Opportunity Knocks #64 - The View

Presenting for your reading pleasure, Opportunity Knocks #64.

I can't believe I have been doing this for 64 straight weeks. I hope I'm not getting repetitive. Today's OK#64 is entitled "The View".

This last Tuesday night, I was honored to attend the Indian Nations Council Eagle Banquet, held at the Summit Club downtown. It was held high in the air, top floor or just about the top, and as you all know, I don't do well with heights. But it sure was great to see so many of my Eagle Scouts from 2006 in attendance. I was looking out of the windows as the dinner was beginning and I could see the view of West Tulsa and the River. The sun was disappearing in the west and the fading sunlight was hitting the Arkansas River, turning it into a long golden ribbon, surrounded by the purples and dark blues and blacks of an Oklahoma night. The view was magnificent. Looking out. I try not to look down. But looking out was wonderful.
I sat there listening to the keynote speaker, a wonderful man from Baylor University, and my mind wandered to "other views" I have witnessed.

There was the view of the National Jamboree site as it lay in all its colorful glory at Farragut State Park in Idaho in 1973. It was my first Jamboree and I had never in my life seen so many tents. Miles and miles of scouts and tents and flags fading into the horizon. It was like a giant bee hive. From as far as I could see on my left to as far as I could see on my right, all the way to the horizon. Tents.

There was the view from atop of Baldy at Philmont Scout Ranch. As far as the eye could see, all the way to other states, you could stand beside the small stone wall on top of Philmont's famous mountain, feel the wind on your face and think about the direction of your life. We went up there for sunrise and that is an experience you don't want to miss if you get the chance.

Then there was the view from the top of the World Trade Center in 2001. We were attending a National Jamboree and were headed home. We were touring New York City and the Trade Center was one of our most important stops. We had just toured Liberty Island and, as we exited the boat, I stood and posed for photographs with two gigantic snakes around my neck, before heading to the World Trade Center. We didn't know at the time that the Trade Center would be destroyed less than six months after our visit. I still think often about the wonderful people we met as they gave tours and worked in the restaurant and gift shops on top of the tower. I wonder sometimes how many of them were working on that fateful day as the world stood still. 9/11. I still can't get over it. I can still remember standing on top of the Trade Center and looking back at the Statue of Liberty. "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave". I'll never forget that view.

But last, I want to talk about a very special view that I don't mention very often. It was also at Philmont. I've been on ten Philmont crews so I can't remember the exact year or who the scouts were that were with me. I do remember that Dick Austin was there, so I'm guessing that Thad Bibb and Randy McGuire and Joel Stinnett and Tommy Steele and Scott Stephan and Bobby Pendergrass and Jeff Moore and Mike Eckhart and several others were with me. I'm not positive but I think so. The faces start to blurr after so many years but I'm sure they will respond to this Opportunity knocks and let me know if I am remembering this correctly or if it was another crew. Dick Austin is a great historian so he will probably let me know too.

We had been hiking for quite a while. I don't know why but I think we were coming out of Ponil. We walked and walked and walked, actually "hiked" is the correct word, and after an afternoon of hiking we reached a water tank. We were out of water and pretty thirsty and we were all excited to be approaching the water. When we looked inside the well we saw a dead animal bloated and floating in the well. I remember thinking that I wasn't so thirsty after all. There was a plastic pipe that was attached to the well and it was tied in the up position by a little twine. You could undo the string and lower the plastic pipe and water would come out. If you wanted to drink!

We all stared at the bloated animal, each of us trying to decide exactly how thirsty we actually were, and then Dick Austin arrived. He took off the kerchief he was wearing, unfastened the plastic pipe, stretched his kerchief over the pipe opening, lowered it and filled his water bottle. I'm sure he probably dropped a tablet or two in the bottle before he drank it but I don't know that for sure. I was still looking at rocky raccoon or whatever it was floating face down in the tank. We all filled our bottles and headed up the trail. And I mean up. It was tough. Our next camp was on top of the thing we were scaling. When we reached it and made camp, refreshed with cool water and our hike behind us, we started to explore.

