Eagle Scout Court of Honor - Conrad Smith (Part Three)

 

Mr. Dan Campion (Asst. Scoutmaster)

Mr. D. Smith

Placing the Dad's Pin on his father.

Placing the Mother's Pin on his mom.

Eagle Scout Court of Honor (Part Two)

 Another series of photos of the Eagle Court of Honor for Conrad Smith.

 

Scoutmaster Tom Rogers

His mother pinning the Eagle Medal.

 

Troop Meeting - Valentine's Day

 

 Even the Scouts of Troop 466 got into the Valentine's Day spirit at the February 14th meeting.

 

 

 

Mr. Creeden's Thank You Gift

 When Mr. Creeden left the troop in 1973, he was presented with a small token of appreciation.  These photos are courtesy of his daughter.

 

 

 

 

Troop 466 visits Camp Sinoquipe (1975)

 

John Creeden (1921 - 2021) served as both Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 466 (Silver Spring) during the mid/late 1960s to the early 1970s.

Mr. Creeden passed away in June of this year.  A number of boxes of his Scout memorabilia was sent to the author of this blog - photos, documentation, etc.

After sorting through the photos and scanning them, a series of short videos were created.

This very short video documents the visit of Troop 466 to Camp Sinoquipe, which is currently run by the Mason-Dixon Council.

If you attended this event and can provide information about the trip, the participants, etc, we would love to hear from you.

 

Joseph W. Brannan, Jr. (Jan. 16, 1941 to January 15, 2021)

 

 

Troop 466 mourns the passing of one of our former Asst. Scoutmasters: Joseph w. Brannan.  

Mr. Brannan was an Asst. Scoutmaster with the troop for a number of years and his son earned the rank of Eagle during this time.

From the obituary posted at Collins Funeral Home:

On January 15, 2021, Joseph William Brannan, Jr., of Silver Spring, MD, passed away peacefully after a brief illness surrounded by his wife and children.

Joe was born on January 16, 1941 in Washington, DC. Son of Joseph William Brannan, Sr. and Mina Lucille Jackson. He was predeceased by his daughter, Lori Kristine Brannan, his parents, and his brother, James Thomas Brannan. He is survived by his wife, Roberta “Lynn” Brannan, of Silver Spring, MD, his daughter, Lori’s two children, Kimberly Smith and Kaitlyn McKinley, daughter Stefani Jo Harvey (Brandon) of Grand Prairie, TX, son Matthew James Brannan (Kira) of Ijamsville, MD and their two children, Mateus and Aryanna, and his sister, Jane Brannan Kendrick of Bay Harbor Is, FL.

Joe graduated from Mackin High School, Class of ‘58. Following his graduation, he entered Civil Service at the Army Map Service in Bethesda, MD which later became Defense Mapping Agency and National Imagery and Mapping Agency. He worked there during the Bay of Pigs incident in 1961, providing much needed support for the Armed Services. He retired in 1998 after 38 years. He worked as a cartographer, photographer, imagery analyst, and computer programmer throughout his career there.

(Photo taken on the Big Trip Out West Y2K1 or 2001).

Parish Bulletin (Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020)

From the Parish Bulletin of Sunday, February 16th.

Court of Honor (February 2020)

We had a very nice turnout at the February Court of Honor.  We were joined by some of the Webloes of Pack 466.

Scout Sunday 2020 (Part Two)

After Mass, a reception was held in the Kennedy Room. 

Troop 466 distributed to a number of Scouts, three Leaders and on Parent, a variety of Rosary Activities.  

In addition, Troop 466 presented Fr. Calis with two AEDs (Defibrillators), as well as, a training AED.  One will be used for the Main Church and one for the School.  

            Rev. Joseph Calis, Tom R. (Scoutmaster) and Mike C. (Committee Chair)

 

Joseph B. (Asst. Scoutmaster & Parish Security Committee - Vice Chair), Rev. Joseph Calis, Tom R. (Scoutmaster) and Mike C. (Committee Chair)

A Camp Bowman (Goshen Reservation) Diary Entry #Final (July 19, 2019)

Troop 466 attended Camp Bowman (Goshen Scout Reservation) from July 13th through July 20th.  Here is last "diary" entry of one parent.  Enjoy!

++++++++++++

As Friday began, the routine had set in and everyone felt at home in camp.  Another interesting transition happened almost at the same time, by the end of the day everyone started to realize the week was more than half over and we were on a path  forward to finishing up and returning home.  

Cooking was getting more reliable as everyone understood how to get their propane going in time to get their food cooked, and everyone understood how to prepare to eat at the same time they prepare to clean up after dinner.  

Friday’s closing ceremony commenced with a sense of accomplishment and a serious comparison of what it means to be a leader vs a boss. Leaders lead by example and a desire to bring out the best in each team member, while bosses coerce with threats and intimidation valuing the outcome over the process. 

Our Troop’s closing German submarine skit performance was a hit and the evening was magical as the campfire melted away over the dusk soaked lake. Laughter, inspiration, motivation, and adrenaline set in as we prepared to pack up all our belongings, memories, lessons learned, and merit badges to share with those back home. 

We grew as a troop, as a patrol, as friends, as leaders, as parents, as scouts, and as Christians.  We advanced in patience, trust, kindness, moral character, leadership and virtue, understanding that we inevitably share each others successes and failures, weaknesses and strengths, for we are only as strong as our weakest link. At week’s end we could confidently say that we ventured to fly “Higher than Eagles”.

