One night, many years ago, Dad took me to a meeting at Dan Mills Elementary school. When we left, I was a brand new Cub Scout, and he was a brand new Cubmaster. At the time, I didn’t know that he already had Scouting experience; I just knew that we had started something fun and exciting.
It was later that I learned that he had been a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Arrowman, Eagle Scout, as well as a Sea Scout. After he turned eighteen, he stayed on as Scoutmaster, and I’ve heard tales of the massive games of Capture the Flag that he organized for area Scouts.
We were a Scouting family. Mom was a Den Mother, and all of my brothers were Scouts. Two of them went on to earn the rank of Eagle. And we all loved to camp. On my last weekend before leaving Nashville to go to college, Dad and I went camping at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. That was a great weekend, but that wasn’t our last camping trip together.
Many years later, Dad was in San Francisco for an insurance convention. When it was over, he came across the bay to visit us. But that weekend was a camping weekend for my Webelos patrol, so he joined us. And three generations of us all slept on the hard, hard ground, along with the fissures and walnuts, of Sugarloaf, and we all got to enjoy the rooster crowing at 3 in the morning. That was another great weekend that none of us would ever forget.
I’ve been a Scout Leader for a quarter-century, now, and there is no doubt that I inherited my love of Scouting from Dad. From him, I learned to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. From him, I learned the importance of duty to God, Country, other people, and myself.
All of our kids were Scouts, and loved camping, even our Girl Scout Troop. So, on behalf of Dianne, Daniel, Andrew, Christie, and myself, I’d like to say thank you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day! And I love you.
NOTE: When I wrote this in 2014, we did not know that it would be his last Father's Day
We make every effort to document our research. There is a lot of information that I do not have, and I know there are mistakes in this tree. My feelings will not be hurt if you give me corrections or additional information, especially if you can provide sources for the information.