The name of the camp was Vista Grande. I soon discovered why it was named so. It had something to do with the view.

I sat there on a large boulder and looked out upon the most amazing sight I think I have ever seen. It was flat, stretching forever where it met a horizon of the purest blue. Farms, houses and roads and highways could be seen clearly in the foreground. The wind on my face and the peacefulness of the moment were priceless. This was what Philmont was all about. The test. The hiking was the test. Pass the test and you get a patch. A special patch to be sure, but when all is said and done, it is about what the patch represents. I have ten Philmont patches. Some are on shirts, some are in drawers or in boxes where I keep my special things. But anytime I see one of those patches, my first thought is the view from Vista Grande.

No words can describe that view. I sat there for over an hour and watched the day drift into evening. I watched a summer storm build and then blow across the landscape below me. Sunlight and summer on the right. Darkness, wind and rain on my left. I could see the storm but wasn't in it. I became a spectator to one of nature's most beautiful paintings. I watched as the storm crossed my view from left to right and on the edges of the storm, lights started to appear as cars turned on their headlights and homes became lost in the darkness. Then the sparkling lights of homes and businesses started to appear as the landscape plunged in to the deep purples of a New Mexico night. I was still seated in sunlight on my boulder way up in the sky and I watched day turn to night right there before my eyes. It was one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. I was on top of the world with friends I cared about and doing an activity that I loved. I tested myself every day with the hike and the food and the blisters. And my reward....was the view.

Scouting has provided me with some wonderful memories. Great friends. Great places. Lots of badges and patches and knots and stuff. And great views. I think God wants us to participate fully in life. I think he wants us to know that we are all part of something bigger. That we are able to add something wonderful to the quality of the lives we encounter and that we will receive something wonderful in return. I think God wants us to know there are people out there that we can learn from and people out there that we can teach. People that we can help and that will help us in return. Lots of doors to open. Lots of opportunities. Lots of views.

I have a favorite song. I thought of that song as I sat on the boulder in Vista Grande.

"Abide with me, fast falls the even tide.
The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, Oh...Abide with me.

I wish I was a better writer so you could see in my story what I saw that day at Vista Grande. But for all my Scouts, I hope you will go and see it for yourself.

Please join me next week for Opportunity Knocks #65.

Opportunity Knocks #63 - What do you call a group of Beavers

What do you call a group of beavers? A herd? A covey? A pack? What? In Troop 26, it "is" almost a herd. And that is as unique as the troop that is seeing it happen.
Next Saturday night, February 24, at the Berenson Center downtown, Troop 26 will be honored to see the 43rd and the 44th member of our troop honored with Scouting's highest award for adult leaders. The Silver Beaver. It's going to be quite a night on several levels. When Randy McGuire and James Smith hear their names called, there will be a million good thoughts running through the audience.

For me, I'll be thinking about Randy as a kid, back when he first joined the troop, back even before he was a Senior Patrol Leader. I remember him in his little OU visor hat, helping a special camper into one of the boats at one of our Special Camporees. And I'll be remembering James Smith at the Special Camporees too. The Special Campers love James. He is so calm and compassionate with them.

Both of these men add class and dignity to all they do and Troop 26 is so proud to have them as our own.

