You have found one of the 'hidden' pages on the troop web site. This one is the Scoutmaster's Bio page. I started in Scouting around 1962 as a Cub Scout in Pack 438, Devonshire District, San Fernando Valley Council, which was chartered by the Tulsa Street School PTA. I earned my Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Lion, and Arrow of Light. In 1965 I joined Troop 545 which was chartered by the Granada Hills Rotary Club.

While in Troop 545 I served as Assistant Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader of the Rattlesnake Patrol, Patrol Leader of the Beaver Patrol, Troop Scribe, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. I advanced in rank to Life Scout. In 1967 I became an Ordeal member in the Order of the Arrow, Walika Lodge. In 1968 I earned the Episcopal Church's God and Country Award. While in Troop 545 I earned the Silver Knapsack award twice, five Mile Swims at Camp Whitsett (the year I went to JLT I did one with my troop and one with my JLT troop) and one at Emerald Bay, and earned shooting awards through the third bar on Sharpshooter. In 1968 I attended JLT at Camp Whitsett, a two week program which is roughly the equal of CIEC's Buckskin and Foxfire all rolled into one package.

In 1970 I joined Explorer Post 416, chartered by the Granada Hills Baptist Church. While in Post 416 I earned the John Muir Trail segments Onion Valley to Mount Whitney, North Lake to South Lake, South Lake to Onion Valley, and the High Sierra Trail patch. (Giant Forest to Mt. Whitney.)

In 1972 my friend Owen (now Fr. Williams) and I spent four weeks hiking the entire John Muir Trail from Yosemite Valley to Whitney Portal. That was my high school graduation present. That was also about the time that my Explorer Post pretty much folded. 

In 1973 Owen graduated from high school and we again set out on the trail, this time for two weeks from Giant Forest to Whitney Portal. (Ok, it has nothing to do with Scouting but it was a good hike.)

About the time Post 416 folded things were changing in the San Fernando Valley Council. They merged with (I'm not sure what the council name was) and became the West Los Angeles County Council, the Walika Lodge (which had the most beautiful flap patch of ANY OA lodge) was integrated into the Malibu Lodge and I disappeared from Scouting.

In 1986 my son was old enough for Tiger Cubs. My son became a Tiger Cub in Pack 257, chartered by the Optimist Club of Apple Valley. I had never HEARD of Tiger Cubs. I came from the era when we had Den Mothers in Cub Scouts (and they were proud of it). As it turned out, I was not called on to be a Tiger Cub organizer, I was her assistant. That lasted for about three weeks and I found myself Pack Committee Chairman. When the Cubmaster suddenly quit it was easier to find a new Committee Chair than Cubmaster so I became the Cubmaster. My son got to Webelos age so I resigned as Cubmaster and became the Webelos Leader for his den. Somewhere along there I earned the Cubmaster's Key.

I will NEVER forget my son's cross over to Scouts. We had both Webelos dens camping out that weekend. The first year Webelos to watch and the second year Webelos to cross over. It was a great production, path lit by torches, big camp fire, the whole nine yards. One thing we did not count on. The next morning we were rudely awakened by the Landers earthquake. We were camping just above Silverwood Lake.  Andy Johnson, who was by then Cubmaster, came out of his tent and stood in the doorway, saying that doorways were the safest place in an earthquake.  The Landers quake woke us up but didn't bother us too much, we live in earthquake country. We were cooking breakfast when the Big Bear quake happened. That got our attention!!!  Roy was cooking sausages at the time and managed to drop half of them in the fire. But I digress.

My son crossed over and joined Troop 157. They were looking for a Scoutmaster. I said, "No way! I'll be an Assistant Scoutmaster, perhaps in the future the Scoutmaster, but I want to see how the troop works before I try that." I was asked to be the Scoutmaster about 8 months later. (Actually, I think I was told I was going to be the Scoutmaster.) And I still am.

The rest is history.