Scouting, Volume 50, Number 7, September 1962 Page: 10
32 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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coutmaster Joel Rhodes likes to "follow the book"
in bringing Scouting to his boys. But his book contains a
few pages written by himself—pages that could correctly
comprise a chapter entitled "Troop Traditions."
"Sure, it's true we do a few things that most troops
don't do, confessed Rhodes in his quiet drawl as he
explained his troop program. "But all of the gimmicks
that we've added have had one objective—giving boys a
meaningful, fun-filled Scouting experience."
Rhodes recipe for a troop program that attracts most
of the eligible boys in his small farming community is:
large quantities of outdoor experiences, a healthy mixture
of sound patrol organization, just the right amount of
parent cooperation, and liberal dashes of traditions to
hold the whole program together.
The most famous troop tradition involves a mythical
character from Boys' Life magazine. Several years ago
the troop members discovered that the rambunctious Pee
W ee Harris, a cartoon character from Boys' Life, lived
in a place called Centerville. The boys of Troop 16 also
lived in a place called Centerville, so they "adopted" this
character as their own. They are known as the Pee Wee
Harris Troop.
Some innovations of Troop 16, sponsored by the Hi-Ho
Sunday School Class of the Centerville Methodist Church,
have become community institutions, like the Saturday-
Before-Easter Car Wash and the Christmas-tree sales.
Troop members also receive their own weekly bulletin,
full of Scouting and other community news of interest
to boys.
Scouts throughout the area know of the troop's "mascot
tradition." Each year when the boys attend council sum-
mer camp, they bring along a menagerie of old and new
troop mascots. The animals range in size from guinea
pigs to donkeys. The troop's "animal farm" becomes one
of the camp's chief attractions.
Another tradition is the troop's weekend camp held
just after school closes. It's called the Hooray—School's
Out Campout. Then there is the group of troop members
who have formed a German band that plays for Scouting
and other community events.
Eleven years ago when Rhodes became Scoutmaster,
there wasn't much real Scouting being done in Center-
ville. Today the troop is known throughout eastern
Indiana and has an average membership of 45 boys.
The townsfolk are proud of their troop. In celebration
of the fiftieth anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America,
the Centerville Stamp Club issued a cachet showing the
smiling face of Pee Wee Harris. The sales exceeded club
expectations, and Scouters from all over the country
added the cachet to their collection.
The troop has a fine camping program and the boys
enjoy at least one outdoor event each month. Several boys
have attended a national jamboree, and the older Scouts
have been to Philmont Scout Ranch as well as the canoe
bases of Regions Seven and Ten.
In addition to his Scouting service, Rhodes, who runs
a 218-acre farm, also has had an active political career.
He has served the citizens of his county, both at local
and state levels; and in 1958 was elected to the Indiana
State Senate. He was honored by being appointed as the
delegate at large from the state of Indiana to the 1960
White House Conference on Children and Youth.
"Some of our ideas may not work in other troops,"
cautioned Rhodes, "but that sure doesn't mean they aren't
good for Troop 16. Why, we have a good money-earning
project that's a natural for this farm country—and I bet
there aren't many troops that use it." he continued, his
rugged face breaking into a grin. "We haul manure from
local stockyards to gardens in town. It's good money and
neighborly service—but it wouldn't work in the city."
The point was well received; and so are the traditions
of Troop 16, traditions that have helped Scoutmaster
Rhodes provide an interesting Scouting program for lots
of Pee Wee Harrises in Centerville.
KH©
T ft OOP
G
Traditions and imaginative
planning mean fun and
adventure for Scouts in
Centerville, Ind.
By TOM GIBSON
Scouting Magazine
Field Reporter
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 50, Number 7, September 1962, periodical, September 1962; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth331734/m1/12/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.