Opportunity Knocks #32 - Life Lessons @ Summer Camp

Troop 26 is getting ready for summer camp. Its like a small city moving from one place to another. We have over one hundred boys attending camp this summer and quite a few leaders as well. Over 20 adult leaders, most of whom will be in camp for the entire week. They will be continuing a tradition that began years ago at Camp Garland when Troop went to summer camp for the very first time.

My first experience with Troop 26 and summer camp came when I was eleven years old in 1956. The troop had been in existence for a little over ten years. There were only two younger boys going. My best friend, Johnny Pat Jackson, and me. We were both scared to death. My mom really wanted me to go because she thought I needed it. Truth be told, I really didn't want to go. I just couldn't figure out a way to back out. Summer camp was a question mark for me. I didn't know what it was going to be like. I didn't know what was going to happen. And I wasn't sure if I would fit in. That was in 1956.

Things haven't changed so much from that day to the present. Kids still struggle with being accepted, with stepping into the unknown, with moving outside the safety net of home and parents. I'm really glad I went to camp that summer but getting me to actually go was a test for my mom.

I learned some valuable lessons that first year at camp. I learned that there were some older kids that would appear nice when adults were looking, and when the adults were not around, they were not! I learned that there were adults and some older scouts that would help and teach and were definitely worth knowing. I learned that in life, you're going to get some of both. Good people and some not so good. Valuable lesson.

I learned a little bit about loss. Johnny Pat and I had made a pretty good friend. His name was Brucy Stratton. He was a middle range kid, not older, not high rank or anything. Just a kid a little older than us and really friendly. We both liked him a lot. There was no pool then, only Spring Creek. We had been swimming in the creek on Wednesday and when we got back to camp, Brucy was gone. His father had died and the camp staff came to get him and helped him pack up his stuff. They left his empty tent up for the rest of the week. It was a constant reminder that our friend was missing. When we got back to town after camp, we learned that his mother had taken their family and moved away to be with her parents. We never saw or heard from Brucy again.

That was an important concept to learn. People come into our lives and sometimes, for whatever reason, they go. I learned that again when Johnny Pat died my first year in college. I remember when I heard about Johnny's death, I immediately thought about Johnny Pat and I, years earlier, standing there in Eagle's Nest campsite, looking at Brucy Stratton's empty tent.

I learned about how some older kids were mean, just because they got some kind of fun out of it. They seemed to think that it was their right to pick on the little scouts. I didn't much like that.

I learned that adult leaders sometimes tend to avoid the responsibility of pointing out to the mean kids that "mean behavior" wasn't acceptable. Sometimes its just easier to look the other way and say "that's just boys being boys, that's the way it is and it'll never change."

Its funny. Years later when I went to military school (mainly because I had drifted towards "mean behavior"), I found that those same concepts were at play there. It was like summer camp all over again. Older cadets making life miserable for new cadets. "Because it was fun." Later, when I was an upperclassman and it was my turn, my right, and in fact my duty to make younger cadets miserable in the name of "toughening them up", I elected to refrain from that because I remembered how much I didn't like it at summer camp and during my underclassman years at military school.

Summer camp taught me about nature too. Not just playing outside and then coming in after dark to a warm house and a soft bed. That's not nature. Nature is always a question mark in your life. You never know what the weather is going to do. You never know what animal is going to make an unscheduled visit to your campsite. You never thought about the things you do in your campsite impacting the living creatures that live in that campsite and will continue to live there after you are gone. Summer camp teaches you that there is much, much more to consider about life than what you find in your own back yard.

And I learned for the very first time about success. I learned what it felt like to complete something that you didn't think you could do. Johnny Pat and I camped in our little pup tent in the backyard. We had our little flashlights and our little scout hatchets and lots of candy and our favorite banky and pillow. I even had my stuffed dog named "Rowdy". He only had one eye. My real dog ate the eye off my fake dog. But Rowdy was always there in the tent with me. But the best thing we had was the knowledge that we could get up in the middle of the night if we wanted to and walk five steps to a door leading to a real bed. There is no possibility of that at summer camp.

