The Flowering 1920s

A few days before Christmas, in 1924, the governing body of this Pearl River United Methodist Episcopal Church, meeting next door from where we are now, authorized and submitted an application for a charter for a troop of Boy Scouts.  Calvin Coolidge was President and Pearl River had a population of 3,000.  A new house cost $7,720, a new car was $265, gas was 11 cents a gallon, and bread was 9 cents a loaf.  And the average income was $2,196. 

The Scoutmaster would be the Pastor – the Reverand William Sawyer, a 40-year-old Yale graduate who, prior to this, had a little experience as a Scout official in several towns in New Jersey.  The Charter was duly granted, early the next year, and a roster was compiled.  It listed 15 boys, ages 13 to 17, all Tenderfoot rank.  Among our first 15 Scouts, six soon dropped out, but one who did not was a boy named Clifton Brown.  He was from Middletown Road, and he had the “right stuff.”  It took him only until June 10, 1926 – precisely 1 year, 4 months, and 7 days – to advance from Tenderfoot to Eagle – the first of 164 on our Eagle Board.  He was, however, not representative of the troop – not in terms of advancement.  He was, however, representative in that his name soon vanished from the roster.  That’s the way things were.  On every level, and for many years, it was like a constantly revolving door.

Reverand Sawyer was soon obligated to report that he could not handle the Scout troop and his pastoral duties, so he was “temporarily” replaced by Lieghton Cree, a young teacher, with very little experience, who stepped in until a “permanent” replacement was found – three years later.  Our third Scoutmaster, Leonard Pratt, in turn served for three years from early 1927 to late 1929.  In his time, we chopped wood for widows and collected donations to help the Mississippi flood victims.  And our Scouts were able to attend the first Council Scout Camp – Winaki – for $7 a week.

The Challenging 1930s

The 1930s where a hard time for our nation and for our troop – but also a time of considerable success for Troop 37.  The decade started with another Scoutmaster for a year; then, for the next two years, still another.   In spite of this turnover at the top, we met with success, in 1932 earning the President’s Award for Growth and for the first time seeing scouts attending camp.  That said, the situation turned south as the depression deepened, with irregularity of leadership and large turnover in membership leading the church to quit the field.

In the fall of 1933, therefore, the troop was adopted by the American Legion, with a new Scoutmaster, Leroy Neer.  It would meet in Legion Hall – which was a fancy name for Severen’s Garage, on Pearl Street, which is what Route 304 used to be.  The first Scoutmaster of the relocated troop was the Post Commander, who was greeted, almost at once, by success.  An ambitious boy named Stephen Searle, who transferred from Troop 35 as a First Class Scout to the dynamic Troop 37, earned his Eagle Rank in just three months in 1934.  He was followed in short order by Leonard Pratt, our third Eagle and our last for a generation.

Despite our accomplishments, the Legion was unable to continue with the troop.  So, led now by Scoutmaster Pratt, we left Serven’s Garage and moved up Central Avenue to another home about a block north of here, in the building later occupied by Sitzmark Ski Shop (until it closed in 2016).  Shortly after the move, Mr. Pratt himself moved away and the troop was doomed.  An Assistant Scoutmaster wrote to Council headquarters:

“Dear Chief:  Due to the lack of interest of the boys to register, and the inability to get a Scoutmaster as well as committeemen, I would like to disband the few remaining boys.  I would like to send them to other troops.  Please instruct me as to what I should do.”

For 17 months, from October 1936 to March 1938, there was no Troop 37.

But the chief came through and with a lot of help Troop 37 was back on the mend.  Early in 1938, the standard was picked up again by the Parent-Teachers Association of the Central Avenue School – that K-12 institution, now a park, just across the street from us – and George A. Smith became Scoutmaster.    We would reside at the school for the next 17 years.

The Fighting 1940s

In 1940 Troop 37 had a new Scoutmaster by the name of Donald Davison.  For the year 1941, the Boy Scout’s slogan was “We, too, have a job to do.”  That was truly prescient.  Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, the entire resources of the Boy Scouts of America were placed at the service of the Government.  The years 1941-42 saw rapid growth in troop membership, up to 34 boys in four patrols, led by Scoutmaster Seymore Robertson.  In 1943, Franklin Janicki became Scoutmaster and 18 scouts went to summer camp, but by the end of the year, he was serving our country and Ralph Poole took on the job.   

