Eagle Scout Nick Roque from Whittier celebrates a successful hatchet throw at LAAC’s 2010 Cen-Ten-O-Ree held in May at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. 3,500 Scouts and Scouters partici-pated in a full weekend of camping and camporee activities in celebration of Scouting’s first 100 years and, for some, preparation for the National Jamboree being held July 26—August 4.

O N T H E R O A D T O T H E N A T I O N A L J A M B O R E E ! INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Watch Your Mailbox 2

Vintage Merit Badges 2

NESA Scholarships 3

Centennial Activities 3

Getting Involved 5

Got A Minute? 5

Scout Exec’s Corner 4

Yea, Mike Rowe’s Mom 4

Eagles in Flight! Eagles in Flight! Newsletter July 2010

M E E T A N T H O N Y T H O M A S

In the off chance you missed the opportunity to greet Scouting’s two millionth Eagle Scout at AB 100, here’s An-thony Thomas. Thomas, 16, of Lakeville, Minnesota has been touring the country as a Scouting ambassador, rode on the Rose Parade float, rang the opening bell at the NYSE, and has met with Presi-dent Obama. Thomas said he got into scouting when he was 7, fol-lowing the lead of his friends.

When he took part in the cere-monies honoring older scouts who reached Eagle Scout status, he put his mind to join-ing their elite group one day. His celebration upon becoming an Eagle doubled with the news that he was the 2 millionth to do it. Keeping it secret for nearly a month -- he found out well before the official an-nouncement -- didn't prove to be much of a problem.

"Code of honor,'' he said.

Special Points of Interest: The Centennial National Jamboree starts at noon on July 26, 2010. By the end of the day:

18,000 tents will be erected.

3,600 patrol kitchens will be in full operation serving the first eve-ning’s meal.

43,000 Scouts and lead-ers will have arrived and encamped.

3,000 of the 76,000 acres of Fort A. P. Hill will become Jamboree City.

Eagles in Fl ight ! Newslet ter

The Los Angeles Area Council Eagle Scout Association is de-signed to be member-driven. To that end, the advisory com-mittee is looking for input from members. This being a US Cen-sus year, we will be sending out notices about how each mem-ber can participate through Facebook, LinkedIn, or a dedi-cated online survey tool.

Issues the Association is look-ing for guidance on include:

Opportunities to expand volunteerism throughout the Council and Districts.

Frequency and variety of social networking events desired.

Opportunities to participate in Friends of Scouting ac-tivities.

Performing a clearinghouse function to match Scout units with needs and volun-teers to fill them.

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H O N O R I N G T H E P A S T B Y R E V I V I N G ( F O R A B I T ) F O U R R E T I R E D M E R I T B A D G E S

CO M I N G TO YO U R MA I L B OX SO O N

1911-1952), Pathfinding (1911-1952) and Signaling (formerly Signaler, 1910-1992).

An overall goal of the program is for a majority of the BSA’s registered Boy Scouts to earn one or more of the merit badges during the centennial year, 2010. The badges of-fered have a history that can be traced back to the origins of the BSA. The original re-quirements are being used, as well as supported by scanned pages of the early merit badge pamphlets so a Scout can view what a Scout 100 years ago used. Supporting the scanned pages of the original pam-phlets are information guides for each merit badge that ex-plain what a Scout of 1910 might have experienced, along with background information to assist a Scout in under-standing what maybe unfamil-iar terms.

The contemporary merit badges closely resemble the original designs of their coun-terparts with the exception of the border, which is gold. The unique border will immediately identify it as a 2010 historic

merit badge.

The four historical merit badges may be used toward a Scout’s rank advancement and the effective date for earning these new merit badges is April 1, 2010, and requirements must be com-pleted no later than Dec. 31, 2010.

The BSA will not reprint the pamphlets for these merit badges. Reprints of the origi-nal merit badge pamphlets are posted to www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx.

As with all merit badges, units, districts, and councils should recruit and register qualified counselors for these badges.

Eagle Scouts with experience in these four disciplines and a desire to serve as merit badge counselors are asked to contact the Council offices or Cabrillo Youth Camp.

