The History of Troop 60, BSA Savannah, Missouri March 2007 By James A. Lehr Chieftain Skyhawk           Scoutmaster of Troop 60 1983-1987                       Chieftan Skyhawk (Jim Lehr) with his son Runner Little Skyhawk (Dan Lehr) in 1997.     We all probably know that the Boy Scouts of America was founded February 8, 1910.  British war hero Lord Robert Baden-Powell conceived the idea of a youth organization dedicated to building the character and moral fortitude.              Our Pony Express Council was organized in 1916 and Scouting came to Savannah in the 1920s.  The first Scoutmaster in Savannah was Harold Puckett, who was also Savannah Superintendent of Schools at that time.  His troop met in the upstairs of the building on the southeast corner of 5th and Market Streets.             Dr. Gilbert Kelley was the first Eagle Scout of record in Savannah.  His sons, David, Patrick, Terry, Tim, Kevin, and Kim, as well as Gib’s grandson Tyler, also attained the rank of Eagle.              Troop 60 was organized in 1933.  Its charter sponsor was and still is American Legion Post #287 in Savannah.              Early in Troop 60’s history, the Scout Cabin was constructed.  The City of Savannah leased the corner of 14th and Main to the troop, and the original building was built mostly by volunteer labor.  The bricks used were salvaged from the old post office building in Savannah.  In the 1970s and the 1990s, long-time Friend of Scouting Harry F. Duncan financed the two additions to the Scout Cabin.  Harry was named Honorary Chieftain of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say in 1986.              However, Scouting is not just bricks, numbers, or years.  Scouting is teaching of values.  Scouting builds from boys, young men, and from young men, good citizens.  Scouting could not succeed without community support or dedicated adults.  This is where Scouting gets personal, and where this essay becomes my personal testimony of Scouting.  I will not advance my own Scouting credentials, just to say that in my life, Scouting is a generational thing, my father being an early Scout, I was a Scout in the 1950s and both my sons are Eagle Scouts.  Without the history or traits mentioned above, neither my personal history in Scouting nor the history of Scouting in general could exist. One of my early memories of Scouting is, of course, Camp Geiger.  It was Mic-O-Say tapping night and, as a first year camper, I was in the ring around the huge fire, scared, and wondering what was going on.  Out of the midst of the fearsome looking Tribesmen came the most fearsome of them all, the Tapper.  He bore a strong resemblance to Dave Kelley, an older Scout, whom I later learned carried the name of Blue-eyed Otter.  Later in life I surmised he acquired that name because of his amazing swimming ability and his piercing Nordic eyes.  Dave and I remained acquainted through the years and, after a stint in the Cub Scout program when my first son was ready for Scouting big-time, I asked around as to the location of the best troop in the county.  “Dave Kelley’s Troop 60 in Savannah,” was the reply.  Dave and I became more than close friends, as I followed his footsteps as Scoutmaster of Troop 60.  Troop 60 was unique in that it enjoyed strong support from the community of Savannah.  The city government, school system, the area churches, local businesses, and the population in general saw that Scouting was a large asset to the community.  Often, when a boy joined the troop both parents would also register as Scouters.  With these many resources to draw upon, Troop 60 did things that other troops in other communities found impossible.  For instance, the school system was always open to Scouting’s recruitment.  School Nights for Scouting were greeted warmly.  Churches and the troop worked together to plan youth nights and partner in youth activities.  Fortunately, these relationships continue today. One of the strongest supporters from the 1980s on was Harry Duncan.  A Savannah native, Harry went east in his early manhood and made a fortune with his Little Tavern Restaurants.  The Little Taverns were to the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s what McDonald’s is today.  Located in large populous eastern cities, Harry’s street corner restaurants sold millions of hamburgers with bottomless cups of coffee.  Harry Duncan never forgot Savannah.  There he had gone to school, waded across Plunk-em-in Creek, mowed grass at First and Market, graduated from Savannah High School, and played in a band.  His contemporaries described him as a “real live wire,” and after a stint in the U. S. Navy, he headed east.  Harry would regularly return to Savannah to visit family, and he always kept in touch with happenings in his hometown.  In the 1930s Harry supplied the Boy Scouts of America’s first National Jamboree with, you guessed it, hamburgers and other culinary essentials for growing young men.  Perhaps this was where Harry’s concern was established for the youth of America and those youth growing up in Savannah.  By this time, Harry was able to share the bounty of his business with many, including Savannah. Harry’s generosity touched many in Savannah, from the churches, to Savannah High School, to the Girl and Boy Scouts.  He could be called a positive enabler.  With a few dollars well placed, Savannah’s youth reaped great benefit.  With more generous amounts, great improvements appeared such as the Girl Scout Cabin, new uniforms for the entire high school band, a complete state-of-the-art running track, development at Camp Geiger, and canoes for Troop 60.  With Harry’s gifts, Troop 60 was able to provide programs for year-round camping, High Adventure participation, and more space in the Scout Cabin.  Advancement has always been a top priority at Troop 60.  Without advancement, Scouts would remain in doldrums and eventually drop out.  A Scout that advances stays active.  In Troop 60 there is always something to do. Leadership is very important in advancement.  