October 5, 2007 by Muir Scouter.

From the Nashville Tennessean:

Middle Tennessee Scouts receive record gift

By NATALIA MIELCZAREK
Staff Writer

Bill Latimer lost his father to World War II. His Scout master in Union City, Tenn., stepped in as a mentor and role model.

Latimer went on to become a successful businessman, trading commodities and running a grain business.

But he never forgot the lessons of honor, truth and stewardship he learned as a Boy Scout.

More than half a century later, Latimer, 69, gave back by donating $4 million to the Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America, the largest gift the group has ever received. The sum, announced this week, will pay for 1,500 acres of pristine land on the Cumberland Plateau that will become Latimer High Adventure Reservation.

“Our Scout master was just a real fine man,” said Latimer on the phone from his Union City home. “Anytime you can have a role model is good. Scout masters do that for kids. At that time, none of us had any money so there was no opportunity to do what I think this high adventure will be able to do.”

The land is about two hours east of Nashville at the border of White and Van Buren counties. The property will be available to Scouts and other youth groups from around the country year-round to hike, explore caves, canoe, climb and mountain bike.

Luke Ownby is already visualizing his trip to the wilderness.
“I really enjoy the outdoors; it’s just you and the elements. You pitch your tent and enjoy nature, and this is another chance to do that,” said Luke, a senior at Fairview High school and Boy Scout with Troop 624 in Nashville. “I’ve never met the man before, and I’d like to thank him.”

Middle Tennessee Council officials said they’ve been on the lookout for a sizeable piece of property in Tennessee for years and came across this particular plot 10 months ago. They took out a loan to pay for it, but Latimer’s gift will now cover the cost, said Joe Long, executive director of the Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts, which has more than 50,000 youths and volunteers.

“We just don’t have the words to thank him; it’s a dream come true,” Long said. “If we can keep a kid in Boy Scouts for a certain amount of years, he’s going to become a different person, and high adventure is so important because it’s exciting. It’s what scouting is all about.”

And that’s what Latimer, who still lives in Union City, said he wants his gift to do — create opportunities for the youth like he once was, looking for a place to belong.

“You just get in with a good group of young people, and you need to associate with good people; that helps keep you out of trouble,” Latimer said. “I truly believe in what the Boy Scouts do. They help develop young kids.”

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071005/NEWS01/71005064

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October 5, 2007 by Muir Scouter.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Boy Scouts are unmatched in teaching outdoor skills

Tom Stienstra

Sunday, September 30, 2007

The room was filled with Boy Scouts, and in the radiant eyes of each youngster, you could see the reflection of both their own dreams and their parents’ hopes.

Tommy York, 17, up for Eagle Scout in November, took the floor as Senior Patrol Leader.

“Remember that you will use the skills you have learned as a scout in your daily lives,” he told his mates in San Francisco’s Troop 88.

You never know, he said, when you will need to act and apply your scout ethics and knowledge. It could be in the wilderness next summer, he added, or it could be in the heart of a city next week.

All of the young scouts, ages 11 to 17, listened closely, attentive and respectful. Many nodded in agreement. In the back of the room, parents glowed.

The Boy Scouts have taken some political hits over the years, but this organization is still the best out there to teach kids outdoors skills, ethics and honor. Troop 88 in San Francisco, started in 1920 and sponsored by the Forest Hills Association, is a testimony to what is possible with a succession of gifted scoutmasters (currently Steve Welch), parent support and ambitious kids who are physically fit.

This past summer, Troop 88’s adventures included a 100-mile expedition on the John Muir Trail. Two weeks ago, the scouts completed an 11-mile canoe trip on the Russian River in the Alexander Valley. Last year, they climbed Mount Whitney. Because new trips are always just ahead, the youngsters always have something to look forward to.

“Participating in Boy Scouts has been a wonderful and amazing benefit to my son (Brian, 15) and all those who participate in the troop,” said Gary Furney, a parent. “Since he was 11 years old, Brian and I have been able to share some incredible trips together, 100-mile hikes, snow camping, kayaking, that quite frankly he may have never been able to do without the Boy Scout organization. We will always remember sharing those trips together. I know that Brian has more confidence in himself, is a better person, and will be a better leader tomorrow for having participated in Boy Scouts.”

Earlier this year, Gov. Schwarzenegger and the California State Parks Recreation Commission formally supported the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. The problem is, this is largely symbolic. It doesn’t effect change at schools, where the Bill of Rights and outdoor skill instruction need to be mandatory.

From what I’ve seen from my occasional visits to schools, it is stunning to me how disconnected so many youth are to the outdoors and nature, that is, outside the Boy Scouts and a handful of outdoor-skills youth camps. Many 18-year-olds graduate from high schools and enter the adult world devoid of outdoors skills, any connection to the natural world and real-world ethics. Many couldn’t pass the skill test an 11-year-old takes to become a Tenderfoot in the Boy Scouts.

Yet on Troop 88’s hike on the John Muir Trail this past summer, the youngsters showed how to create a lightweight alcohol stove out of a tuna can, a trick developed by Brian Robinson, America’s first Triple Crown Hiker (Robinson, now living in Monterey, was the first to complete the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Pacific Crest Trail in the same year).

In the past five years, study after study shows that youngsters who are exposed to the outdoor experience do better in school, especially science, have far fewer behavior problems, are in better health, learn ethics and skills that serve them as adults, and become more inspired and aware of the greatness that is possible in life.

From what I’ve seen of some adults, a lot of them could use the same benefits. Ask a typical 25-year-old how to tie a bowline knot and why it could save their life, and he’ll look at you like you have antlers growing out of your head.

This can be fixed if schools make outdoor education part of the required curriculum.

That won’t occur without a push by the governor, the teachers union and perhaps a legislative act, all a long shot. Given that reality, the Boy Scouts fills the void. They often do a great job, but too few youths take part across America.

The Boy Scouts are about honor, ethics and outdoor skills - qualities every person could use.

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