Until September…

A Camp Bowman (Goshen Reservation) Diary Entry #5

Troop 466 attended Camp Bowman (Goshen Scout Reservation) from July 13th through July 20th.  Here is fifth "diary" entry of one parent.  Enjoy!

+++++

Thursday we awoke at 6:45am and in the brisk morning air we made our way down to the commissary to pick up our breakfast and take it down to the waterfront for Pirate's Breakfast adventure.  We donned our life jackets and set out in 4 paddle boats on the still, mist covered waters of lake Merriweather. It was a great opportunity to gather everyone as we ate and paddled about on the lake taking in the chill air and overcast sky. Playing catch and tossing breakfast packages and water shoes, we formed a boat caravan and towed each other around while desperately trying to hold on to our boat oars and sanity. The clouds formed an interesting backdrop as the mist burned off and by 8:30am we were all done and the boys had plenty of time to get ready to go to morning classes. It was also time for the daily leadership meeting and Ms. K’s mid morning nap (which generally occurred during the meeting). Thank goodness!

At lunch one senior patrol leader made an outstanding beef stew with potatoes that we saved in containers for the next couple of days. In the evening dinner was foil dinners of sausage and potatoes and delicious dressings with a touch of broth. Then we played a round robin game of “Would you rather?” For example, would you rather be a fly on a tent wall or a beetle in the campfire? Well?

After flags we had a delicious cracker barrel of hershey smores and campfire favorite tunes courtesy of Mr. Darrell S,, which included such classics as old Irish pub song rounds, German submarines skits and traditional scout songs. As the smoke wafted across the campsite from the juicy sausages and the occasional grease flare,  the adults wondered if the friendly neighborhood black bear that had been spotted in the next door camp would stop by for a bite.  

The dinner cleanup was another monumental effort, but, motivated by the desire to have no midnight visitors, we got the camp spic and span and all the food and smellables into the bear box.  We decided to leave a few extra lights on in camp as an addition to our normal chorus of adult snorers for bear deterrence. The night passed uneventfully.

A Camp Bowman (Goshen Reservation) Diary Entry #3

Troop 466 attended Camp Bowman (Goshen Scout Reservation) from July 13th through July 20th.  Here is third "diary" entry of one parent.  Enjoy!

+++++

On Tuesday, the entire patrol was stirred by the voice of the their senior patrol leaders at 630 AM so they could fire up the propane grills, eat their breakfast, clean all their gear, before classes started at 9am.  Patrols were reasonably successful in this goal and they had a decent breakfast of eggs and ham or turkey, bread, fruit, yogurt, apples, raisin bran, milk, and juice and everyone who needed to made it out to their classes.  

In the afternoon the scouts made their way back to camp and geared up for lunch and camp inspections and afternoon classes.  The Patrol tried to get their cold lunch done and cleaned up as quickly as possible so that camp could be readied for the first daily inspection.  The day passed pleasantly with a few very brief rain showers and relatively cool temps.  

After dinner, a couple of us rushed over to camp Olhmstead, a nearby scout camp, for Catholic religious services.  Over the course of the week, we were blessed to continue to incorporate grace and spiritual intentions during our meals and daily gatherings. Even the Bowman Camp Director emphasized the importance of connecting with our religious and spiritual core as he distributed a small booklet called “Higher Than Eagles”. The 92 year old priest and author of this little booklet was the officiant of the mass and so we got an autograph and earned our reverent chip!

In the evening the troop was able to practice and have a good showing at flags with energetic renditions of our favorite troop cheers, but our inspection score, which was good, did not put us at the top to earn troop of the day. Boooooo!

Back at our campsite, evening cracker barrel consisted of hardy complaints “where are the smores, who forgot the smores?” While we dreamed about smore snow cones, caramel apples and funnel cakes we vowed to be ready with delicious desserts for the next few nights!  Meanwhile, the senior patrol emceed a rousing game of “most embarrassing life moments” which brought out the best and the worst in each of us. 

Although we agreed to pass on campfire karaoke/sing-a-long, we began to discuss our interest in auditioning for the closing campfire ceremony which was open to troop wide participation for the first time. The group teetered between practicing traditional campfire skits and having to hear Ms K and Alex K sing a Goshen adaptation of "take me home country road" by John Denver. Gradually the patrol was beginning to realize their unlimited potential as “Scouts Got Talent!” and set their sights on Friday’s audition.

That night it was a tough slog of cleaning to get everything squared away for those who had to do the clean up, but everyone did a great job and we all slept well knowing we would be up early for classes in the morning.  The rain returned overnight, almost a regularly scheduled event now

Eagle Scout Court of Honor (Part III)

Here is the second set of photos from Graham H. and Matt J. Eagle Court of Honor.

Graham receiving his Eagle neckerchief from Scoutmaster Rogers.

Graham H. pinning the Mother's Pin on.

Asst. Scoutmaster Tom H. saying a few words about his son.

Court of Honor - November 2018 (Part One)

Twice a year, Troop 466 holds a Court of Honor.  If I remember correctly, 28 Merit Badges were earned since the May 2018 Court of Honor.  A number of ranks were also awarded.  

Here are some photos from that event.  Enjoy!

Along standing staple of every Court of Honor: Pizza, Wings and Salad.