Newsletter for Scouting Alumni association Affiliates
alumni alive! Spring 2014
What’s Inside Director’s Message.........................2 Alumni News.........................................4 Happenings..............................................6 Program...................................................8 Profiles.......................................................10
Director’s Message “Boys can see adventure in a dirty old duck puddle, and if the Scoutmaster is a boys’ man he can see it, too.” —Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement Scouting is a place where youth can have a real adventure whether it is a 50-mile trip at Philmont or Northern Tier, sailing at the Florida Sea Base, or sliding down the zip line at the Summit. In fact, we hope that our Scouting participants continue to seek adventure when they grow to become adults.
For Bill Steele (below), the SAA/NESA director and fellow of the National Speleological Society, that certainly has been the case. In fact right now, Bill is on a month-long expedition to explore the deepest cave in the Western Hemisphere, Sistema Huatla, which is why you are reading my words and not his!
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As you read our latest issue of Alumni Alive!, we hope you are reminded to continue seeking adventure in your own life. You don’t necessarily need to go to the deepest cave to find it; you may see that it can be right outside your door in the form of a dirty old duck puddle. Go make a splash and remember‌ once a Scout, always a Scout. Ryan Larson, CFRE Associate Director, Alumni Relations
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alumni news NESA Plans Eagle Scout Yearbook
To encourage participation, NESA is offering a couple of incentives. First, those Eagle Scouts who submit a photo and answer a few questions will receive a limited-edition Class of 2013 patch. Second, those who purchase a yearbook can get a discount on NESA memberships: $5 off the special fee for new Eagle Scouts or $25 off the life membership fee.
Last year, the BSA awarded 56,841 Eagle Scout badges, the second most in history. To help those new Eagle Scouts connect to each other—and stay connected to Scouting—NESA has commissioned Publishing Concepts Inc. (PCI) to produce a yearbook featuring the Eagle Scout class of 2013. (Based in Dallas, PCI has a 30-year track record of publishing yearbooks and directories for educational institutions, fraternities, sororities, and military organizations across the nation.) The new edition will include photos of the newest Eagle Scouts, along with a data CD to help foster connections. It will be NESA’s second annual yearbook.
But the new yearbook is not the only publication PCI is working on for NESA. The company is also gathering information on some of the half-million or so “lost” Eagle Scouts who weren’t found in NESA’s 2008 directory. Those Eagles will appear in a series of comprehensive directories of Eagle Scouts from 1912 through 2012. These directories are being compiled by region, with the last region receiving its directory by August 2015. For more information, contact PCI at 855-376-5978 or the NESA office at 972-580-2000.
“Whether they live in New York, LA, or any community in between, Eagle Scouts share a common experience,” said Bill Steele, the BSA’s director of alumni relations and NESA. “This yearbook will help them connect with new friends at college or in the military or reconnect with friends they made at national jamborees or Order of the Arrow events.” This spring, all new Eagle Scouts should receive a postcard or email inviting them to call a dedicated PCI representative to confirm or update their information and, if they choose, order a yearbook. It will be available only to members of the class of 2013, and will be distributed in December.
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Scouting Alumni Conference Combines Great Learning and a Great Location
And then there’s the conference itself: Led by Rick Bragga and Todd Plotner, members of the Alumni Committee, the conference brings together Scouters from across the country to learn to better connect with Scouting alumni, establish functioning council National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) committees, and engage volunteers to help Scouting grow locally.
If you’ve attended training courses or conferences, you’ve probably heard a variation on this statement: “The best part is what happens outside the classroom.”
If you serve as an alumni chairman, NESA chairman, or on your council or district nominating committee, or you are a key volunteer interested in expanding your district and council volunteer base, this is the conference for you!
That statement may be especially true of the Reconnecting Scouting’s Alumni conference, which will be held August 10–16 at the Philmont Training Center. That’s because, like all Philmont conferences, this one will happen in a great location and will offer a great array of free-time opportunities for attendees and family members alike.
