A few years ago, an old friend of mine sent me a picture through Facebook. The picture was of the Boy Scout troop in Tulsa I was a part of in the late 60s. It was a picture from scout camp where I spent a week each summer for about five or six years in a row. It brought back a lot of memories of when I was a boy and the fun I had at camp.
I know the Boy Scouts have been at the center of controversy lately, and that makes me sad for many reasons. I have such good memories of scouting and I think about the leaders in our troop who helped to shape my values. These were the fathers of other scouts in our troop who gave of their time so we could go camping and learn about a thousand other things. As I earned merit badges, I learned about computers, cooking, first aid, and what it meant to be a good citizen. Many of these dads helped me earn those badges.
Two of these men I remember in particular are a part of that group called “the greatest generation.” They grew up in the depression and fought in WWII. One of them was Frank Riesinger. He’s still alive and I saw on Facebook that, last year, he got to revisit the beaches of Normandy in France where he had landed almost 80 years ago. Another was my scoutmaster, Mr. Trotter. I don’t even know his first name. He was just Mr. Trotter to us scouts. Actually, at summer camp, he had a nickname. We called him Old Thud and Blunder. He would wake us up at 6:30 in the morning by banging on pots and pans. We hated it! These two men were what I would call “world changers.” They made a difference in the lives of young boys in the 60s and, in doing so, helped to build a better world.
They taught us the scout laws which may sound corny to some today, but as a young boy, these were the values I wanted in my life. A scout was trustworthy, loyal, helpful, and so forth. These men taught me and others that we should try to be the best persons we could. Many Americans have benefitted from being a part of boy scouting. Some famous Eagle scouts included the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, movie director Stephen Spielberg, businessman Sam Walton, and President Gerald Ford.
As an adult, I thought it was important to follow in the footsteps of my scout leaders in giving back. When my son was in Cub Scouts, I served as a Den “Mother” for a couple of years. I remembered how my mom had been my Den Mother when I was a Cub Scout. As a pastor here at St. Luke’s, I remember working with a young Josh Attaway to help him earn his God and Country award when he was a scout many years before he became our campus pastor in Edmond.
When we take the time to help our children and youth become better citizens or to embrace the values of Jesus Christ, we are building a better world. I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it were not for Dads like Frank Riesinger and my scoutmaster, Mr. Trotter. Thanks be to God for their lives.
– Rev. Dave Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