If younger Scouts have role models to look up to in their quest for higher rank, the pace is quickened and an attitude of “If they can do it, so can I” prevails. Activities geared to age groups are important, and usually when a Scout goes to Camp Geiger his third time, he has learned much about the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.  Mic-O-Say is the honor camper society of Camp Geiger.  To be eligible, a Scout must have experienced three years of Camp Geiger, the rank of Star Scout, and put into practice the Scout Oath and Scout Law.  Those selected are “tapped” the next-to-last night at camp and observed and instructed as Foxmen for at least 24 hours.  Upon passing of all tests, they are initiated as full members of the Tribe as Braves.  Upon returning the following year, Braves have the opportunity to advance to the rank of Warrior.  Thereafter each year, Warriors have the opportunity to advance through the Paint Stations of Firebuilder, Tom-tom Beater, Runner, and Keeper of the Sacred Bundle.  Members of the Tribal Council are chosen from the ranks of adult Scouters who have shown true leadership of youth, and are advanced to Sachem and Medicine Man.  Those who have proven to be both leaders of Scouts and leaders of men may be advanced to Chieftain.  The Tribe of Mic-O-Say has a long and glorious history stretching back to H. Roe Bartle, “Chief Lone Bear,” in the 1920s. The challenge to Scout leaders is to keep the Scouting program exciting to all Scouts.  At ages 10 ½ through 13 this is not too hard to do, but somewhere during those younger teen years two things create strong competition for the time and interest of young men:  cars and girls!  This is entirely normal, but there is much in life to learn, and during these formative years the development of character is primary to success as an adult.  To carry the interest in Scouting ideals on to later teen years, Scouting’s High Adventure Program fills the bill.  The National Council of the BSA owns and operates three High Adventure Bases, one each in Florida, (Florida Sea Base) northern Minnesota, (Northern Tier High Adventure Base) and New Mexico (Philmont High Adventure Base).  Older Scouts travel from near and far to participate in the usually two-week experience of wilderness camping and being on your own in a survival situation.  If the Rank of Eagle is your college degree, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say your Masters Degree, High Adventure is Scouting’s Ph.D. Put together the formula of a Scout’s youthful exuberance, mentoring of older Scouts and Scouters, supporters such as Harry Duncan and the community of Savannah, and Savannah’s Troop 60 becomes one of the best Scout troops in this part of the USA.  Troop 60 always has sent to Camp Geiger a bumper crop of youth ready for that experience.  They have always returned home with several new Mic-O-Say Tribesmen in addition to those elevated in rank and paint station.  For many Scouts, Camp Geiger is the “final push” to their Rank of Eagle Scout. Early on in my Scoutmastership, I found myself addressing the youngest Scouts not as “boys,” but as “Scouts.”  After several months in the troop and after a session at Camp Geiger, I found I naturally started calling them “young men.”  This change of status in my mind was completely normal, perhaps evolutionary, as these fellows do grow physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Towards the eventual, having garnered the Rank of Eagle, several rungs up the paint station ladder in the Tribe, and after a 2-week trek at Philmont, these “young men” became a lot more like “sons.”  As of March of 2007, Troop 60 can claim over 175 Eagle Scouts.  Eagle Scouts earn at least 21 merit badges.  Many in Troop 60 have earned several dozen.  Merit badges introduce Scouts to many different subjects, to which many of them they would never be acquainted.  Often career choices are made when the Scout finds an interesting subject in a merit badge.  Merit badges open up the world to Scouts. Service to the community is required for advancement.  By participating in service projects, Scouts learn the value of working free of charge for a church, school, or other charitable group.  Old cemeteries have been reclaimed, and new playgrounds built by volunteering Scouts.  Scouting is more than chalking up one good turn a day or following the Scout Law point by point.  Scouting is about positive character development that changes young men into valuable citizens. The program can change adult Scouters, too.  I learned from my Scout-father peers.  We compared notes about raising sons and also daughters; we encouraged each other in fatherhood, and in no small way we were thrust into the forefront as role models for our own and other’s sons.  Preparation for Philmont treks forced me to strive to be “physically fit,” as that would be the first hurdle to clear when climbing the mountains of New Mexico.  Scouting helped me quit smoking, lose extra pounds, run competitively, and control my own mental and spiritual capacities as we would recommend to the Scouts in our charge.  To say that I have seen many “boys” grow to manhood would be an understatement.  To meet and talk with those men now in adulthood and often in parenthood themselves is a blessing that only Scouting could provide.  Indeed, “Blessed is the man with many sons!” Troop 60, BSA, continues on this path today.  Scouts are being guided to young-manhood, and on to responsible citizenship via what they have learned in Troop 60 Scouting.  This remains a group effort in that by assisting the younger and perhaps those weaker, we all gain in character.  Robert Baden-Powell learned this during his time in the crucible during the Siege of Mafeking during the Boer War in South Africa.  He saw that youth were teachable. They become avid participants in the cause that benefits all.  By molding this spark into Scouting, we enjoy the success of Troop 60, BSA, Savannah, Missouri.