But what really attracted our youth to the scouting movement is that it was a very important function in the home front war effort.  Troop 37, together with the other troops of the Council, collected 6,050 pounds of scrap rubber, 88,900 pounds of scrap metal, 223,361 pounds of waste paper, served as messengers, assisted emergency medical units, fire watchers, and airplane spotters.  And worked 27,860 hours during the summer on farms.  Troop 37 did its part in Council support of War Loan Drives, which collected over $470,000 through the conflict, which was the equivalent average cost of 130 new houses in 1943.

In 1946, Frank Janicki came back from service and assumed duties of Scoutmaster, who was followed by Emil Pederson in 1947 and by Dr. Burkhart in 1949, when we celebrated our silver anniversary with 14 scouts registered in the troop.  Just over a year after the end of the war, in October 1946, the Council President made an announcement that still benefits us today – the extremely generous gift made by Miss Bullowa and Dr. Boyce, the two women who established our Boy Scout Camp in Stony Point.

The Budding 1950s

The 1950’s saw continued rapid rotation of troop leadership, with Joseph Cocozzo becoming Scoutmaster in 1950, George Bohlander in 1951, Charles Bluscake in 1953, and Joseph Cook in 1955.  We did face a bit of a challenge early on in the decade, when we forgot to file for the annual charter renewal, placing Troop 37 in limbo for a second time, from March 1952 to March 1953. 

In 1955, the members of the Pearl River Methodist Church Men’s Club took up sponsorship of Troop 37, bringing the prodigals back and making this church again our home.  And in 1956, the Troop Committee brought in a vigorous young Scoutmaster named Bernie Patashnik – an Eagle, out of a fine troop in Spring Valley, who had recently moved to town.  Bernie began to build and foster a remarkable renewal, developing a committed Troop Committee, constructing an active program, and adding a cadre of young scouts joining.  He built the base that would be the foundation of our explosive growth and Scouting leadership for decades to come.  In 1957 the V.F.W. gave Troop 37 a trophy for being the most outstanding troop and in 1958 George Hyatt was the fourth Troop 37 scout to earn the Eagle Rank, which was awarded in this very hall (completed the previous year).

And now a word about Troop 37’s prodigious success in fostering Eagle Scouts.  In its first 35 years (that’s about one-third of our history), from 1924 to 1959, Troop 37 produced four Eagle Scouts.  Over the next 65 years, 160 more Troop 37 scouts earned their Eagle Rank.  Totals for each of the coming decades will be shared to give some sense of the long-term, historic success of this troop.  But, to paraphrase Richard Strattner’s remarks on our history 40 years ago: “There is a great deal more to Scouting than the raising of Eagles.  Most boys, for any of an infinite number of reasons, don’t reach that rank.  Our tabulation of Eagles is meant in no way to slight them or their Scoutmaster’s treatment of them.  We simply needed something measurable.”  Adding to that: the world of good in helping each scout learn how to grow from a boy to a man, learn and live the meaning of service, and begin to understand the essence of good leadership is simply an immeasurable contribution to our country, society and humanity.

The Growing 1960s

In 1954, Jim Morris and his young family moved from Manhattan to Blauvelt.  Jim earned the Eagle Rank in Troop 718 in Washington Heights, Manhattan, before serving in the Philippines and China in World War II and later at the epic battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea.  He was Scoutmaster of his home troop when his young family moved to Blauvelt, commuting both to work and Troop 718.  In addition to joining the Pearl River Methodist Church, Jim and his wife served as Youth Advisors for the church and Jim joined Troop 37 as an Assistant Scoutmaster in 1957.  With Bernie wanting to go back to school and Troop 718 having an experienced and dedicated Assistant Scoutmaster ready to take over the reins, Jim and Bernie switched places, with Jim becoming Troop 37’s next Scoutmaster in March 1959, where he would continue to serve for the next 26 years.  At that point, Troop 37 had 60 scouts and there were 14 junior leaders the following year.

Powered by Bernie’s buildup and Jim’s leadership, the 1960s were a time of tremendous growth and success.  A total of 25 scouts earned the Eagle Rank in that decade, more than six times our first 35 years.  Highlights include Troop 37 winning the grand award ribbon winner of camporees, the troop taking a two-day 50-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail, establishment of the Troop Drum and Bugel Corps, presentation of a national award to a Troop 37 scout for saving the life of another boy, and Jim receiving Rockland County’s highest Boy Scout award and Distinguished Service Medal.  In addition, Jim served as expedition leader for the group of Rockland County scouts to Philmont.  Several adult leaders for the next 20 years joined as Assistant Scoutmasters or Troop Committeemen, including Walter Arroyo, Harvey Wannamaker and Bob Ruscetta.  Troop membership, retention and advancement were at the highest levels of the Council, far exceeding national norms.

