 27, 2001 - Central Maine) When Clyde Webb isn't busy working in the woods in central Maine, he spends some of his spare time helping out his neighbors. He was recently honored for that community spirit. Every year, members of Manchester Grange 172 vote for a person they believe is worthy of the Community Citizen Award. In the past, members of the town's fire department and other organizations have earned the award, according to the grange's secretary, Ruth Daggett. This year, Webb was chosen to receive the honor, which is presented to a nonmember of the grange. "He has worked unselfishly for the Boy Scouts," Daggett said. "I didn't realize he had done as much as he had done. I know he is a good man."

NEW Man of honor (April 27, 2001 - KVBC) Jim Barton survived a terrible accident Sunday afternoon only to wake up from a coma Wednesday to find out his wife and 8-year-old son were killed in the crash. Barton was a loving family leader, but also a dedicated leader of a local Boy Scout group. The scouts went to the hospital Thursday night to express their love and support for their fallen friend. In the face of tragedy, when few people would know what to say, the scouts came up with just the right words. “Make sure he knows how much we all love him and miss him and want him to get back to church and scouts,” said Danny Malan, a varsity scout. “(We) just can't wait for him to get home.”

NEW Boy Scout Debate Tears at the Heart of a United Way in Florida (April 19, 2001 - Chronicle of Philanthropy) When the Heart of Florida United Way, in Orlando, decided last fall to institute an antidiscrimination policy for the charities it supports, it found itself in the center of a tempest. Like many of its counterparts in other cities, the Heart of Florida United Way began to consider a discrimination policy following last summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Boy Scouts of America's right to keep out homosexual leaders. But as the Orlando United Way contemplated a new policy that would probably have eliminated $300,000 a year for the local Boy Scouts council, powerful and vocal critics weighed in on all sides of the issue

NEW Divided in Support of Scouts (April 19, 2001 - Chronicle of Philanthropy) Many United Ways across the country have found themselves on the spot following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Boy Scouts of America's right to reject homosexual leaders. In cities and towns nationwide, donors, civic leaders, elected officials, and others have called on United Ways to take some kind of action, such as withholding funds from the Boy Scouts in protest of its policies toward gays or reaffirming their support of local Scout councils. The issue has put many United Ways at ground zero for local debates on gay rights, charity independence, and what it means to be a community-run and -financed organization. In some places, resolutions have been easily achieved. But in other communities, bitter divisions have emerged.

NEW Midland to Mackinac Trail nears dedication (April 27, 2001 - Bay City Times) Everything is within walking distance if you've got the time. But it takes only a moment to appreciate the scenic Midland to Mackinac Trail, said Joe Bevirt, chairman of the Midland to Mackinac Trail Commission. "The trail is nature at its best," Bevirt said of the 210-mile hiking and cross country skiing trail that stretches from northern Midland County to Mackinaw City at the tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The Boy Scouts of America first suggested restoring the American Indian trail in 1957. The Auburn-based Lake Huron Area Council No. 265 of the organization and other volunteers rebuilt the primitive trail.

NEW Center to become Scout post (April 27, 2001 - Charlotte Observer) As part of Newtonfest2001, the Boy and Cub Scouts of Catawba County will set up camp at the Newton Recreation Center from 9a.m. to 5p.m. Saturday. The Lakeland District's 39 Cub Scout Packs and 35 Boy Scout Troops will showcase scouting to parents and the public during several events and exhibits, including the Rain Gutter Regatta, the Pinewood Derby and the Monkey Bridge, which uses traditional Scout skills of knots and lashings.

NEW Scout official pays $1,000 battery fine (April 27, 2001 - Contra Costa) A Boy Scout official has pleaded no contest to battery after grabbing a female sheriff's deputy who was posing as a prostitute. Peter Karl Rowley, 51, of Clayton entered the plea March 19. He received a $1,000 fine. Rowley has been involved with the Boy Scouts for 25 years, including as executive director [Scout Executive] of the scouts' Mount Diablo-Silverado Council, which serves five local counties.

NEW Scouts get pins during emotional reunion ceremony (April 30, 2001 - Daily Southtown) It took eight members of Boy Scout Troop 427 more than 35 years — and a chance encounter with a cigar box — to earn their merit pins. In a small Burbank room Sunday night filled with current Boy Scouts ready to receive their merit pins, four members of Troop 427 got the pins they should have received in 1968, the year the troop disbanded from Chicago's South Side. "We had a great group of boys, but one day my son came to me and asked when I was going to spend time with him," said Lou Schneider, the former scoutmaster for Troop 427. "I had to fold it." Most of the boys in the troop got their final badges and pins, but somehow eight awards slipped through the cracks and fell into an old cigar box with a torn-off lid.