For more information on the conference and the Philmont Training Center, visit http://www.philmontscoutranch.org/ptc.aspx.
A unique experience for you and your family
Start with the location: The Philmont Training Center is part of Philmont Scout Ranch, a 214-square-mile facility that’s the largest youth camp in the world. Conference participants stay in large wall tents with cots and electricity, and they have access to private bathrooms, laundry facilities, a dining hall, and more. Wi-Fi is available throughout the campus, making it easy to keep in touch with the outside world—if you so choose. Just down the road is the village of Cimarron, which features shops, art galleries, and the historic St. James Hotel, which has been welcoming guests since 1872. The Philmont Training Center offers family programs for kids of every age, as well as spouses, so the conference can easily become a family vacation. Family activities range from hiking and horseback riding to crafts and museum tours, and schedules are coordinated so everyone can enjoy meals and free time together. Evening activities include campfires, a buffalo barbecue, line dancing, and more.
Philmont Alumni RelAtions seminAR August 10–16, 2014
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PhilmontTrainingCenter.org
Happenings Scouting Leading the Way in Youth Protection
Johnson, who joined the BSA’s national staff in 2010, was uniquely qualified to launch the symposium. A retired detective with the Plano (Texas) Police Department, he has conducted hundreds of training sessions for law enforcement and child services professionals worldwide. He has served on the board of directors for the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) and on many other national boards, committees, and task forces, including the National Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, the Law Enforcement Subcommittee for several of APSAC’s national colloquiums, and the working group for the establishment of the National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth.
Like a pebble dropped into a pond, child abuse has ripple effects. All too often, abuse victims develop psychological disorders, turn to drugs and alcohol to dull their pain, or grow up to abuse their own children, thus perpetuating the cycle of suffering. But child abuse has other ripple effects as well. Abusers who are turned away from one youth-serving organization Michael Johnson don’t give up. Instead, they look for other ways to access potential victims. If they can’t get into Scouting (or if they find the BSA’s barriers to abuse too high), they look for softer targets—a church youth group, perhaps, or a local mentoring program with lax oversight of volunteers. In other words, according to Michael Johnson, the BSA’s national director of Youth Protection, “we’re all in this together.”
Johnson’s work directly aligns with one of the pillars of the BSA’s current strategic plan, which calls for the BSA to become recognized as an advocate for youth and youth issues. “Scouting is more than willing to be a part of a positive advocacy movement, but if that movement isn’t happening, we don’t have a problem with leading,” Johnson said.
To help ensure that kids are safe in every setting—not just in Scouting—Johnson created the National Youth Protection Symposium (www.nationalyouthprotectionsymposium.org) in 2012. Spearheaded by the BSA, the groundbreaking, two-day event brought leaders of youth-serving organizations together with experts in the field of abuse detection and prevention. A follow-up session last fall involved 24 agencies serving some 20 million children and teens.
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INTRODUCTION
Scouting Goes Back to School
Thornton said her fellow educators will play a major role in th shaping Scouting U, but so will corporate trainers. “What are of Learn As we prepare to celebrate the 20 Anniversary the best practices that are working out there in Fortune 500 to share our 2011-2015 Strategic Plan. Although we hav companies?” she asked. “We have to move ourselves up to challenges in the U.S. education system over the pa thatand level.”
Founder Robert Baden-Powell once called Scouting “a school of the woods.” And Scouting certainly does its share of teaching: to Scouts, to volunteers, and to professional Scouters. But that doesn’t mean every training course is as effective as it could be. Or that the subject matter is consistent from one training course to the next. Or that trainers are always using the latest teaching techniques. (Webinars, anyone?)
constant we see is the need to provide a solution that ed
Although her work is just beginning—she assumed her new role and truly prepares them for the “real-world”. in February—she is already dreaming of training that is offered at the right time in the right setting. As an example, she cited The combination of our PreK-12, Integrated Academic & District Operations Basic (DOB), a one-week training class for our Career Exploring is unmatch newcurriculum professionalwith Scouters that replaces the old program Professional foundation necessary & career Ou Development Level 1 course. for Newcollege professionals beginreadiness. with 12 weeks online learning the localNatives” council where they complete newofgeneration ofin“Digital by delivering on-line c st 12 modules thatlearning introducetools subjects in a methodical manner; and other through an engaging 21they centur then travel to the BSA’s Center for Professional Development, better equipped to take in additional knowledge.
