Growing up through Scouting

Back in the early 1950’s I started scouting as a cub scout. Looking back on the experience it was the only place where boys from differing communities in my town of Evanston Illinois could meet in others homes and learn from another mother and an older boy. One of the primary results was the building in each of us in the Den, a pattern of setting and accomplishing a goal as we worked through the badge levels of scouting. Moving on to the Boy Scouts we kept up with this process and at the same time learned to set our own goals and to work with others to reach and help others reach the goals that we had set. Somewhere around 16 I caught the whiff of two new scents. Perfume and Gasoline. I started dating and got a motorcycle. I never did get that Eagle badge, but the lessons and experience of scouting stuck with me and aided me throughout life.

Alan L, Johnson, Lt Col retired US Air Force

Submitted by: Alan Johnson of Plano