NEW Girl Scout leader marks 50 years of fun (April 30, 2001 - Tri-city Herald) Billie Brewer has worn many hats in her 50 years as a volunteer for the Girl Scouts of America. The Richland woman is a well-respected troop leader, camp organizer and mom. She also is famous for her cooking and her love for Scouts. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself without scouting," said Brewer, 70. "It's what kept me young." Brewer recently became one of only five people from the Mid-Columbia Council ever to be honored for 50 years of service to the Girl Scouts. She is no longer a troop leader but continues to be the heartbeat of the council by organizing campouts and other events. "I keep saying that this will be my last year," she said. "But I don't think that will happen until a Scout tells me I was her grandmother's troop leader."

NEW Special Boy Scout Troop 216 deserves merit all its own (April 30, 2001 - The Capitol) The "boys," in their neat tan uniforms and blue neckerchiefs, shifted excitedly in their seats as months and months of first aid drills and cooking lessons culminated before them. As Scoutmaster Jim Dunne handed each member of Special Boy Scout Troop 216 two merit badges -- "Family Living" and "First Aid" -- they smiled to themselves, running their hands over the embroidered fabric as if it were buried treasure. Robert Szuba, a 33-year-old Scout with Down syndrome, pressed his against his chest where it later will be sewn. They've waited a long time for this moment. "Time stands still for these boys," said Mr. Dunne, a retired civil engineer from Linthicum Heights, explaining that his troop of 22 mentally and physically disabled Scouts, ages 14 to 60, often take years to earn badges.

NEW Great Valley Council pays tribute to Girl Scout supporters, leaders (April 30, 2001 - Morning Call) Nearly 300 leaders, staff and supporters of Girl Scouts -- Great Valley Council Inc. met Thursday at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, Fogelsville, for its annual volunteer awards presentation. Volunteers and organizations contributed countless hours of service and support to the 16,400 Girl Scouts in the seven counties of the council's jurisdiction. Great Valley Council's year 2001 adult recognitions program featured award presentations to community partners and individuals for their outstanding service to Girl Scouting.

NEW Two Scouts hurt in horse-riding mishap (April 28, 2001 - Lebanon Daily News) A trail-riding trip for a local Boy Scout troop turned tragic Saturday morning when two boys were thrown from horses in Union Township, an emergency medical technician said. Larry Boyer, a senior emergency medical technician at the Fort Indiantown Gap unit of Keystone Medical Response, said 10 to 15 riders from Troop 934 of Lebanon were riding at Boy Scout Camp Bashore when the incident occurred at 10:33 a.m. "Two individuals were thrown from their horses," Boyer said. "I believe (the horses) were spooked."

NEW Exclusion of gays costs Boy Scouts money (April 26, 2001 - Oregonian/AP) The Boy Scouts' policy of excluding gays has cost the group donations from two prominent foundations in the Medford area and prompted a Eugene School District committee to recommend that schools ban Scout recruiting. The Carpenter Foundation of Medford and the Oregon Community Foundation of Portland turned down recent requests from the Crater Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America, development director Ed Roussell said Tuesday. "They said 'No,' but they also mentioned specific nondiscrimination policies," said Roussell, who had requested $24,000 from the Carpenter Foundation and $18,000 from the Oregon Community Foundation for development efforts. The foundations told Roussell their policies prohibit giving money to organizations that discriminate on any basis, including sexual orientation, he said.

NEW Boy Scout shows he's a good sport (May 1, 2001 - San Ramon Valley Times) As Eagle Scout candidate Jeff Lundin was cleaning out the family garage one Sunday afternoon, he realized that many of the sports items he came across were no longer being used. Jeff, 14, noted that many of the items were in great condition. Thus his Eagle Scout project was born. Jeff, of Alamo, is the mastermind behind a community program to collect lightly used sporting goods and turn them over to the YMCA. Jeff's idea was met with great enthusiasm by Scout leaders, the community and the YMCA. His innovative project -- recycling used sporting goods from one community to another -- will greatly benefit children of the Oakland/Berkeley area. "I asked fellow Scouts and neighbors for their help, and the response from everyone was just awesome," said Jeff.

