Letters
Gratitude for selfless volunteers
Scott Powell, 57, was one of four adult volunteers with the Western Alaska Council killed in an electrical accident at the national Scout jamboree last summer.
I hadn't seen Scott Powell since I moved out of Alaska in 1992. But that doesn't mean I've never thought about him. As the resident ranger for the Western Alaska Council's Camp Gorsuch, Scott provided a kernel of knowledge about the way to reach young boys in the Scouting program.
For example, I learned if you're going to sing, sing loudly, and if you're going to wave your arms and clap your hands, do it in the most exaggerated fashion imaginable, giving 100 percent of your energy and vocal chords to whatever song was under way.
Lined up for chow, or flag ceremonies, or any other event at summer camp, we'd wait for his cue and then holler out our patrol yell in a vain attempt to blow off his hat with the sheer force of our voices.
At the end of camp, Scott would talk to us about our goals and ways to incorporate the values of the Scouting program into our daily lives. To remind us we could do anything we set our minds to, he'd close his talk by doing a standing back flip.
Scott was one of numerous adults, in and out of Scouting, who touched my life in small but profound ways. What amazes me is the spirit in which these volunteers—who didn't get a nickel for the time they spent with me—shared what they knew [in helping] to make the little fat kid with the rope into a productive adult. I try to live every day worthy of their efforts. A little bit of them is a part of my everyday life.
I wish I could have expressed to each one in person the gratitude I feel for their efforts.
James J. Pendleton
Billings, Mont.
Den visits transplant surgery facility
Recently my Wolf Cub Scout den toured the transplant surgery facilities at University Hospital in Cincinnati. Dr. Joseph Buell, who is an Eagle Scout and a renowned liver transplant surgeon, coordinated the tour.
The Cub Scouts were shown operating and lab rooms and viewed a transplant surgery video. Dr. Buell and his staff demonstrated various surgical instruments and equipment utilized in transplant surgeries, and the boys were able to use actual instruments on synthetic organs.
We followed up this memorable activity the next week with American Red Cross Basic Aid Training. Having completed the other requirements, this training enabled the Cub Scouts to earn their Emergency Preparedness pins.
Michael Simpson
Den Leader, Den 5, Pack 50
St. Columban Charter
Loveland, Ohio
The Emergency Preparedness Award, part of the Emergency Preparedness BSA program, includes separate requirements for Tiger Cubs, Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts, Webelos Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts, Venturers, and unit, district, and council volunteer leaders. Get requirements and applications at your local Scout council service center or at www.scouting.org/pubs/emergency/award.html. Following council approval of a completed application, an Emergency Preparedness pin is awarded, which may be worn on civilian clothing or on the uniform, centered on the left pocket flap.
Get Sousa Scout march online
I have read that John Philip Sousa wrote a "Boy Scouts of America March," and I would like to find this sheet music. A Web site I went to directed me to Scouting magazine to find it.
Kathy Larsen
Merrimac, Mass.
A PDF file of Sousa's 1916 "Boy Scouts of America March" can be downloaded from out "Items to Send for or Download" page.
November - December 2005 Table of Contents
Copyright © 2005 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Scouting magazine or on its Web site may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. Because of freedom given authors, opinions may not reflect official concurrence.