Bernie perhaps said what this all meant best in his 1965 history at our 40^th anniversary, when he said: “We feel that our boys are the best.  The boys have stayed with us and are now giving back their knowledge and experiences.  The training has been outstanding as they have proven themselves leaders in both scouting and in the community…. Pick up the daily paper and we see two boys in the top ten of the graduating class while others are in the top of their classes.  One boy receives a scholarship.  Yes, we are proud, very proud.  Boys who have gone to college have become Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters in their college towns.  Yes, proud.”

The Expanding 1970s

As the 1970s dawned, perhaps some would ask, “What do you do for an encore?”  An additional 24 Troop 37 Scouts earned their Eagle Rank in that decade and numerous memorable events occurred as well.  The first was a hike to West Mountain.  Now, Troop 37 had made innumerable hikes throughout Harriman State Park in the 1960s, but around 1970 an epic winter hike took place when a snowstorm caused the troop to strike camp right after breakfast to take what would normally be an hour-long hike to pick up at the Palisades Interstate Parkway.  This memorable trek took more than six, concluding shortly before the PIP was shut down.  Later in the decade, we had two other hikes on that mountain, one, a “conversion hike” where five patrols climbed to the shelter via different routes and one showed up hours late with a scout arriving with a newly broken arm.  The other was a simulated rescue of a plane crash, where the troop bushwacked up the mountain in a line to find the plane and then treat and evacuate the wounded to a shelter.  There were many other hikes, but it often seemed we would invariably pick weekends destined to have rough weather.

Most memorable, however, were summer camp and more adventurous trips.  In 1967, the Council purchased the Bullowa Adirondack Scout Reservation which consisted of 1,500 acres around Camp Uncas on Mohegan Lake about a seven-mile drive on a dirt road south of Raquette Lake.  Until New York State forced the Council to sell the property, it was a great place to earn merit badges, conduct water sports, and learn the wilderness, including the important skill of evading bears.  The mandatory polar bear swim, held many frigid mornings as fog was rising from the lake, still evokes memories that are best suppressed.  Later summer camps at Ten Mile River offered similar experiences, but they were not quite the same.  The troop also took a number of canoe trips down the Delaware River and rafting trips down the Lehigh.  The highlights of the decade, however, was Troop 37’s participation in the National Scout Jamboree in 1973 in Moraine State Park in western Pennsylvania, and a contingent of Troop 37 and other Rockland County scouts that trekked Philmont in 1976 with Expedition Leader Harvey Wannamaker.

The Transitioning 1980s

In the 1980s, Troop 37 moved through a major transition.  Sixteen Troop 37 scouts earned the Eagle Rank, including Ken Reichner in 1980, who would become Scoutmaster at Jim’s request when he retired in January 1986.  The troop continued to hike and camp during the school year and go to summer camp.  After graduating from college in 1984, Jim asked Ken to become an Assistant Scoutmaster responsible for recruitment.  He learned that while the troop had some success in getting young boys to join, it was having a hard time retaining them in the troop.  He reached out to Cub Scout Packs, establishing a WOWE program – that’s Webelos Outdoor Wilderness Experience – to increase interest, excitement and enrollment.  And it worked, bringing in over 20 from Pack 37 in one shot, and bringing membership back to a healthy level.

In his first years as Scoutmaster Ken tried new ways to keep scouts engaged, including immediate use of a new summer camp – Camp Forestburg.  Inspired by Tom Crucet, a Vietnam Combat Veteran, former member of the Pearl River Rotary Club and Scoutmaster in Phonecia, NY,  Ken developed the idea of a Superventure, where Scouts would combine Summer Camp with an additional trip to an exotic place as part of an integrated summer experience.

The Exploring 1990s

With the advent of Superventure 1990, Troop 37 entered its next era of summer camp experience.  We no longer went to the same camp each year, but migrated to numerous camps and returned to ones we found to be particularly appealing.  This diversified the experience for Scouts and likely helped with retention and advancement.  In this decade, 28 Troop 37 scouts earned the Eagle Rank.

The first Superventure started with four days at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, followed by summer camp at 40-year-old Camp Pohattan Scout Reservation in southwestern, VA, which was run by the Blue Ridge Mountain Scout Council.  Starting at the beach and ending with camping was a hit.  The troop alternated summers between two camps they liked – Sabattias in the Adirondacks and Tri-mount in the upper Catskills.

