The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 46, Ed. 1, Friday, March 4, 1994 Page: 3 of 8
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The Birth of Troop
r. Carroll Osburn Scout-
(master of the newly
'established troop 232
was mildlv shocked
;whcn he learned the specifics of his
;ncw responsibilities.
'-"Scouting is so much more regu-
lated now then it was when I was in
the Scouts" he said. "Consequent-
ly as a Scoutmaster I have all sorts
of responsibilities."
Nevertheless Osburn professor
of Bible admits it has been a while.
The last time Osburn wore a Scout
uniform Eisenhower was in the
Oval Office.
i Thirty-seven years later Osburn
.has become Scoutmaster of Troop
232. The troop sponsored by High-
land Church of Christ involves sev-
eral representatives from the ACU
administration and student body.
This latest venture into the realm
of Scouting by Osburn is just one
point in his life-long Interest in
helping children.
"I was in Scouting years ago as a
"youth" he said. "1 was very active
in the Scouting movement. My
father was a Scoutmaster for 25
years. After I got involved in my
professional work I was out of
Scouting for some lime. But I have
always been involved with young
pcop!c. Wherever I've beep I've
D
Troop 232 pauses on its first campout for a group photo. Members are in front
from left to right Blake Smith Paul McDonald Justin Cope and David
McDonald and in back from left to right Malcolm Hines Aaron Winter
Chris Willingham Jason Strader Jonathan Ball and James Williams.
Dr. Carroll Osburn reads to Blake Smith
wearing the University of Texas hat and
Justin Cope kneeling in the foreground.
Behind them Paul McDonald picks up firewood.
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worked-with youth."
Osburn. said that while in high
school lib served as a rifle range
instructor for several summers at
Camp Cedar Valley a Boy Scout
Camp in Arkansas. lie later worked -as
a counselor at Camp Wyldc-
wood a Christian camp outside of
Searcy Ark.
After working briefly with a
troop in Memphis Tcnn. Osburn
was reintroduced to his interest in
Scouting at Pcppcrdinc University.
"When I was in California at Pcp-
pcrdinc there was a young fellow
whose father had passed away"
'Osburn said. "He was involved in
the Scouting movement and I
became a sort of a surrogate father
for him. We did the father-son
camp-outs and that sort of thing
together."
That experience prompted
Osburn to become involved with
the program in Abilene earlier this
year. Osburn said the formation of
the troop just seemed logical.
"Recently the Highland church
decided (hat it wanted to sponsor a
troop" Osburn said. "There is no
troop in that area and at the High-
land Church we have a sizable
group of kids. So we were doing it
essentially for the kids in our
church. But wc certainly want to
Accent
open it up to the kids in the neigh-
borhood. It's not a strictly Highland
thing although it is sponsored by
Highland."
Osburn found himself drawn into
the program slowly but surely.
"They asked me if I would serve
on the troop committee" he said.
"One of our tasks was to find a
Scoutmaster. We looked around and
looked around. Finally I decided
that I probably had the best back-
ground for this. So I decided to do
it for a year or so just to get the
troop started."
Osburn said however his plans
may be expanded to remain with
the troop for many years.
"If someone else comes along
with equal training and wants to do
it I would certainly be willing to
relinquish it" Osburn said. "But at
this point I have every intention of
staying with it for quite a while."
Also involved with the
troop arc other members
of the student body and
faculty.
"Wc have four ACU students all
of whom arc Eagle Scouts who ore
serving as Assistant Scoutmasters
as well as two adults" Osburn said.
"Jack Kiscr is an assistant though
he's not had experience in the
"" V Zf ' Si 1 1 'J
Chris Willingham lowers the flag with Jason Strader
while front to back Jonathan Ball David McDonald
Paul McDonald and James Williams salute.
Scouting movement. Terry Touch-
stone who is an Eagle Scout and n
member of the church at Highland
is another."
Kiscr assistant football coach
said he hoped the troop would give
him the experience necessary to be
a leader when his own sons join a
troop.
"I have sons that ore coming up
so I thought I'd sec how this thing
works on other people's kids first"
Kiscr said.
One student was excited about
working with the troop. Rob Eby
sophomore applied mathematics
major from Roswell Ga said he
liked working with the boys.
"I want to put back some of what
I got out of Scouting" Eby said. "I
sec iLas a chance to help out the
younger kids. I figure the kids will
relate better to a person closer to
their age than an adult. All the guys
have been great. They're really
enthusiastic."
Eby already has been a hit with
the kids.
Jonathan Ball a scout in
Osburn's troop said "I like Rob
because he helps me with my knots
and stuff."
Osburn said he enjoys his new
position and hopes the spirit of
Scouting will grow in the Abilene
community.
"I think anything we could do to
spur interest in any way would Jbc
good" he said. "We could use any-
one else who is a former Scout
especially someone who is an
Eagle Scout. I really don't have the
time involved in training people
who just have an interest in the
Scouting movement. Someone who
already has that training and expe-
rience brings a lot to the program."
However Osburn said the troop
has a wealth of strong leadership
already.
"Wc certainly have excellent
adult leadership in our troop" he
said. "Well with five Eagle Scouts
as assistant Scoutmasters that in
itself is worth mentioning. We also
have the probably the best troop
committee in the entire council."
Osbum said Dr. Jerry Strader is
involved in organizing a group that
has the funds and the expertise to
work with the troop. He also said
the group provides the troop's
facilities and equipment.
"They have a house that is avail-
able to us over near the Highland
property" Osburn said. "They're
renovating that house for about
$10000. They're carpeting it and
redoing the walls the plumbing
the electricity everything to
bring it up to city standards. That
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will be our Scout Hut.