Merit badges have been a fixture of the Boy Scouts of America since its inception in 1910. The requirements that generations of Scouts have completed have taught life-time citizenship lessons, per-sonal fitness habits, and life skills. They have been the beginnings of countless ca-reers and lifetime hobbies. In the last 99 years, there have been many changes in the merit badge offerings. As soci-ety has changed, the Boy Scouts of America has adapted by revising the re-quirements, implementing name changes, adding new merit badges, and in some instances, eliminating some badges altogether.

For the 100th Anniversary Celebration, four vintage merit badges are being released for the centennial celebration year only, giving Boy Scouts the hands-on opportunity to experience the exciting past of Scouting while learning how our world has changed in that 100 years.

The four vintage badges in-clude: Carpentry (1911-1952), Tracking (formerly Stalking,

“There's no good idea that

can't be improved on.”

Michael Eisner

Suggestions on finding new troop sponsorships.

Program recommendations for building an education scholarship program.

Ideas for new Eagle Scout projects and project men-tors in your local areas.

The survey should be out by September—thanks in ad-vance for your participation!

Eagles in Fl ight ! Newslet ter

Are you or an Eagle Scout you know looking for college tuition funds? Each year, the National Eagle Scout Association grants over 100 scholarships to col-lege-bound Eagle Scouts total-ing over one quarter million dollars. Competition for these academic awards is stiff with over 5,000 Scouts applying each year. There are two types of nation-ally awarded Eagle Scout schol-arships. One type is academic scholarships, which include a varying number of $3,000 scholarships awarded each year by the National Eagle Scout Association, and a varying num-

ber of Mabel and Lawrence S. Cooke Scholarships. The Mabel and Lawrence S. Cooke Scholar-ships are awarded annually and include four $20,000 scholar-ships (payable at $5,000 per year) and one $48,000 scholar-ship (up to $12,000 payable for four years), plus a varying num-ber of others. Scholarship com-mittees are formed each year in each of the four BSA regions (Northeast, Southern, Central, and Western) to recommend recipients of these scholar-ships, with the final determina-tion made by the national NESA Scholarship Committee. The other type of national Eagle

Scout scholarship is the Hall/McElwain Merit Scholar-ship. Each BSA region reviews applications and awards a varying number of these $1,000 scholarships. In addition to these major awards, Eagle Scouts may apply for other scholarships administered through NESA ranging in value from $1,000 to over $10,000 and being offered by religious, civic, and educational institutions, all with varying qualifications and application requirements. Interested in more info? Go to www.nesa.org/scholarships.html

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S AV E T H E D A T E : P L E N T Y O F W A Y S T O H E L P C E L E B R A T E S C O U T I N G ’ S C E N T E N N I A L

A H A N D U P , N O T A H A N D O U T —C O L L E G E S C H O L A R S H I P S F R O M N E S A

South Bay Daily Breeze — The newspaper will publish an Official Commemorative Section honor-ing our 100th year on July 22, 2010. The section will be available for viewing at www.dailybreeze.com.

Geocaching Event – Winter through Spring educational and fun-packed event. A high-tech treasure hunting game, Geocaching is played throughout the world by persons equipped with GPS devices. The GPS device directs players to hidden caches (treasures), which contain prizes or additional challenges for the finders. Caches are being deployed at various LAAC locations. [Details forthcoming]

Pitch For Scouting (in Association with the Los Angeles Dodgers) – This 2010 Baseball season (April 2010 – Sept 2010) event promises to raise awareness of Scouting, while providing many fun-filled games for thousands of Scouts and Scouters. [Details forthcoming]

2010 National Scout Jamboree – Culmination of the year-long celebration! July 26—August 4 at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.

Shining Light — On Saturday, July 31, 2010, the Scouting family — past, present and future — will be able take part in a special nationwide broadcast, "A Shining Light Across America," from the 100th Anniversary National Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Virginia.

8th Annual Eagle Scout Heritage Celebration — Held at the National Scouting Museum, the kick-off event for this year’s celebration will be held August 14 starting at 11:00 a.m. Bob Mazzuca will be the keynote speaker at the kick-off with a full week of events scheduled. RSVP to (800) 303-3047.

LAAC Trail of Fame Leadership Award Dinner — Planned for Fall of 2010 to recognize all to the LAAC Leaders who were nominated to the National Hall of Leadership and the one outstanding Leader who was selected.

“Scouters can choose from A to

Z ways to celebrate

Scouting’s first 100 years!”

