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It's been almost 60-years since I was around the Boy Scouts. My father was a Boy Scout Leader. I never joined. I don't remember why but dad was good about it. For some reason I didn't want to join. I went to camp with him often and were around the Scouts all the time. I went to meetings, gatherings and the annual Jamborees. I think probably I didn't join because I was never much for taking orders. But I enjoyed being around them so it worked out.

The camp we attended was called Camp Manatoc. It was located close to Akron, Ohio, our hometown. My dad's best friend, Dave Bendell was also a Scout Leader and they always had a good time with the boys. My father was a smart guy. He knew all about carpentry, plumbing, electrical, machinery and firearms. He reloaded all his own ammunition. He built a retirement home on Cook Forest, Penna. He made me all sorts of stuff that had to do with carpentry and electrical engineering. There was really nothing the man couldn't do. So he was the perfect fit as a Scout Leader.

At camp we slept in tents and sometimes cabins. We cooked over the fire and went swimming, shooting, hiking, etc. In the 1950s and '60s, Scouting was the thing for young boys. It showed us a love of community and country. We learned things that would stay with us for life. I remember how Dave Bendell was a comic. He was always messing with the boys. One night, late, we were staying in a cabin and I had to pee. I was not about to walk all the way to the outhouse after dark. Hey! There were bears and mountain lions out there, okay? Well, maybe not, but I was not about to find out. Anyway, I went out the back door was proceeded to pee off the porch onto the ground. For some reason I couldn't seem to get it going. Probably thinking about those bears. After a few minutes of trying to force it with no success, Dave came out with a pair of pliers and said, "Here, try these!" He was just that kind of guy.

Dad and Dave worked with the boys teaching them all they needed to know about the wilderness. No doubt these lessons stayed with them for a lifetime. When I think about it, these boys would now be in their 70s and early 80s. Strange!

The Boy Scouts are still teaching boys about the wild. There's been some scandals and now they have gay leaders and boys that are members. I don't know what dad would have thought about the scandals. He passed away in March 1967 from cancer. But I would like to think that, at least some of the boys he taught remembered what he told them years later.

This blog is dedicated to my father, and his friend, Dave Bendell. I hope that the Boy Scouts of America still have men like them leaching the youth of today.