Diane Thornton
On the curriculum side we are updating our content while Home Schools, Charter Schools, and atvirtual sc Theincluding goal of training, she said, is not to improve attendance training but to improve performance in the field. “The key is what Exploring side, we are modernizing the program includin are survey they doing with the knowledge they’ve gained when they while seeking partnerships to expand the go number
Just over two years ago, the leaders of the BSA’s professional and volunteer training teams started meeting to discuss ways to collaborate on and improve training. The result is Scouting University (or Scouting U), a new department and learning management vehicle in the organization. Heading the new department is Dr. Diane E. Thornton, the BSA’s first chief learning officer.
back to the council or they go back to the pack or troop,” she said. “That’s key.”
We appreciate the support provided by the National Lear Career Fieldmeasurable committees, the Thornton LFL strategic So the whenExploring will Scouting U produce results? isn’tNational ready to make predictions. “It’s going take field time. and It isn’tHQ exec LFL staff and dozens of to other going to happen overnight,” she said. “This is a huge paradigm develop such a comprehensive plan.
Thornton came to her new position from Learning for Life (the BSA’s school- and workplace-focused subsidiary), but she has spent most of her career in education. Prior to joining Learning for Life in 2007, she was a teacher, principal, director, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and professor. Her 32 years of experience encompass all levels of education.
shift, but it’s so positive and so exciting.”
Dr. Diane Thornton National Director, Learning for Life
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Over the past 6-months, Dr. Thornton and her team alon volunteers have developed a comprehensive 5-year stra for Life organization. Using the 4 Strategic Pillars as a st began the process by surveying hundreds of LFL employ
Program Venturing Changes Include New Advancement Awards
• Discovery Award: The adventure of participating with the crew unfolds, and each Venturer begins to discover his or her interests and talents. As Discovery Award recipients develop new skills and competencies, their eyes are opened and the world expands for them.
In many ways, Venturing—the latest iteration of Scouting’s program for older youth—has been a rousing success. But one area of Venturing has fallen short: advancement. While virtually all Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts earn badges of some description, just 0.66 percent of Venturers pursue the Bronze, Gold, and Silver awards.
• Pathfinder Award: The Venturer’s capabilities and skills broaden and with them come increased responsibilities for defining their own way forward in life, service to others, and formal planning and leadership of the crew toward its goals. • Summit Award: The highest award of Venturing, the Summit Award, goes to those Venturers who have matured in their personal direction, skills, and life competencies, and who have accepted the responsibility of mentoring others and serving their communities in a lasting way.
To make Venturing advancement more exciting and relevant, the BSA has unveiled a new advancement program, which takes effect in May. The new program is designed to Annaliese Parker encourage progressive experiences in the four focus areas of adventure, leadership, service, and personal growth and includes four key awards: the Venturing Award, the Discovery Award, the Pathfinder Award, and the Summit Award. Here’s a brief overview:
Details will be released at the National Annual Meeting in May. In the meantime, here’s what National Venturing President Annaliese Parker had to say: “The new Venturing award structure will make Venturing more relevant to the youth of today—while strengthening the Venturing program without detracting from anything going on in the Venturing program today. I have no doubt in my mind that this is one of the greatest changes in Venturing in the past 15 years.”
• Venturing Award: The first step in any journey is the courage to begin. At this level, the new crew member makes the commitment to join and move forward into the experience of Venturing.