NEW Clinic stresses car care isn't just a guy thing (April 20, 2001 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Andrea Barker pointed to a package containing a tubular device with a pocket clip. "Is that a pen or what?" she asked, then concluded, "It's a temperature thing." Both guesses were wrong. After reading the package label, her twin sister Adrienne declared boldly, "Oh, it takes the air pressure in tires." The 14-year-old twins from Girl Scout Troop 2889 in Decatur were among 30 scouts and parents who spent Sunday learning about cars from an expert, 20-year-old race-car driver Sarah Fisher. Fisher, a professional Indy race car driver who has been working on cars since she was 5, soon will be competing in the Indianapolis 500. She finished 11th over the weekend in the Indy Racing Northern Light Zmax 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. She is part of a nationwide tour sponsored by Firestone Tire and Service Centers and Girl Scouts USA to help females get over something dubbed "autophobia" --- a fear of anything having to do with servicing automobiles.

NEW Council looks at alternatives to closing camp (May 1, 2001 - AP) Boy Scout officials plan to wait at least 18 months before deciding what to do with an Oakland County summer camp. The Boy Scouts Clinton Valley Council had announced plans in February to sell or redevelop the 120-acre camp on Camp Agawam in Orion Township. "People, and the media, only read the part about selling," said Steve Montgomery, council chief executive officer. "I can tell you now, the camp is not for sale. Selling the camp was just one option we were looking into." The Clinton Valley Council's executive board, which serves about 20,000 boys in Oakland and Macomb counties, recently agreed to solicit proposals for the sale, development or other uses for the 120-acre Camp Agawam in Lake Orion.

NEW Helping to clean up the harbor (April 29, 2001 - LA Times) Tennis balls. A freezer door. Beer and Gatorade bottles. Oil containers. Cigarette butts. Fishing line. Glass. Styrofoam. Meat trays. Jack In The Box wrappers. And the list goes on and on, said members of Junior Girl Scout Troupe 170. Seven members of the troupe were among the 230 volunteers who participated Saturday morning in the 21st annual Clean Harbor Day in Newport Beach. "I think this is a good idea," Megan Von Berg, a Newport Beach resident, said. "It really helps. And it was fun." Megan, 11, added that she and her fellow Girl Scouts collected five bags of trash. The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum organizes the massive trash pickup effort, which ran from 8 to 11 a.m. Marshall Steele, chairman of the event, said he assigned certain parts of the harbor to groups like the Newport Junior Chamber of Commerce, Fullerton and Irvine high schools, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts.

NEW Camp Collier to open this summer (April 25, 2001 - Sentinel & Enterprise) Camp Collier, in Gardner, will resume summer camp operations after an eight-year hiatus, according to information from the Nashua Valley Boy Scout Council headquarters here. The council's executive board approved an agreement with the Camp Collier Board of Trustees at a March 28 meeting. Summer camp programs will be offered to Cub Scouts ages 6 through 10, starting in July. Camp Collier, on Kelton Street, first opened in 1930. It served as summer camp for the Monadnock Boy Scout Council until 1993, when Monadnock consolidated with the Nashua Valley Council, forcing the closing of the camp.

NEW Flag-raising set for Kerr Park (May 1, 2001 - Philadelphia Inquirer) Organizers of the "Flags Across America" campaign said they will raise one of the largest flags in Chester County in Kerr Park on Memorial Day. Sheriff Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh, who has organized the effort, said the group has worked for more than two years and raised more than $25,000 for the project. On May 28, Welsh said, local Boy and Girl Scout troops will hoist the 30-by-60-foot flag to the top of its 120-foot pole after the Downingtown Memorial Day parade.

NEW Scout’s Honor wins Grand Prize at USA Film Festival (May 1, 2001 - Advocate) The USA Film Festival/Dallas, which promotes and recognizes excellence in film and video, awarded both the Grand Prize and the First Place Non-Fiction award to Scout’s Honor, Tom Shepard’s documentary about the controversy surrounding the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to exclude gays from its organization.

NEW O’Bannon to get bills by local lawmakers (April 30, 2001 - Evansville Courier & Press) ... House Bill 1401 makes way for nonprofit groups to use Evansville State Hospital land for a children’s museum, carousel and more. The conference committee report, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Avery, D-Evansville, and agreed upon by all Evansville legislators, passed the House 86-1. The Boy Scouts plan to build a new office building on the property, Avery said.