I learned that sometimes you had to stick with it and finish it. It wasn't like my baseball team where you could strike out five times and get benched and then go home, cry a little in private, then throw your mitt against the wall and tell your mom you were gonna quit. You couldn't do that at camp. You had to get up in the morning, get dressed, step out of your tent and try again. Try to learn. Try to fit in. Try not to let everybody know you were homesick. Try to pass something and get it signed off in your book. Actually, back then they had little rank cards that you had to get signed. You carried them folded in your pocket. All the requirements were on there and when everything was signed you turned it in for your conference and board of review. Anybody remember those?

Summer camp. Something I hated and then grew to love. Something I dreaded and now look forward to each year. And some things are included in our summer camps now because of the things I learned back in 1956.

First, we have some of the best older scouts in the world. They are truly nice people. Kind and compassionate. Not just when adults are looking, but that's just the way they are. And our Viking Patrol of new members have been so fortunate over the years to have an Eagle Scout Patrol Leader that sees, as his responsibility, their welfare. This years edition of the Viking PL is Eagle Scout Zach Vetal and Eagle Scout Gary Fennema. They are so serious about their responsibilities and their task of making sure that every new scout has a fantastic summer. The Vikings are sooooo lucky to have them.

Second, we have adults that do not treat this as a vacation. They are there to teach. They are there to supervise. They are there to insist on positive and respectful behavior and they do not shy away from telling a scout that they are not being appropriate. They will not be looking the other way when "hard to handle" stuff comes up. They set the example and they truly enjoy what they are doing for that special week. Our scouts are so lucky to have them. Assistant Scoutmaster Jimmy Hunter has assembled a terrific adult team. And they will be able to show the scouts what "friendships" look like because they work with each other and help each other and enjoy the week they have to spend with the team.

Also we have a great group of Eagle Scout Leadership Corps members attending. They are so appreciated. Mainly because they remember exactly what the little ones are going through and will help them get through it. The LC will be directed by one of the best LC Chairmen we have had in a long time, Eagle Scout Andy Points and his Asst LC Chairman Phillip Sartin. The Eagle Scouts are going to have fun at camp but they will also insure that others have a productive week as well.

And we have an exceptional Senior Patrol Leader. Eagle Scout Daniel Rusco. He doesn't just "have" the job. He does the job. He wanted it and now he gets his chance to impact the memories of all our scouts by assisting in providing this very special week in their lives.

And we shouldn't forget that our Advancement people will be right there in camp, advising kids, encouraging kids, and congratulating kids as they complete requirements for their next ranks. With people like Assistant Scoutmasters Rick Hayes and Dick Shelton, long time veterans of many summer camps, there isn't much chance that a new scout's week will be unsuccessful.

And third, we have a wonderful program. Not just the camp program, which happens to be amazing on its own, but even if it wasn't, Troop 26 would provide an exceptional week of program anyway. We take the week very seriously. Special patches and pins are being made, special T-shirts are being done, and a special team of adult and youth leaders will be going down to the Hale Scout Reservation early to prepare the site. They will build gateways and tie cow skulls on the trees and raise tents and flags and construct the famous Troop 26 Indian Lore museum. We are prepared and we are ready to deliver a mountain top experience. All we need now is for the kids to show up.

And for some, that will be hard. Because they don't know what its going to be like. They don't know what's going to happen. They don't know how they will fit in. Summer camp is still a question mark for a new scout just like it was back in 1956. That will never change. Never. And the new scouts are not sure if they can do it. I know. I've felt that too. Back in 1956. I know exactly what they are thinking about. I promise to help them take this important step and be successful at it.

Summer camp. In many ways its about life. It prepares us for the things we are going to have to do later. It prepares us and trains us to trust the good in people. It prepares us and trains us to handle the people we meet that are not as positive as we would expect them to be. It prepares us and trains us to take those baby steps into the unknown because someday we may have to step into that darkness again. Summer camp teaches us lots of stuff besides badges too. It teaches us that as long as we have friends, the darkness of the unknown will never be completely dark as long as there are friends who will go there with us.

And, least we forget, summer camp is also a thing of the spirit. Nature will teach us more about God than the most beautiful cathedral could ever teach. The beauty of the morning and the peacefulness of the gentle rain. The spaarkling sun off the waters of beautiful Lake Bohannon and the reflections of the mountains across the water. God will be in our camp and in our hearts. Don't doubt it for a minute.

