Central School - Deeds and Misdeeds Yearbook (Decatur, IN)

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28 - DEEDS AND MISDEEDS Rotarians have sponsored the Scout work in Decatur since that time. Bryce Thomas, present scoutmaster, took over the work as leader in the summer of 1923. Cornelius Durkin is scoutmaster of troop No. 2 at the present time. —-o- CAMP The Decatur Scouts made their an¬ nual summer camp at Lake James last summer between August 30 and Sept. 6. The Scouts were accompanied to the lake by W. Guy Brown, Cornelius Durkin and Bryce Thomas. A regular program was in force in camp and each day was divided into work, study and play periods. Scout- craft, boating, swimming, fishing, hikes, games and camp life took up most of the time of the boys and their instructors. - 0 - SCOUTS ATTEND BANQUET Several members of the Decatur Scouts, Mr. Brown and Mr. Thomas, attended the annual meeting and din¬ ner of the Fort Wayne council, Boy Scouts of America, held in the Wayne Street M. E. church in Fort Wayne, February 26th. The speaker of the evening was Fielding H. Yost, direct¬ or of athletics and head fotoball coach of the University of Michigan. Nearly 200 Fort Wayne citizens at¬ tended the meeting and banquet. Scout honors were awarded to 105 members of the Fort Wayne troops. The awards were in the following order: Two Eagle Scout awards, 20 merit badge awards, 7 Star Scout awards, 20 first class awards and 55 second class awards. -o- AREA COUNCIL Decatur and Adams county will form a part of the new Area Council which will include Adams, Allen, Wells, and Whitley counties and Fort Wayne making five units in the Coun¬ cil. Each iCOun‘y will be an organ¬ ization in itself and to make the ex¬ penses the minimum and the organ¬ izations the maximum each unit will send representatives to the council from which officers will be elected and budgets made and programs out¬ lined. The name of Limberlost has been suggested as the most appropriate for the new council, and it will be one of the largest in the state. Fort Wayne has agreed to come into the Area Council on equal basis wi h the other units, turning their council headquarters, executives, camping equipment and all into the new Area Council. The plan is not a new plan but has grown throughout the country for to¬ day not only scouts but millions of other boys are doing things for others without expec ing pay. The program is character building and citizenship training and is promoted through the act of teaching boys to do things for themselves. - 0 - ANNIVERSARY WEEK Seventeen years of steady progress were celebrated by the Boy Scouts of America at birthday exercises held throughout the United States during Anniversary Week, February 6 to 12, 1927. The Decatur Boy Scouts joined in this nation-wide observance and on Tuesday evening, February 8th about forty Boy Scouts and Junior Scouts hiked to the Country Club grounds, where they built a huge camp fire and ate their suppers. Games were played around the camp fire and promptly at 8:15 o’clock the Scouts recommited themselves to the Scout oath. . .

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DEEDS AND MISDEEDS —27 BOY SCOUTS GLEN McCAUGHEY -o-»- SCOUT WORK A large amount of good work has been accomplished in Decatur during the last several years through the Boy Scout organization and the boys have received much valuable training. At the present time ten of the Scouts have advanced to the first class rank, twenty are second class and only four who have recently been taken in the organization are tenderfoot scouts. -o- CAMP THIS SUMMER Arrangements are being made at the present time for two Scout camps, one from May 25th to 29th which will be held near Decatur and the other, at a lake from August 28th to Sept. 4th. HISTORY OF DECATUR SCOUTS The first Scout troop organized in Decatur was formed in 1913, with Clark Spahr as scoutmaster. This was only three years after the found¬ ing of the national Boy Scout organ¬ ization, February 8, 1910. Meetings of the local troop were held, for a time, in a house at the corner of Ad¬ ams and Third street. Later, the Scouts rented a room above what is now the Kolter grocery store on South Second street. Among the members of the first troop were Roy Kalver, Robert Colter, Alex Sutton, Ishmael Macy, Harry Knapp, Albert Gehrig, George Schug, Dick Durkin, Winfield Maddy, Bryce Thomas, Murry Sutton, Ralph Tyndall, Carlisle Flanders, and Gregg Ball. i he first Scout troop continued as an active organization for about two or three years, before becoming in¬ active. Shortly after this troop ceased to exist, another troop was organized with Dr. Fred I. Patterson as scout¬ master and Carl C. Pumphrey as assistant. Among the members of that troop were Max Williams, Disk Heller, Dick Durkin, Paul Castle, Thetis Hocker, Herman Myers, David Hensley and Gerald Grandstaff. These Scouts held a camp at Rome City dur¬ ing the summer. Shortly after the organization of the American Legion Post in this city in 1919, the Legion became sponser for the Scout work, and Joseph McConnell was made scoutmaster. He was followed by Harold Daniels. Later in 1921 or 1922, the Rotary Club became sponser for the Scout work. Roland Shirnp was made scoutmast¬ er of troop No. 1 and Dr. Patterson was scoutmaster of troop No. 2. The

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DEEDS AND MISDEEDS —29 LAUGHLAND FLEAS! FLEAS! Mr. Brown had fleas! No, not the ordinary kind but dressed up fleas. He tried to keep the fact a secret, but like all secrets, it soon became generally known and everybody was eager to see the little curiosities. He succeeded in keeping them under cover however until the carnival and the sight of the dear little things caused Miss Martin to break into the following rhyme: A secret is out! Mr. Brown had some fleas, He kept them all winter away from the breeze. The weather affect them? Oh, no, not a bit, They were dressed in fine suits with a quite stylish fit. Their debut was put off until carnival time, When equipped with a spy glass and a nice shiny dime, You could gaze on their beauty as long as you please And enjoy to the fullest this show of fine fleas. -,-o- (Miss Sellemeyer)—“What can be done with the by-products of gaso¬ line?” (James Burke)—“Usually they are taken to the hospital.” (Mr. Thomas)—“Do you know our Scout oath?” (Bob Hite)—“Sure. A lot of them.” (Dorothy Young, shopping)“--I want a pound of mine meat—please take it from a nice young mince.” (Girls)—“What size shoe do you wear?” (Lula Ogg)—“Well, four is my size, but I wear seven because fours hurt my feet so.” (Vernon Hurst)—“I had an ulcer last year.” (Ray Heller)—“I used to have one of those overcoats too.” With Malice Toward All And Char¬ ity Toward None. (Stranger to Bill Sutilef)—“Are you a student?” (Bill)—“No, I just go to school here.” Bernice Closs was wandering around in the park when she suddenly came upon a box with a number of con¬ densed milk cans in it. “Girls, come here quick,” she yelled, “I’ve found a cow’s nest.” (Miss Brandyberry to Edward Gauze)—“No, no, Edward, the roofs of the catacombs are not supported by catapillars.” Chalmer Debolt’s favorite song “The Picnic in the Graveyard.” Truth is always mighty enough to hurt somebody a little. All things come to those who stop waiting and go after them. Few people remain in the self-satis¬ fied class after they once get acquaint¬ ed with themselves. Heredity is something every father believes in until his son begins acting the fool.