NEW Camporee — Scout style (April 29, 2001 - Hoosier Times) Boy Scouts in the White River Trails District gathered for a camporee on private property called the Kirkman Farm near Odon Saturday. The weekend event included Boy Scout troops from Martin, Lawrence and Greene counties. Camporees allow Scouts to learn skills while outdoors and to work on merit badges.

NEW Scout leaders honored for excellence (April 28, 2001 - Tampa Tribune) The following four scout leaders have received the District Award of Merit from the Ucita District of Boy Scouts of America: Harriet Barrett of Forest Hills is currently an assistant scoutmaster and treasurer of Troop 49, sponsored by the Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Robert Marra of Carrollwood serves as the Cub Scout Training chairman for the Ucita District and has taught outdoor leadership courses. Eileen Robbins of Odessa is district committee member and teaches registration procedures to Scout leaders. She was the committee chair for Cub Scout Pack 648 and Boy Scout Troop 68 in Odessa. Cheryl Sitmer of Northdale is assistant scoutmaster of Troop 7, sponsored by Highlands Avenue United Methodist Church. In addition to Boy Scouts, she serves as Girl Scout leader and trains other leaders. The award, given for service to scouting and the community, is the highest honor given on a district level and was presented at a recent banquet at St. Mathew's Lutheran Church.

NEW Scouts bringing green for area merchants (April 28, 2001 - Free Lance Star) As Boy Scouts prepare to descend on Caroline County for the 15th National Boy Scout Jamboree in July, local businesses are readying their cash registers. That's because the 44,000 Scouts and staff expected to attend this year's event--and about 250,000 family and visitors--shower dollars on restaurants, hotels and shops from Caroline to Fredericksburg. The last jamboree--held in 1997--pumped an estimated $18 million into businesses within a 50 mile radius of Fort A.P. Hill where the event is held, said Ken Perrotte, base spokesman. This year's jamboree, scheduled for July 23 through Aug. 1, is expected to draw thousands more attendees than the last one. That means more money in merchants' pockets.

NEW Troop to mark 50th anniversary (April 27, 2001 - Whittier Daily-News) Boy Scout Troop 546 of Whittier will celebrate its 50-year anniversary with an ambitious reunion gathering set for next month, troop officials said. Finding former members, though, has been a challenge for organizers of the event, said David Dickerson, a scout parent. The troop is seeking former scouts from as far back as the troop's beginnings in 1951. Reunion organizers have taken out ads and tried to spread the word in other ways, but the response hasn't been overwhelming, Dickerson said. "So far, we have only been able to find 20 or so former scouts," he said, adding that troop officials would like to see 200 current and former scouts at the May 6 reunion.

NEW Dinner honors backers of Boy Scouts (April 26, 2001 - Times News) Sheer determination along with being lucky to have dodged a great many bullets during his military career is part of what made Sir Winston Churchill the great man that he was. His granddaughter, Celia Sandys, who was the featured speaker at the annual Friends of Scouting dinner Wednesday at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club, has been researching his life and putting it into books. "She's a very sharp lady, very much into her subject. And then to have the family tie, she's researched him more than anyone else," said Brad Burr, executive for Potomac Council 757, Boy Scouts of America.

NEW Arrested in Bay Point police prostitution sting (April 25, 2001 - SF Gate) An executive with a Bay Area Boy Scouts council has quietly pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery after grabbing a female police officer posing as a prostitute in Bay Point. Peter Karl Rowley made his plea last month and was sentenced to probation and a $1,000 fine. Rowley, the scout executive for the Mount Diablo-Silverado Council in Pleasant Hill, was placed on administrative leave from the Boy Scouts earlier this month pending further action, according to a spokeswoman who declined to elaborate. The Mount Diablo-Silverado Council serves 21,000 Boy Scouts in five counties including Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa and Solano counties.

NEW India: Recognition to new scouting body flayed (April 27, 2001 - The Hindu) The half century-old Scouts and Guides movement in the country is facing a crisis of identity with the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports granting recognition to a new organization, ``Hindustan Scouts and Guides Association'' in addition to the existing national scouting body,``Bharat Scouts and Guides,'' of which the President is the chief patron. The World Organization of the Scout Movement(WOSM), which recognised Bharat Scouts and Guides in 1950 as the sole representative for India, has already asked the Union Government to withdraw recognition to the new body in the ``interest of the unity of the scouting in India and at the international level''.