To all those scouts and scouters in Troop 26 who have attended one of our Summer Camps over the years, thanks for making it such a wonderful experience. And if anyone out there knows someone who used to go by the name of Brucy Stratton in Tulsa, Oklahoma, tell him that an old friend thinks about him at least once a year, usually in June.

Opportunity Knocks #31 - No Waiting

There are so many things that have happened in the time since I became Scoutmaster of Troop 26 that I am proud of. Presidential visits with Presidents Reagan, Ford, and Bush, National Jamborees, the Alaska summer camp trip in 2003, 500 plus Eagle Scout Courts of Honor, Philmont and Sommers expeditions, summer camps in Texas, Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico. Lots of memories. Lots!

When I traveled to Grapevine Texas to accept the Silver Antelope Award on behalf of all the Scouts and Scouters who have made Troop 26 great over the years, I also attended a meeting of 40 Scoutmasters from all over America who had been invited to attend the National Meeting of the BSA and discuss "issues". I was asked during that meeting to tell about things I was "proud of" in the course of my years as a Scoutmaster and this story was the very first thing that popped into my head. So I thought I would share it with you as Opportunity Knocks #31. Many of you have heard it already but some of you haven't.

I have always been annoyed by troops that had "waiting lists". Troop 26 has never had one and this story is the reason why.

Back in the early 70s, a young boy was riding his bike down the street in his neighborhood. There was an elderly gentlemen out in his front yard doing some yard work. The boy stopped his bike by the curb and struck up a conversation with the old man. The gentlemen was a Scouter. Eventually the conversation turned to Scouting. Scouters are like that. They love to talk about Scouting. He asked the boy if he was in Scouting. The boy hung his head and said no.

"Why not?" asked the elder gentlemen. "Scouting is a lot of fun. I know you would like it."

"I'd like to be a scout", said the boy, "but I can't find a troop that will take me."

"What do you mean?" asked the man.

"I've visited a lot of troops and they all tell me that they are closed and that they have waiting lists."

This apparently angered the old man and he told the boy to go home and ask his parents for permission to visit a troop. "I know a troop that doesn't have a waiting list. Get permission from your parents and I'll take you there."

The rest is history. The elderly gentlemen and long time Indian Chiefs District Commissioner Vance Tuttle brought the boy to Troop 26. He liked it. He joined.

I did manage to get a little history on the boy from some of the other scouts who knew him.

He had a reputation of being difficult to handle. He was easily provoked and reacted with anger quickly. He had been suspended and expelled from a number of schools. He apparently would explode in class, striking classmates without provocation. He would be taken to the office and then asked to leave the school. He wouldn't be allowed to return. His reputation was pretty widespread. Some of the troops he visited intentionally lied to him. They said their doors were closed because that had too many scouts already and that there was a waiting list. None of them offered to put the boy on their list. They gently suggested that he seek membership elsewhere. Nobody wanted him.

I never saw the anger. He seemed to be glad to be in Troop 26 and the other kids liked him, even the ones who told me about the boys reputation. And then one day it happened. I was giving a Scoutmaster's Conference to a young man and I asked him a very innocent question. I said "A Scout is supposed to be a friend. What have you done recently that you would consider "helping" a friend." His answer would change the lives of many people.

Here's what he said. "I have this friend in the troop. Don't ask me his name because he made me promise not to tell anyone. He can't read. And he wants to make Tenderfoot but he can't read the Oath and the Law in the handbook. He comes over to my house and we go to my room. I read him the stuff and he memorizes it from hearing it verbally."

Of course I wanted to know who it was and I did everything I could to get this young scout to give me the name of his friend. He finally relented and told me who it was. It was the boy that nobody had wanted. I was beginning to connect the dots.

I went over to visit the boy's parents. I asked them if their son was having any difficulty in school. I know what they thought. They assumed that I was coming to see them about behavioral problems. They told me that indeed their son had difficulty in school and that he had become violent in class. I asked if they had any idea why he became aggressive. They didn't.