Both of these two gentlemen have meant the world to our program. The join a wonderful "Band of Beavers", Troop 26's first Silver Beaver was Ed Herhold in 1976 and our most recent is JJ Jorishie and Dennis Zvacek in 2005. Forty-two wonderful men and women have been honored by our council. Forty-two wonderful men and women that gave their hearts to the youth of the Indian Nations Council and to Troop 26 specifically. We are what we are because of them. Many of them will be in attendance to see numbers 43 and 44 receive Scouting's highest adult honor.
And as we celebrate this great honor for our brothers, we will be thinking about Bob Barbero (Silver Beaver 1982), Dean McMahon and Herb Cunningham (Silver Beavers 1984), Jimmie Toney (Silver Beaver 1985), and Pat Baumgartner (Silver Beaver 1998), who are now probably leading heaven's largest Scout Troop. Herb is probably the loudest and Pat is the most organized. Jimmie is giving physicals and Dean McMahon is leading the singing. And Bob is going frantically from patrol to patrol to make sure everyone is OK. I can almost hear God telling Bob to "chill out!" They are always in our thoughts. I know they would be as proud of Randy and James as we are.

Photos from the presentation will be on the blog site soon. Take a look as Troop 26 continues to celebrate the excellence of its adult staff. Our scouts probably have no idea how lucky they are. But I know! Randy and James. A grateful troop congratulates you. Thanks for being a part of our lives.

Opportunity Knocks #62 - Merit Badges

You know, I am always alluding to the fact that "opportunities" abound for our youth members. Today I want to talk about the opportunities for adult leaders. I was sitting here in my cubicle at the hospital today and had a little time so I thought I'd clean out one of my desk drawers. At the bottom, I found some old photographs that must have been in there through several moves from office to office and location to location. And one of them was a photo of a merit badge class I taught at Camp Tom Hale (before it was Hale Scout Reservation) back in the early nineties. That got the memory moving. Merit badge classes.

Every Eagle Scout who stands before his Court of Honor is wearing a merit badge sash. We have had 570 Eagle Scouts in Troop 26 since the first one was presented to Eagle Scout Walmar Frank in 1960. With 21 merit badges being required for Eagle Scout, that means Troop 26 Eagle Scouts have earned "at least" eleven thousand, nine hundred and seventy merit badges. That boggles the mind. And when you consider all the over achievers who made their Eagle Scout with more than 21, then the number goes up dramatically. When you consider Mark Herhold, Whit Fields, Scott Lybarger, Ryan White, and Alex and Andy Points, just to name a few, who got up to 40, 50, 60, merit badges and beyond, then you see what a huge number that could be.

And for each merit badge, there was a class. And each merit badge had an instructor. It might have been a parent. It might have been a school teacher or Sunday School teacher. It might have been a district or council Merit Badge instructor. It might have been a camp counselor or a counselor at a merit badge fair. It might have been an Assistant Scoutmaster. Or it might have been me. Whatever the case, each badge..each of those eleven thousand nine hundred and seventy badges, and all the other badges too, were represented with a class and an instructor.

What a wonderful opportunity for an adult. An opportunity to teach. An opportunity to share. An opportunity to watch a young man grow and become knowledgeable in a subject that he previously knew little about. Maybe it was a hobby. Maybe it was a pastime. Maybe it was something that would help the scout save a life. Who knows. All the badges are different but valuable in their own way. If it is true that your experience as a scout is measured by camping and outdoor skills (You have all heard about the "outing" in Scouting and how important it is)..if that is true, then it is also true that your experience as an Eagle Scout is measured by those classes and those instructors.

So after I added up the numbers and started to develop this OK # 62, I sat back and thought about all the classes I have taught over the years. There have been some memorable Indian Lore Classes at summer camp, and some of the Law classes with the crime and the trial, also at camp, have been a lot of fun too. And there were all the Swimming and Lifesaving classes at the Herhold's pool. I wonder how many of you remember those. But as I sit here daydreaming about merit badge classes, one class kept coming back to my mind.

It was a Theater Merit Badge Class back in the early seventies. I taught it at Good Shepherd. I remember having so much fun. The class, memory don't fail me now!!!, was Whit Fields, Chuck Allred, Tim Baden, Lyle Freisenhahn, Jeff Weaver, Mark Sanders, Tommy Cleveland, Ronnie Mayfield, and Ben Mills. We were writing a play and making costumes and props. I remember we needed a coffin. I can't remember if we actually made it or not. I have thought back on that class many times over the years. Mostly because of Ben Mills. He passed away years ago. He was a very young man when he dies and it hit us all pretty hard. I can still hear Tim Baden giving the eulogy at the funeral. I hope that at some point in our brief friendship, I remembered to tell Ben what a great kid I thought he was. I really enjoyed that merit badge class and each and every scout in it. I can't remember all the details. Those are a little fuzzy. But I remember how much fun I had.