In 1995, under the mantra of “All New Mistakes,” the troop’s Superventure was to Camp Davey Crockett in Tennessee.   From our base camp, we split into two teams, the first had a standard dining hall experience, while the older scouts headed out on adventures, including rafting on the New River and three days backpacking the Appalachian Trail.  Reunited on Saturday, we then moved to Fort Bragg for a private tour of a working army base and their helicopters.  It was alleged that one of our scouts accidentally damaged a helicopter by untying a twisty tie in the cockpit.  Finally, we finished the trip at First Landing State Park, VA, day tripping to Bush Gardens, the beach and much more. At the end of 1997, Troop 37 went to Camp Quajataca in Puerto Rico for Christmas Break.  Perhaps best of all were three trips to Philmont in the 1990s, including the 1992 trip with a contingent of 14 boys.

The Exciting 2000s

In the first decade of the new century, Troop 37’s membership was strong and program innovation continued.  In this decade, 30 of our scouts soared to achieve the rank of Eagle, the highest level in our history. 

The troop had annual summer Superventures throughout the first decade of this century, with the summer adventure of 2000 being particularly memorable.  First the troop split into two camps in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.  The younger scouts went to Camp Onteora, while the older members went to High Knoll Scout Camp, accompanied by Eagle Scouts Gary Vetter, Jimmy McCaferety and Michael Corato.  Then it was together off to Virginia Beach at First Landing State Park but a hurricane intervened, forcing the troop to stay in a hotel.  With the troop tightly packed into a few rooms, Ken slept across a door to keep the scouts in, but some escaped, got to the bar and were given six tickets to a Kansas Rush reunion tour, which to their disappointment, Ken did not permit them to use.  They finished up with a private tour of the Naval Academy in Annapolis before returning home.

In 2005, the troop went to Bayport Scout Reservation, both by train and bus.  On the last day, the Troop was invited to a clam barbeque on the high adventure side of the camp and learned they could rent a boat at an extremely high fee to travel the Chesapeake as a unit.  This was the genesis of re-forming  the Troop 37 Ship (which had initially formed in the early part of the 20^th century) in 2007 and the acquisition through donation of a 1974 sailboat called “The Bandit” the following year.  The co-ed Ship (permitted since 1969), serving youth 14-21 and now the dominant wing of Troop 37, made its first sail around the Chesapeake Bay for a week in 2008 from Rock Hall, Maryland with eight scouts and four adults.  It now sails weekly over the summer out of Haverstraw.

The troop also visited Philmont in 2009, with a record contingent of 14 boys and two girls in two crews, as they have a capacity of 12 scouts per crew.

One of our Eagles in this decade – Ken’s son Eli – inspired by the merit badge accomplishments of Chris and Emil Rampachek of an earlier generation, went on to earn every merit badge for a total of five silver palms, a very rare feat.  Eli said that the first third of them were easy, the second third a stretch and the last third quite hard as he had no interest in the subjects.  The last one – bugling – was the hardest – he had to go to a private tutor to get the skills needed to earn the merit badge.  Because a tide raises all boats, he inspired some of his peers to earn 40 or even 50 merit badges.    Most Eagles had a hard enough time just earning the 24 merit badges needed to earn Scouting’s highest rank.

The Sea Scout program is advancement agnostic, but Eli’s twin sister Rachel always said, “when the going gets tough, the tough earn advancement.  Not to be outdone by her brother, she became the first scout in Hudson Valley Council history to earn the Quartermaster Award, the nation’s first Female Quad Scout and the country’s second to earn the Summit Award (and first Sea Scout to do so).  Tragically we lost Rachel to Cancer in 2015.

The Testing 2010s and 2020s

The last decade and a half of our glorious century saw Troop 37 and the Scouting movement in general encounter stormy waters and tough times.  Encountering strong headwinds, membership trailed off precipitously, though a significant contingent of Troop 37 Scouts continued to earn our highest rank, with 28 becoming Eagles in the 2010s and nine more reaching the pinnacle so far in this decade. 

In the summer of 2010 Troop 37 went to Camp Lyons in Virginia.  Members of the troop also visited Philmont and attended the National Jamboree at Fort AP Hill celebrating the centennial anniversary of Scouting in the United States.  Subsequent Superventures went to Camp Sabbatus as well as to Camp Brandy Saunders and Old Dominion Park in Virginia.  The following year, in 2017, the troop went to Camp Mt. Norris in Vermont, just a half hour from Lake Elmore where Jim Morris had retired to many years ago.  We had the honor of Jim going up to see his old troop and his old friend Ken Reichner who together have led Troop 37 for 65 years.  It was a privilege and an inspiration to see these brother leaders talking together, the scouts in awe listening to Jim as he spoke with them, and to sharing a Troop 37 campfire as one for the last time.