I told them that I had learned from one of my Scouts that their son couldn't read. They were shocked. They had no idea. As a result of that meeting, they had the boy tested and found that he had Dyslexia. He couldn't read. The letters came into his brain upside down, sideways, reversed, etc. And every time he was asked to read in class, he stood up and punched the nearest person to him. That was pretty smart. Inappropriate, to be sure, but smart. It got the focus on his behavior and he never had to admit that he just couldn't read. Escorted out of classroom after classroom, taken to office after office, going from school to school to school. Always the same. Everybody focused on the aggression, not the cause of the aggression. He had kept this secret from everyone right up until that day when he decided that he wanted to be a Tenderfoot Scout. So he told a friend.

The story has a great ending. He eventually became a championship wrestler and academic overachiever at Bishop Kelley High School and went on to earn his Eagle Scout Award. He now owns and runs his own business. He is confident and secure in his abilities.

What if? What if the old man had not invited him to Troop 26. What if we had suddenly developed a "waiting list" because he presented too much of a problem for us to tackle. What if he hadn't shared his secret with a friend. What if the friend had decided to honor his promise not to tell and not told me about the problem. What if?

I think the thing that I learned out of this situation was that Scouting is at its best when it becomes an opportunity for a young man. This, of course, is an extreme case. But to some extent Scouting becomes an opportunity for every boy who decides to join.

And what about adult leaders. When we go to training whhhether it be district, council, national, Pine Trees and Woodbadges, roundtables and conferences, we learn about knots and cooking and sleeping bags. We learn about all those things we are expected to teach.

But sometimes, Scouting presents us with an opportunity as well. It affords us the opportunity to do much more than teach. Sometimes it allows us to shine the light into the darkness of a life, assisting that person to grow and find answers and change in ways that may have nothing to do with Scouting.

Next month we are leaving the civilization of our homes and will venture forth into the mountains of Southern Oklahoma for our annual summer camp. We have over a hundred boys going. We will all grow from the experience. It never fails to affect every single participant in some way. But maybe there is a young man who really needs some assistance. About Scouting for sure, but maybe about life in general as well. Maybe he doesn't know how to ask for the help. Maybe he doesn't even know he needs it. But if he can find a way to share his troubles with one of the Assistant Scoutmasters or with me, maybe together we can take a step into the future more prepared and more equiped to handle the problem. I know it can happen. I've seen it. And I'm proud of it.

When all is said and done, helping a young man prepare himself for life beyond scouting is an oppoortunity that is worth more than any patch or medal an adult Scouter will ever receive.

Waiting lists? I don't think so. Our doors will always be open. Our lights will always be on. The opportunities will always be there. Just waiting for someone to knock.

Opportunity Knocks #30 - Irving Berlin

"When the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear alegience to a land that's free.
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solumn prayer.

God bless America,
Land that I love, Stand beside her
And guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home."

Assistant Scoutmaster Jim Hunter sent me an interesting tidbit of information that I thought I would share with you as Opportunity Knocks #30. I have added to it a little bit. Thanks Jim.

"White Christmas", one of the best selling songs of all time, was written by a man named Israel Baline, AKA Irving Berlin. He was born on May 11, 1989. Mr. Berlin didn't even know how to read or write music, but he picked out tunes on the piano...on the black keys only....and became one of America's most prolific songwriters. Of his some 1,000 songs, he always said his favorite was "God Bless America."

Written in 1918 and then revised right before WWII, God Bless America became the unofficial National Anthem of the United States.

Irving Berlin became a very famous person. He holds the distinction of being the only person ever to present an Oscar and, when opening the envelope, discovered that his name was on the card. He won the Oscar for the song "White Christmas".

He was on the cover of Time Magazine on May 28, 1934. He met presidents and kings. His song, "God Bless America" was sung at Hockey games in Philidelphia for years as a symbol of good luck for the Philidelphia hockey teams. He was an American Legend.

Mr. Berlin founded the "God Bless America Fund" and donated the royalties of that song to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.