NEW Scouts honor: Leaders vow to get more blacks in troops (April 29, 2001 - Charlotte Observer) The Norman Rockwell image of an All-American Boy Scout usually came in one color: white. Segregated troops - with separate summer camps, camporees and awards ceremonies - persisted in York County and most of the South until public schools were integrated in the 1970s. I know because I was a Boy Scout in York in the 1960s, and I never saw a black Scout. Not once. The segregation was so complete that as far as I knew, there weren't Scouts of any other color. The result of the integration of the troops was that it virtually wiped out black troops here. Since 1975, the number of African American Boy Scout troops in York County has dropped 95 percent, from 40 troops to two. An entire generation of boys were denied the chance to learn leadership, teamwork, morals and outdoor skills through the Scouts.

NEW Scouts' honor? (April 28, 2001 - Star-Telegram) It's several minutes past 7:29 p.m., the official meeting start time for Boy Scout Troop 729. The medium-sized classroom in Temple Emanu-El, a sprawling complex in Dallas' well-to-do NorthPark area, is abuzz with activity. The troop's guest speaker hashes out details with troop leaders while little knots of pre-teen and teen-age uniformed boys chatter away about TV shows and video games or excitedly huddle around the shaky-legged owner of a new pair of Heelys, the latest trend in roller sneakers. When the meeting starts, conversations turn to merit badge requirements, payment for summer camp and improperly aired out camping equipment. Politely listening as their guest speaker explains the mysteries of hieroglyphics, these boys obviously have no idea that their troop is at the heart of a debate -- a debate reflecting the one that has thrust the Boy Scouts of America into the thick of one of the country's biggest culture wars. "Morally straight."

NEW Carrier Dome no longer to host Boy Scouts fund-raiser (April 27, 2001 - AP) Because of conflicting policies regarding sexual discrimination, Syracuse University will no longer host an annual fund-raiser for the Boy Scouts of America, school officials announced Friday. The university's decision stems from its policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. The Boy Scouts of America does not accept avowed homosexuals as members or leaders. "I am not prepared to ask the Board of Trustees to change our policy, nor do I expect the Hiawatha Council to be able to persuade the national BSA to change its position," Syracuse Univeristy Chancellor Kenneth Shaw wrote in a letter dated April 6. BSA officials in Syracuse were not available for comment Friday.

NEW Boy Scouts Still Strong Without Funding (April 27, 2001 - AP) The Crater Lake Council of the Boy Scouts says it has received an outpouring of support from the community since United Way of Jackson County's decision to decrease funding of the group. Scouts development direction Ed Rousell says the council has been inundated with calls of support and contributions totaling over $14,000. The United Way chapter announced last month it would reduce its contribution to the Scouts 15 percent this year and will continue to do so every year unless the council agrees to sign the United Way's nondiscrimination policy. That policy includes a pledge not to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

NEW San Ramon board can't agree on facility use fees (April 26, 2001 - Tri-Valley Herald) The San Ramon Valley Unified School District's Board of Education Tuesday decided not to order a revised regulation that would charge groups like the Boy Scouts the direct cost of school facility use. Although the district is beleaguered with a budget that needs to be trimmed by about $2.5 million, the philosophical opposition to charging groups that benefit youth weighed heavily on school board members. Board member Greg Marvel proposed an option that would allow groups such as the Boy or Girl Scouts to spruce up campuses in lieu of paying the proposed $9.22 per hour for classroom space and $36.88 per hour for gyms or multipurpose rooms. "If the troop was willing, it would be a good alternative," Marvel said. "That might be one way of mitigating the impact of the cost for organizations."

NEW Boy Scouts would pay under proposed school policy (April 24, 2001 - Iowa City Gazette) Extracurricular school activities, government and municipal groups and non-profit groups that follow all district policies could use Iowa City school buildings without paying a fee, a policy proposed Tuesday night says. Private groups, such Boy Scouts of America, would have to apply each time they want to use space in a building and pay a fee. School district attorney Kirsten Frey presented the draft after spending much of the past two weeks working with district administrators. She was responding to complaints aired two weeks ago about allowing Boy Scouts to use school facilities without a fee when Boy Scouts of America rules allow discrimination against homosexuals.