"They're purchusing all our
equipment for camping in terms of
troop equipment: the cooking gear
the tents and sleeping bags" he
continued.
"These guys meet about once
every two weeks" Osburn said.
"There is tremendous adult support.
The tioop is as put together as you
can possibly imagine."
Eby said he and the other stu-
dents involved were impressed with
the display of dedication exhibited
by the committee.
"This is really the most support-
ive troop we've been a part of on
any level" Eby said. "We have a
list a mile long of adults who want
to help. They'll do anything from
teaching to driving the kids out to
the camp-outs."
Osburn said he plans for the
troop to be active in the coming
years.
"We'll be a very active troop in
terms of camping" Osburn said.
"The meetings that we have arc all
designed to bring the guys along at
a calculated pace in terms of rank
advancement. This means they'll
have the skills they need to get
involved in the camping.
"We'll be camping about once a
month" he said. "Wp have selected.
nicritfbadges that they've already
bcgunt'o work on. We'll keep them
on merit badges that will help them
toward their Eagle.
"Some of the older kids are very
interested in getting their Eagle in
the next few years. I think they're
highly motivated and I think they'll
do good. We'll also have a couple
of funsics that we'll do along.
Every meeting or two we'll knock
off another little requirement on
something the kids will enjoy like
aviation."
Eby said Osburn was one of the
main reasons the kids enjoy Scouts'
"Dr. Osburn is a lot of fun" he
said. "He makes Scouting fun. I
mean we don't run around the
camp fire in loin cloths beating
drums or anything but we are real
involved with the kids on a personal
basis. We are here to help guide
them through the program."
The scouts seem to agree.
Ball said "I like Carroll. He
teaches us stuff and provides stuff
for us."
David McDonald an 11 -year old
scout said "I like the camping
trips the meetings. I like every-
thing." Assistant Scoutmaster Nathan
Williams junior biochemistry
major from Duncanville said he
was surprised at the boys progress
up to this point.
"I've really been impressed with
this group of guys" William said.
"This is the most well-behaved
bunch of young guys I've ever
seen. Some of them came from single-parent
families so I thought
there might be a few problems. But
they are really well-behaved."
Because of the environ-
ment in which some kids
liye the troop also will
study the lessons of life.
"I think it's great" Osbum said.
"These kids need to learn right off
the bat about abuse and things that
might be destructive to their little
worlds. There will be a lot of
emphasis in our troop on family life
matters.
"Basically what I think the
Scouting movement is all about is
helping to grow up to be responsi-
ble adults" he continued. "We do
that through camping and other
related activities. Anything we can
Story and photos
by Richard Stevens
student reporter
$ft '4 -'
USH
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v.
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232
do in our troop to help our kids
become responsible adults is cer
tainly on our highest agenda.
Eby agreed with Osburn.
"Dr. Osburn is especially con-
cerned that the boys don't get ja
negative experience in Scouting"
Eby said "He acts like a safety net.
When they get down he pulls them
back up. He's instilled a good djl
of wisdom in the program." jt'
Osburn said the key to runninja
successful troop is good ptannMg.
He said he spends almost as much
time planning events as the troop
does participating. i
"We plan our troop meetings
about a month to six weeks ahcaid
of time" he said. "We know exact-
ly what we're going to do. Each df
the Scoutmasters knows a wee)c
ahead of time what his litttc incre-
ment is going to be. It doesn't cqrr(e
across as regimented but it is verjy
well-organized." J
This planning was put toth
test Feb. 26 at the troops
first camnout. and 'the
M i troop functioned well in !
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Tonkawa located just outside Buf-
falo Gap. j
"The campout went remarkably
well especially for our first time'
(psburji siaid.n':Thi3was ajcarnirfe
experience fpr.aji of us Mos cjf
those boys had never been camping
before. We were just trying to let
them get a feeling of camping.
"It's kind of like football: some-
times you have to try out nctv
pads" Osburn continued. "T
boys followed our instructions qui
well. I think in every respect; it ;wsjs
a very successful first campout." j
Eby agreed and said the boys got
a chance to work on Scout-related
skills.
"Given what we were striving
for I think it went very wclI"Hic
said. "We went through the fjfig
ceremony did some knot tying n
them pitch their own tents h
them light their fire and maintaip it
had them police the area afterwards
and snowed them how to cook
was a lot of fun and accomplished
lrt rf 11ttnt itr nt sut tit !-
iui ui vtiiui vi aw.t uut tu uu. t
Ball said "I liked exploring; die
creeks and playing capture-the-flaj :
but most of all I just liked camping
out." r
"Frnm nnw nn th rnmnnnluiniv
coinc to be a little more strut -1 U
tured" Osburn said. "We'll have
activities to advance them along"
Overall Osburn said everything
has happened according to plans' i
"It's been as smooth as silk" he
said. "The district executive wp
have is really a first-class director.
The district has given me all thjc
help that I could possibly want.'' j
Besides the help Osburn pralscU
the system as remarkable.
"The Scouts are a very organized
group" he said. "The training pro- C j
cram for ndult lenders i$ nntrnfeo K si
short of outstanding." .;?
Eby admits he gets personal satis-
faction from his work with the
youths. He said it brings back nieV '
ories of his Scouting days. i
"I like this troop because I get tne '
chance to be a little kid again" Eby
said. "I get to remember my care-
free days. It's a great break from
school and studying. It gives rild'a
chance to interact with other peo-
ple ftom little kids to older adults?
"The kids are almost like our
children" Eby continued. "We1 get
excited to see them meet thdr
goals. It gives us a sense of accom-
plishment I like the fact that I dan
inuucncc people torgoou.
Now that's responsibility. '
V
III.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 46, Ed. 1, Friday, March 4, 1994, newspaper, March 4, 1994; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92230/m1/3/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.