Back in the early 70's, I was working at a clothing store in downtown Tulsa at 7th and Main called Harringtons. It was "the Friendly store that greeted you at the door!" I worked in the Scout Department which was located roughly in the back of the store. For those of you oldtimers that shopped at Harrington's, you remember that the Scout Department was situated so that you had to walk through all the other departments to get there, hopefully so that you would make other purchases. The only other department deeper in the store than the Scout Department was Men's Work Clothing. On the other side of the Work Clothes was the business office and the receptionist.

One morning in 1979, the receptionist stood up and started waving and yelling "Bill Shaffer, Bill Shaffer, pick up line 2, it's some guy that says he's Irving Berlin. I picked up line 2 and it was true. It was Irving Berlin. One of the most famous men in America was on line 2 talking to me.

I had written to Mr. Berlin in the hopes that he would provide a letter for my first edition of inspirational messages from great Americans. I didn't know it was the first edition because I had only received eight or nine letters at that point and the First Edition seemed a million miles away, much less a second edition and a possible third. I had already received letters from Green Bay quarterback and Super Bowl I MVP Bart Starr, Oklahoma football Coach Barry Switzer, and President Gerald Ford, so the project was off to a great start. But I never expected any of the great people I wrote to call me personally.

Mr. Berlin apologized and said that he would not be able to write a letter. He said it was a wonderful project and he wished me the best of luck but he said that he expressed himself best in music and that writting a letter just wasn't something he was able to do well. I remember thinking that I should ask him to write a special song for Troop 26....but I didn't. Should have! Wouldn't that have been something? Everything was going in slow motion. The receptionist was was yelling "Bill's talking to Irving Berlin, Bill's talking to Irving Berlin." I couldn't believe it. Irving Berlin. White Christmas. God Bless America. Friend of Kate Smith. On the phone with me. He wished me luck again and thanked me for thinking of him. He seemed like a wonderfully pleasant and friendly person. And then, as suddenly as it began, it was over.

To speak to Irving Berlin. An opportunity for me created by Scouting and specifically by Troop 26. One of America's legendary performers had heard of Tulsa Troop 26 and had taken the time to call its young Scoutmaster on the phone. Personally! Who would have thought that possible. Another brush with history by a little scout troop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sometimes opportunity really does knock.

It wasn't the only call I received while working at Harrington's. I remember the receptionist yelling "Bill, Steve somebody on the line for you." I was busy so I told her to take a message. The person didn't leave a message. My mom called later that day and right before she hung up she said "Oh, by the way, somebody named Steve called you." Steve who, I asked. "Oh, I don't remember. He was very nice. We talked about the weather in his home town." I asked why he called. Mom said it was about a letter I had written him. Now I was curious. I asked if he had said anything else and she said no. I remembered later that mom mentioned a "hometown" so I called her later and asked what that hometown was. It was Bangor, Maine. Darn!! The caller was author Stephen King. And I missed the call. And I've been unable to reach him since. Proof! Sometimes opportunity only knocks once.

Mr. Berlin called me in the summer of 1979. He was born in May of 1888. So he was approaching or had recently turned 91 years old when he called me. Mr. Berlin passed away on September 22, 1989, leaving America with hundreds and hundreds of wonderful songs.......and leaving a Tulsa Scoutmaster with a wonderful memory, a phone call of less than a minute that would never be forgotten.

Opportunity Knocks #29 - Senior Patrol Leader.

I was the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 26 back in 1959. I was a 9th grader and a First Class Scout. I had a huge stumbling block to get to First Class. We only had two adult leaders, a Scoutmaster and one Assistant Scoutmaster. I don't think they taught anything. We had to find our own counselors. I was a ninth grader with only two merit badges. Reading (I got that one at home) and swimming (I got that one at a swimming class at Bell Jr. High School).

There was a requirement on communications, semaphores and Morse Code. I didn't like either one and wavered back and forth trying to pass the requirement.

There was three or four patrols. I don't remember the names of the patrols. I remember handling Green Bar meetings. It was called Green Bar due to the Troop Office patches that had a green bar on each one. One bar was for Assistant Patrol Leader and two bars for Patrol Leader. Two bars and a small bar underneath and a Boy Scout symbol stood was the Senior Patrol Leader. William "Green Bar Bill" Harcourt, was the man who wrote an article in the Boys Life magazine and wrote the Patrol Leader Hand Book. I wish I had my first Patrol Leader handbook, but my dog, Tippi, ate the cover off the book and it finally went to the trash can.