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New Fieldbook Offers Outdoor Advice to Everyone
Birkby drew on his own lifetime of backcountry experience in writing the new Fieldbook. An Eagle Scout who served as director of conservation at Philmont Scout Ranch, he is a mountaineer, long-distance backpacker, outdoor educator, and leading authority on environmental stewardship. He is author of three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, the 2004 Fieldbook and much of the 1984 edition, and BSA’s Conservation Handbook. He also wrote the most recent Scoutmaster Handbook and the coffee table books Boy Scouts of America Today, Scout Stuff, and Eagle Scouts: A Centennial History.
Through seven decades and four editions, the Fieldbook has been the BSA’s go-to guide for advanced information on camping, backpacking, and other outdoor pursuits. Until this spring, however, the Fieldbook has also been a well-kept secret.
Slip this Fieldbook into your pack as a terrific guide to the passion of adventure,
“This new Fieldbook provides excellent, detailed guidance on how to
put Leave No Trace principles into action. Scouting plays a key role The new Fieldbook covers everything from hiking, camping, andstewards.” in developing the next generation of outdoor —Dana Watts, Executive Director, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics canoeing to mountain travel, ultralight backpacking, wilderness navigation, and whitewater kayaking. In keeping with the BSA’s outdoor ethics, there’s a strong emphasis throughout on acting responsibly and treading lightly on the land.
www.scouting.org
Guiding the book’s development was a task force of worldclass mountaineers, naturalists, adventurers, and wilderness educators. Many of them got their start in Scouting, and several offered endorsements prior to the book’s publication. For example, Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, called it “a terrific guide to the passion of adventure, skills for the backcountry, and stewardship of the environment.” 34006
SKU 614985
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2014 Printing
Scouting’s Manual of Basic and Advanced Skills for Outdoor Adventure
“Scouting has 100 years of experience in “teaching the best skills for the backcountry, and stewardship of the environment —three keys to enjoying America’s national parks and other public lands.” backcountry skills and ways to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. —Jonathan Jarvis, Director, National Park Service This is a book that shares that storehouse of knowledge with longtime hiker, outdoorsman, and Scouter, I recommend the Fieldbook “asAsana essential read for anyvery outdoor enthusiast, everybody,” Birkby said. “Our goal is to produce the bestregardless of age or ability. The time-tested skills and practical approaches are a credible, invaluable that will help make your to outdoorbe adventures fun, safe, outdoor manual on the market, and, by the way,resource it happens and memorable in America’s great outdoors.” —Gregory A. Miller, Ph.D., President, American Hiking Society by the Boy Scouts of America.”
FIELDBOOK
That situation is changing with the Fieldbook’s fifth edition, written by Scouting alumnus Bob Birkby. Due out in April, the new edition will be available not only at Scout shops and ScoutStuff.org, but also at bookstores and outdoor shops across the country.
FIELDBOOK
Scouting’s Manual of Basic and Advanced Skills for Outdoor Adventure
profiles Chris Werhane: Serving Those Who’ve Served Their Country
To that end, Adaptive Adventures takes a multifaceted approach that includes customized fitness and wellness plans, guest speakers at events, post-event follow-up, meet-up groups, and more. Family members, friends, and caregivers participate in Adaptive Adventures events—although some discover their own limitations. “Sometimes the family members can’t even keep up with us because of the places we’re going,” Werhane said.
Life can be filled with new challenges for many wounded warriors after their injuries. Thanks to Scouting alumnus Chris Werhane, some of those warriors can find themselves going downhill—and that’s a good thing. The director of military operations for Adaptive Adventures, Werhane has guided countless wounded warriors down ski slopes at resorts across the country.
Much like a longtime Scout leader, Werhane has seen some program participants return as leaders. One man, who was among the first soldiers injured after 9/11, now mentors other veterans with brain injuries at Adaptive Adventures events and at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His future once looked much bleaker. “I couldn’t tell you how many times he died on the [operating] table,” Werhane said. “I couldn’t tell you how many times they told his wife that he wasn’t going to make it and then how many times they told her to leave him in the hospital and just walk away.”
