Alan Burdick teaches young men to thrive in Scouts

Scouts FOR LIFE

Alan Burdick finds gift for A lan Burdick has been a leader in many things in his lifetime, but the Boy Scouts of America organization is one he keeps returning to time and again. After first teaching young being introduced to Scouting when he was a boy, he now spends an estimated 8 men to thrive to 10 hours a week volunteering with Troop 323 at Journey Church in HuntersBY » Renee Roberson ville. “I’m kind of like the great old grandfather who takes care of these guys,” says the 73-year-old, who lives with his wife of 56 years, Linda, in Huntersville. It’s not unusual for young men in their mid-20s to stop him in town and thank him for helping them while they were in the organization. He enjoys

Camping with the Scouts is one of Alan Burdick’s favorite pastimes.

hearing their stories of achievements in academics, business and science-related fields.

Known to most as “Mr. B.,” he jokes that Linda was the one who turned him onto a life of volunteering with the organization. When their sons were boys, she took them to their first meeting.

“She then said, and honey, you are going to be the Cubmaster for their troop,” he says. That was in 1975. In 1978 he began his first term as a Scout Master, which is the volunteer role that leads each individual Scout unit. Lead, follow or get out of the way

Being a Scout Master was a role that Burdick fit into naturally. His personal motto is, “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” He’s also a firm believer in helping young men complete the requirements necessary to become an Eagle Scout, something he says both of his son’s came within a “hair’s breath” of doing but never finishing. As a business owner, he’s always known a recruit that has Eagle Scout listed on his resume stands out above other candidates.

“I believe in something called Standing on Achievement and Knowledge, or SOAK,” he says. “Life is built on a foundation like a pyramid,” he says. “The more bricks you can put in the foundation, the stronger you become.”

Burdick believes he has a gift in working with Scouts. As a young boy, he was often bored in school when it came to anything but science. As a teen in Florida, he and a friend started their own business making surf and skim boards and renting them out to other teens visiting during the summers. At age 19, he found himself working at NASA, as a junior engineer, helping translate the biomedical data from the astronauts on the Apollo crew back to Houston. Life was good. But then a lapse in paperwork (he was in school but finalizing documents that classified him as ineligible for the draft because he worked for the defense department) caused him to be drafted to the Vietnam War, where he served for four years.

He explored his love of science and technology by earning degrees in physics and electrical engineering at Florida Technical College. His entrepreneurial spirit has kept him busy. Throughout his career, he’s owned five businesses (tv repair, a precast concrete pipe manufacturing plant, a precast concrete building company, an electronics construction company and a business that converted businesses

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE NOW…

Stratford offers both one and two-story floor plans in an established neighborhood with swimming pool and clubhouse. Just minutes from the beautiful Lake Norman with nearby shopping and dining, you will enjoy the convenient location and easy living in a brand-new Stanley Martin home at Stratford.

Call 704.800.3156 to schedule a virtual or private tour today!

2650 North Carolina 16 Business, Denver, NC 28037

Prices, features and incentives are subject to change without notice. See a Neighborhood Sales Manager for details. ©Stanley Martin Companies, LLC | 06/2020 | A-6514

to franchises) and earned six patents for his inventions. Troop life

He jokes that he’s retired twice but knows he has to find things to keep himself busy. This is where the Scouting organization comes in. He moved to the Lake Norman area from Chicago in 1996 and began searching for a troop to help. In 1999, he helped start up a troop at Grace Covenant Church, until 2013, when the church decided to separate themselves from BSA and form their own program, called Trail Life. Burdick helped with Trail Life and then began working with the Scoutmaster of Troop 323, who he had known from their days at Grace Convenant.

He especially enjoys helping the Scouts earn their merit badges and complete Eagle Scout requirements. He can

teach 80 different merit badges, and has converted a 20’ x 12’ space above his garage into a science lab that can accommodate up to 10 to 12 Scouts at any given time, and he gives lessons on electronics, robotics, chemistry and engineering. He estimates he’s helped 40 to 45 young men earn their Eagle Scouts in the past 20 years.

He believes he has a God-given gift to help teach young men who might normally be bored to nurture a love of STEM subjects. When he had a massive heart attack in 2008, the number of notes he woke up after 20 days on life support from Scouts past and present helped him see his volunteer work as a calling. He went off to have another heart attack, and eventually a heart transplant.

And still, ten years later, he volunteers.

Retirement Living at its Best

CARDINAL VILLAGE INDEPENDENT LIVING THE GARDENS OF STATESVILLE ASSISTED LIVING

PSL

PREMIER SENIOR LIVING

Nestled off of Davie Avenue, minutes from Historic Downtown Statesville, and convenient to both I-77 & I-40.

THE GARDENS OF STATESVILLE

• Deluxe, Private and Companion Suite options • Residence Medical Director • Full Service Dining Room • Social, Educational, Cultural, Devotional & Recreational programs • Pet Friendly • Medication Management • Assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, toileting and ambulation. • Transportation Services

CARDINAL VILLAGE

• 1 and 2 Bedroom w/single car garage • Full Kitchen w/ applicances including washer & dryer • Weekly housekeeping • Lunch & Dinner served daily • Electricity, Cable, internet and Life Line Alert sysytem included • Pet Friendly

2147 Davie Ave., Statesville Schedule a tour today by calling: 704.878.0123