I can't remember anything about being SPL. I can sort of remember a meeting at my Scoutmaster's home, but I can't remember who was there. I'm pretty sure my best friend Johnny Pat Jackson was there but I'm not sure. He died while I was in military school and both his parents have passed and I can't remember anyone else that might have been there.

When I became the Scoutmaster in 1969, I tried to remember what I had done as SPL so I could teach my new SPL how to do it. But I couldn't remember what to do it. It killed me that I couldn't remember anything. I pretty much started from scratch. Mr. Kunze gave me a lot of ideas, which I really appreciated, but I still wanted to establish something new and exciting, so I started looking for a brand new concept. I decided upon an SPL Investiture. I wasn't sure if I had a ceremony when I was SPL years previously, but I decided to start one.

I bought a hard cover of the Boy Scout Handbook. I presented it to the troop, all thirteen or fourteen boys, and I opened it. It was new and stiff, pristine and smelling good like brand new books smell. I had written a short message in the book.

It was a message dedicated to those boys who have led and those who will lead the members of Troop 26 as their highest elected official, the Senior Patrol Leader.

The boy was elected by the troop. Neil Smith was my first. I still remember his mother, Ester, and his dad, Leon, watching as Neil signed the book. I had promised that I would read Neil's name every time a new scout was elected. It would be "traditional."

I remember thinking "who is going to be next?" As it turned out, next was Bill Kirwin. Now there were two names in the book. And I remember Bill's mom and dad being present for the SPL Investiture. And again I wondered who was going to be next.

Now, that book is not new. It doesn't smell new. Neil Smith's and Bill Kirwin's names are not alone. There are other names now. Most of them are gone. Many of them are living around the country and the world, with families and jobs, and goals. All of them signed the book. All of them have been told that their name would be read every time we did an SPL Investiture. Many of they don't have an idea that we are still doing what was promised. I hope they someday stumble across our web site and realize that they served for six months but that their service has added to the tradition.

Several weeks ago, we had the SPL Investiture for my 72nd SPL. Eagle Scout Daniel Rusco. Several former SPLs participated in the Investiture. It has become a wonderful tradition. Seventy-two scouts. All voted to be SPL by the members of the troop.

I watched as Daniel added his name to what is now a very old book.

And guess what I was thinking. I was wondering whose going to be next.

Service Project: Yard Clean-up

The service project that many of our scouts and adults did several saturdays ago, the yard cleanup for the disabled vet living between Choteau and Tulsa, was featured on Channel 5 (Fox 23) earlier this week.

You can view the segment here.

The disabled veteran that we helped that Saturday, had a heart attack the very next day, on Sunday. He has returned home from the hospital and is doing much better today. He called Channel 5 and asked the lady who set up the project to please thank the scout troop that had provided the service. She said he was so appreciative and grateful for the job we did.

Then, she told me that after they aired the segment the first time, the station was flooded with calls from sick and disabled viewers, asking if we would do the same for them. The lady in charge of the project said that she didn't want to "burn us out" but asked if we would be interested in doing this type of project two or three times a year.

I will discuss this with the boys tonight at Sticks at Six, and again with the troop officers at TLC at Seven. And it will be on the agenda for the adult Troop Committee meeting this coming Thursday. I told the lady that I would call her back on Friday and let her know of the level of our interest in this.

On a personal note. I really enjoyed myself that Saturday (once you get past the difficulties with the map!!!) I think that working together helped us get to know each other better and it gave us all a better understanding of how thankful we should be about what we take for granted. I left the man's house that Saturday with a great feeling in my heart, knowing that for at least one day my troop and I had made the world a better place for someone less fortunate. That we were able to do it for a man who had given himself in the service of our country, defending our freedoms, made it even more special. I think my dad would have approved of this project.

Thanks again to all the people who participated, especially the little brothers who are not even members yet, and I hope you all felt as good as I did. And for all you Life Scouts or Star Scouts about to turn Life, there is an Eagle Project lurking somewhere in this plea for assistance. We'll talk about it later this week.