I've decided to teach Theater Merit Badge again. Soon! And I encourage all you parents who have a skill or a hobby that you would like to share with our Troop 26 Scouts, I hope you'll consider approaching Wayne White, our current merit badge coordinator, and volunteering your services. You don't have to be a leader. You don't have to get out and camp in the ice and wind and rain. You can teach your class indoors. It would definitely be an opportunity for our boys. But it would be an opportunity for you too. One that you will look back on over the years and wonder why you didn't teach another one, and another, and another.

Merit Badges. For Eagle Scouts, that's where the rubber meets the road. Help our boys make Eagle Scout. Get involved. Be a merit badge counselor.

See you next week for Opportunity Knocks #63.
Bill

Opportunity knocks #61: Super Sunday

Gentlemen and Ladies.

This coming Sunday is special. Boy Scout Sunday and Super Bowl Sunday in the late afternoon. Scouts in the morning, Colts and Bears in the afternoon. Does it get any better? Well, It should be better.



I am a Dallas Cowboy fan. Die hard!!! I've tried to give them up a little bit this year because they have been so disappointing off the field and sometimes on it. But I guess they are still my favorite team. And I know that many of you have favorite teams too. We wear their jerseys and we have ice chests with their logos on them and little miniature helmets and autographed team photos. We have all the cards and the calendars and we can't wait for the next season to start and we start feeling that way the second the Super Bowl is over. We can't wait till the fall. It has become a national obsession. Should it be?

I was watching the news last night and they ran a story about one of the Bears linemen. He had assaulted a policeman, cursed at and physically threatened the policeman and had to be subdued by mace. The policeman didn't press charges and the article implied that it was because the policeman was a Bears fan. The player had other charges pending and the Chicago judge allowed the player of leave the confines of house arrest and go to Miami and play in the biggest NFL stage possible. The Super Bowl. Again, the article implied that the judge was a Bears fan. I would think that this indicates that our priorities are slightly messed up.

I can't wait till the Super Bowl this Sunday. I can't wait to see it. And I'll be thinking about it as I sit with my Scouts in church for Boy Scout Sunday. And while I'm sitting there, I'm going to wonder why we pay millions to guys who throw and catch a ball. What about the men and women who patrol our streets and keep us safe. What about the men and women who are on foreign shores defending our country against attack. What about the firemen who respond when our homes are burning and the emergency crews who clean our streets so that we can drive safe after an ice storm or the men who leave the safety of their homes to repair our electricity when the power is down. Does it make since for the millionaires in America be the ones who play a game and run around knocking each other down.

I think, at some point, American needs to change its priorities. And as I look at my current Senior Patrol Leader and his staff, as I look at the table where my Leadership Corps sits, as I look at the Patrol Leaders sitting at the head of their patrols, and as I listen to our troop chaplain lead us in prayer..I am encouraged. I am encouraged that these kids and kids all over America just like them will be someday leading our country. Our country needs them.

If we are ever going to change our priorities, it is going to take men of focus, drive, and character. Men of compassion and integrity. Men who grew up with a "26" on their sleeve and Scouting in their hearts. I'm not against games and I'm definitely not against the Super Bowl. I'm heading for a Super Bowl party with the Yarroll's. Ray will be crying about the Eagles and I'll be crying about the Cowboys. And we'll both be looking forward to next year.

And as we get started in 2007, I'm encouraged for the future of my country. And its not because of football. Its because of the kids who will be sitting next to me in church this Sunday.

Enjoy the super Bowl.


Bill