NEW United Way money cut might hurt Boy Scouts (April 19, 2001 - Gainsville Sun) The Alachua County branch of the Boy Scouts of America could face an uphill battle raising money this year, following a decision by the local United Way chapter earlier this year. The United Way of Alachua County recently decided to discontinue its financial support of the local Boy Scouts chapter after reaching a stalemate with the group on the United Way's new anti-discrimination policies. Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that affirmed the right of the Boy Scouts to exclude homosexual troop leaders. The new United Way policies, which explicitly prohibit the United Way from supporting groups that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, among other factors, were revised and approved by members of the United Way's board of directors in January.

NEW Scout-O-Rama is about learning and having a whole lot of fun (April 29, 2001 - Times News) Boy Scouts are prepared to meet new challenges. After all, "being prepared" is their motto. And they were certainly prepared for Saturday's Scout-O-Rama at the College of Southern Idaho's Expo Center where they gathered to display some of their scouting skills. Fourteen-year-old Brian Hall of Boy Scout Troop 76 smacked imprints into chunks of leather using a wooden mallet and metal dyes. "It's best to wear earplugs," he said during a brief break from pounding. Scout-O-Ramas were also held this weekend in other areas of the Magic Valley, said Twin Falls Boy Scout District Chairman Reed Harris. The basic idea was to get scouts participating in and exposed to a wide range of projects and activities, Harris said. There was no shortage of variety at the Expo Center.

NEW Susan Ferrell fund sends girls to camp (April 27, 2001 - Daily Oklahoman) Sally Ferrell reads through letters her daughter, Susie, sent her as a teen-ager at Girl Scout camp. Those memories are good ones - happy days her daughter spent hiking, talking with new friends, making crafts. “She said to me several times through the years, that that was one of her favorite memories,” Ferrell said as she read through letters her daughter had mailed home describing everything and everyone at the camp. When Susan Ferrell was killed in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Sally Ferrell, of Chandler, said the Girl Scouts was one of the organizations she thought her daughter would have liked to help. Friends and family made contributions to Girl Scouts in Susan Ferrell’s name. That money will be used as the basis to start the Susan Ferrell Memorial Fund - to be used for Girl Scouts to attend camp.

NEW Baseball great speaks to Boy Scouts (April 26, 2001 - Union News) Mark R. Tolosky made sure to tell his two young sons last night that the tanned man in the suit they were posing for a picture with was one of baseball's greatest players. Enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, Brooks Robinson was in town at Chez Josef as guest speaker at the Boy Scouts of America dinner honoring Tolosky, chief executive officer of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The event was what Tolosky, 49, called a "nice confluence," because he worked as an administrator from 1975 to 1983 at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, where Robinson starred at third base for the Orioles for 23 years.

NEW Teen-age volunteer Jill Bader thinks green (April 29, 2001 - Tennessean) Jill Bader believes in volunteerism and contributing to her community. She has been a Girl Scout for more than 10 years. In that time she has been very active volunteering in the community. ''Jill's main passion, interest and focus lie in the environment,'' said Stacy Nunnally, teen program manager for the Girl Scout Council. ''Her most recent projects have revolved around restoring (urban areas) in Nashville.'' After the 1998 tornado destroyed homes and more than 20,000 trees in the Nashville area, Bader realized that it would be an experience that changed her life forever.

NEW Large crowds see downtown events (April 29, 2001 - Beaufort Gazette) Visitors, vacationers and vendors thronged Bay Street and the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on Satur-day, attending the Earth Day, Farmer's Market and Taste of Beaufort festivities taking place. Elmore Ragland of Lady's Island said he and his son were enjoying the events. "I think it's a great thing for Beaufort because it gives Beaufort a lot of recognition," he said. Earth Day booths drew a large audience, providing information and a chance to see and touch local wildlife. ... The Boy Scout troop 282 from the Air Station gave out young trees donated by the Department of Natural Resources. "We're just doing a good deed for the community," said Jesse Adams, one of the troop members. "It's been pretty successful. We've been passing out a lot of trees." This year was the first year the Boy Scout troop had participated in the Earth Day event.