Paul McNulty LAAC Centennial Chair

Eagles in Fl ight ! Newslet ter

Do you remember your start in Scouting? For most of us (statistically, over 90 percent) we started as Cub Scouts. I remember these Cub Scout experiences:

Collided with another

Cub in a Cubmobile race and got a split lip.

Caught a salamander in a stream at Camp Alpine.

Making things in base-ments, at den meetings.

Attending pack meetings in a church basement, lots of candles.

Selling jelly as a pack fundraiser.

Riding on a railroad switch engine on a pack trip.

Working on my Boy Scout requirements for six months as a Webelos.

The most-remembered thing for most men who were Cub Scouts is the Pinewood Derby. I am too old; we did not have the Pinewood Derby then. But I got to have the experience with my son! Today’s Cub Scouts have even more adven-tures than in my day, and that is a good thing.

This week, about 60 Cub Scouts from the neighbor-hoods surrounding the Cush-man Watt Scout Center are having fun at the North Star District Day Camp. There are a number of other day camps going on around the council this summer. For many of these young men, they are taking their first steps on the Scouting trail. It’s fun to watch them, unobserved from my office window, and of course to go down and see what they’re doing from up close.

But the most fun is to imagine what adventures they have ahead of them. There are bound to be some future Eagles, and perhaps someone who will use Scouting skills to save a life. It has happened for many of us, and it is wonderful to see that the doors to Scouting are open at 2333 Scout Way in Los Ange-les!

Paul

Now, thanks to a posting on his website (mikeroweworks.com) we can read all about his ex-periences in Scouting through the words his mother, Peggy Rowe. Here’s a bit of insight into Mike courtesy of Peggy: “Our son hated trying anything new, or being the center of attention. He had refused to learn a musical instrument in the fourth grade, and to go roller skating with friends —

because he didn’t know how.” Who knew?

To read the full text of Peggy Rowe’s rave review of Scouting and its impact on Mike and his two brothers, type this link into your browser: www.mikeroweworks.com/2010/02/yea-boy-scouts-by-peggy-rowe

Yep, that’s Mike at his Eagle Scout ceremony.

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S C O U T E X E C U T I V E ’ S C O R N E R

T I M E L Y T H O U G H T S F R O M P A U L M O O R E

Aside from being the creator and executive producer for television’s Dirty Jobs reality series, Mike Rowe is an Eagle Scout. Those of us who have seen Mike in action on his weekly shows (and who has-n’t?) probably had a hunch that he had achieved Scout-ing’s highest award but proba-bly were not aware that he joined Troop 16 in 1972 re-luctantly.

“On My Honor, I’ll Do My Best”

“ Y E A , B O Y S C O U T S ! ” M I K E R O W E ’ S M O M I S A F A N

2333 Scout Way Los Angeles, CA 90026

LAAC Eagle Scout Associat ion

WA N T TO GE T MO RE IN VO LV E D?

LAAC ESA Committee

John MacAllister Chairman Brian Curtis Staff Advisor Hannibol Sullivan Staff Advisor Don Crocker Robert Gierat Gary Jones Paul McNulty David Meshulam Greg Mitchell Gerry Morton William Plourde, Jr. John Pollock Rick Richmond Steven J. Rothans Nobby Schnabel Robert F. Scoular Steve Silbiger David Tomblin Bob Ulrich

Volunteers are always welcome!

Here’s a way to contribute to Scouting and our Council in May, 2011 — volunteer for next year’s Fix ‘N Fun weekend at Forest Lawn Scout Reservation. We had 350 Scouts and Scouters on-site over Memo-rial Day weekend. Nobby Schnabel and Wes Romberger organized the materials, tools, and teamwork need to accomplish over twenty major repair and new construction projects. The price is ZERO and the food and entertainment are FREE! We’re shooting for 400 Scouters next year—see you there!

Got A Minute?

The LAAC Eagle Scout Asso-ciation is looking for volun-teers to help round out our advisory committee. Clever and enthusiastic Eagle Scouts (goes without saying, we guess) are asked to con-tact John MacAllister at the offices of Dorado Industries (310) 544-1316 or Brian Curtis at the Scout Center (213) 413-4400.

Over forty picnic tables were repair and painted!

A group effort to apply new sealant.

Old railing out, new railing in.