For some, it’s the first time they’ve strapped on skis (or a monoski in the case of those who’ve lost a leg). For others, it’s the chance to return to the sport they loved. In February, for example, Werhane worked with wounded warriors during the Steep & Deep Ski Camp in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “I’ve got guys on monoskis going down double-black-diamond chutes, and we’re teaching them to self-arrest just in case anything happens,” he said.
Werhane, who visited 22 ski resorts and 22 bodies of water last year, credits Scouting for introducing him to the outdoor and leadership skills he uses every day. His suburban Chicago Scout troop went camping every month—“If it was minus 20, then we’d talk about it,” he said—and he went on to serve nine straight summers on staff at Philmont Scout Ranch.
As in Scouting, the skiing and aquatic adventures Werhane leads have a deeper purpose. “The healthier you are and the more stuff you’re doing, the less time you’re spending in the VA hospital or rehab or physical therapy or sitting on the couch being depressed,” he said.
Although a Jackson Hole ski resort may seem far removed from the Philmont backcountry, they have one thing in common. “We’re trying to change lifestyles through recreation,” he said.
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Warren Lail: Philmont’s Rock Star
At the field schools, students get their hands on the latest technology, such as ground-penetrating radar. “At the end of the field school, they know how to use it, and they can go out and get jobs, and show people they can use it,” Lail said.
Growing up in Glen Alpine, North Carolina, Dr. Warren Lail participated briefly in a Scout troop his father helped lead. When the family moved, however, his connection to Scouting ended. Until, that is, he returned to Scouting as Philmont Scout Ranch’s de facto archaeologist.
Lail’s students aren’t the only ones who learn. When crews of Boy Scouts and Venturers pass dig sites, Lail has his students run impromptu classes. “They greet them and tell them about the history of the site and what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and what we hope to learn,” he said. “We get the crews involved whenever we can. They don’t dig at our sites, but we answer as many questions as we can.” So what have Lail and his students learned about Philmont’s history? Among other things, they’ve proven that people were in the area as early as 330 A.D., and they’ve begun to fill in a yawning gap in the region’s cultural chronology that spans from 1300 to 1550 A.D.
Lail’s return came not because of a Scouting connection, but because of an invitation to do dissertation research at the Chase Ranch, which lies adjacent to Philmont. When he visited the ranch, he learned about the area around Indian Writings (a site that features Native American petroglyphs) and sought permission to study it. “I just knew that that looked like the area where I would find the type of archeology I was looking for,” he said. “It turns out that it was.”
They’ve also learned an amazing amount about “Urraca Man,” whose skeleton was found by Scout hikers in 1970. Lail now believes the man was a trader of Spanish Moorish descent who died in the late 1800s on his way between Taos and Cimarron, probably in a fall that occurred in cold weather. “We can look at the individual as a sort of micro-history of the area,” Lail said. “We can use him to begin to understand more about the area and use him as a vehicle for opening up that 20-year period when we think he may have died.”
In the summer of 2000, Lail came to Philmont to survey and record sites that had been previously mapped by Dr. Mike Glassow of the University of California at Santa Barbara (before the Global Positioning System became as accurate as it is today). He has returned every year since to conduct at least one multiweek field school with students from New Mexico Highlands University, where he is an assistant professor. “We take them out, and we camp on the ranch following ranch protocols,” he said. “Sometimes the fieldwork is in excavation, sometimes it’s in survey, and sometimes it’s a combination of both.”
Lail’s Philmont experiences have made a major impression on him—so much so that he proposed to his wife, Linda Golin-Lail, at a site above Indian Writings. In other words, he’s one more example of how the magic of Scouting impacts every alumnus, even those who, like him, never made it past the rank of Tenderfoot.
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