NEW Boy Scouts restore ancient Indian pathway (April 28, 2001 - Detroit News) The Midland to Mackinac Trial, an ancient 210-mile Indian footpath, has been restored by a Boy Scout council and other volunteers. "The trail is nature at its best," Joe Bevirt said of the hiking and cross country skiing trail stretching from Midland County to Mackinaw City at the tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. "For hundreds of years, this trail was used by Native Americans as a seasonal path for hunting, trapping, gathering foodstuffs and the main Michigan trail for copper from the U.P.," said Bevirt, chairman of the Midland to Mackinac Trail Commission. Members of the Boy Scouts' Auburn-based Lake Huron Area Council No. 265 and other volunteers rebuilt the trail.

NEW Earth Day moves beyond education (April 28, 2001 - Tampa Tribune) Saturday, about 40 volunteers from throughout the Tampa Bay area turned out to plant old oyster shells off the island's western shore, hoping to lure tiny bivalves that will form oyster bars to help break waves and curb erosion. ... Volunteers from the Coastal Conservation Association and Boy Scout Troop No. 58 from Carrollwood joined BayWatch and Audubon to plant the oyster bait, many saying the project was an intriguing way to spend Earth Day weekend. ``It was either do this or clean up Big Bend Road,'' said Sue Croley, principal at East Bay High School. ``I figured this would be on the water.''

NEW Arbor Day teaches kids about trees (April 28, 2001 - Times News) A pair of flowering plum trees found homes on the Jerome Middle School campus Friday. And as students used their hands to cover the roots with soil, they learned lessons about the importance of trees. "Trees are important for oxygen and shade," said seventh-grader Chris Haffner. The middle schoolers were part of Jerome's celebration of Arbor Day, as well as the city's third year as a Tree City USA. Travis Rothweiler, city administrator, said 13 trees were planted around Jerome in recognition of Arbor Day. Two of the trees went to the middle school for two reasons: the campus lacked trees, and the project would teach students about trees' importance in a community.

NEW Arbor Day teaches kids about trees (April 28, 2001 - Times News) A pair of flowering plum trees found homes on the Jerome Middle School campus Friday. And as students used their hands to cover the roots with soil, they learned lessons about the importance of trees. "Trees are important for oxygen and shade," said seventh-grader Chris Haffner. The middle schoolers were part of Jerome's celebration of Arbor Day, as well as the city's third year as a Tree City USA. Travis Rothweiler, city administrator, said 13 trees were planted around Jerome in recognition of Arbor Day. Two of the trees went to the middle school for two reasons: the campus lacked trees, and the project would teach students about trees' importance in a community.

NEW City of Leominster gives Scouts costly business lesson (April 23, 2001 - Sentinel & Enterprise) I stopped to buy flowers for Easter at a stand in Leominster run by the Boy Scouts, Leominster Troop 477. I was told by the Scouts that this is one of the ways the troop earns money for next year's activities and equipment. I was told how local businesses, like the Border Grille, Wyman's Liquors, E.T.Cote & Son Auto Exchange and the Leominster Credit Union would allow the Scouts the use of their property for flower sales. To me, these businesses understand what being a good neighbor and citizen in the community is all about. That kind support helps teach the Scouts about community.

NEW A more dangerous form of McCarthyism (April 19, 2001 - Lebanon Daily News) "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ... ...and the right not to be offended." No, the Declaration of Independence does not include anything about offending anyone. Neither do any of the other documents which established this republic. In fact, one might say that the actual Declaration of Independence is a rather offensive document, first accusing King George III of being a tyrant, then enumerating a long list of reasons for calling him that. But in an age in which political correctness has run amok in our society, there seems to have developed a notion that we are constitutionally protected from having our sensibilities offended. ... If an organization such as the Boy Scouts holds with its long-standing policy of excluding homosexuals from leadership positions on moral grounds, it is castigated as a hate group.

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Themestream Posting Help (April 17, 2001 - Settummanque) For the last six months, I have also posted to an online writers' forum called ThemeStream. Friday, April 13th, ThemeStream, with very little notice, closed their doors. Another casualty of the dot-com realities of "ought one". They did not allow their contributors to inform their readers (which is in part what I'm doing now!) of the closing; more importantly to me, they did not provide me enough time to download and reclaim my stories before they shut down their website. If you copied any of the content from my ThemeStream pages, and are willing to share it with me, please send me a copy. Electronic would be preferred, but hey...I'll take paper copies too!! If you have copies of any of the reflection postings from Scouts-L (I've looked in the archives and found most of them....but there's probably one or two more that I haven't found yet), also please send them to me.

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