Anyone who knows me has probably heard 100+ stories about Tamarack, Philmont, that time a bat landed on the back of my head, OA, being SPL, and earning my Eagle. I won't shut up about it. I can't. I still believe that every boy could benefit from scouting. Some boys really need it. Looking back, I think I was one of those kids.
I happened to be very lucky because in the early 70's my father started a scout troop hosted by the church near our house, a fantastically welcoming place called Augustana Lutheran Church.
My sister still lives in Elkhart and attends Augustana, so when the church began preparing a history of their first century and a half of existence, they asked her to get my parents to put together a brief note about the troop. Modest as they are, they stuck to the facts and left out the most important part: the enormous impact Troop 121 had on those kids and the undeniable importance of adults like Don and Sid Arenz.
When asked, my dad will sometimes tell the story of how he came to be inspired to start the troop. (Apologies in advance for the details I am about to get wrong.) He was on a sales trip to Chicago and stuck in traffic, naturally. Next to him he saw a scout troop's trailer with an Eagle badge on it. The lettering next to it amounted to a challenge: "if you earned this, scouting still needs you." There was no hiding from it. He knew what he had to do.
This was the amazing part. Starting a troop wasn't a one-off project. This was going to be a huge commitment. It meant countless hours of training so he could teach the older scouts who would, in turn, teach the younger ones. It meant endless meetings and district red tape. It meant giving up weekends and missing out on Thursday night must-see TV. In spite of all of this, he stood up and said the two scariest words any volunteer can utter: "follow me."
Reading through this history of 121 last week took me back to days on hikes and nights under the stars, the smell of wood smoke and mildew, but it occurs to me that somewhere in that pleasant haze of nostalgia is that same challenge. What follows is a brief history of Troop 121:
Boy Scout Troop 121 was organized in the fall of 1974 and was Sponsored by Augustana Lutheran Church. The original members came from the Webelos of Cub Scout Pack 121 sponsored by Mary Daly School in Elkhart, Indiana. Some of the charter members of the troop included Dave Paston, Eddie Houston Lance Hager, Garth Dexter, Mike Clawson, Tony Gary, and Mike Sprong. The Troop was under the leadership of Scoutmaster Don Arenz, “Mr. A” and the Committee Chairman was Sid Arenz, “Mrs. A”.
Troop 121 had a very distinctive neckerchief. Yellow with red banding. The troop became know as the “Yellow Scarves”.
The first two patrols were the “Bobcats” and the “Cobras”. These patrols won a first or second place at all of the competitions in the Northern Indiana Conference, Cherokee District at Camp Pioneer Trails, Camp Tamarack or Camp ToPeNeBe in the early years. The troop also was awarded the conference “Camping Award” for attending summer camp and having monthly camping trips. A total of ten days and nights under canvas were needed for this award. Some of the scouts favorite camp sites were: The Res in Mishawaka, Camp Tamarack in Michigan, and Kiwanis Cabin in Elkhart. They participated in the Polar Bear winter camping experience every year also. Troop 121 also sent young men to National Jamborees, Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and High Adventure Camps in the Bahamas.
The Troop continued to expand and a new group of Webelos from Concord School District joined 121 with the leadership of Mr. Bob Thrapp who became an Assistant Scoutmaster.
At this time a trailer and a bus were gifted to the troop. The trailer was used to store all the camping equipment and the bus allowed the entire troop to travel together. As the lettering on the back of the big red bus said “Troop 121 off on another adventure”.
As the Troop continued to grow to more than 75 young men more patrols were added and Mr. Larry Newman and Mr. Dan Hickerson joined as additional Assistant Scoutmasters.
Advancement: All first year campers were encouraged to take First Aid Merit Badge along with Swimming Merit Badge during their summer camp experience. One of the requirements for 2nd Class Rank was the cooking Merit Badge and this was accomplished during the monthly camp outs. Therefore, a second year camper could come to their second year of camp as a 1st Class or Star rank.
Order of the Arrow: The requirements to be eligible to stand for election into the Order of the Arrow were 10 days and nights of camping and the rank of 1st Class. Most of the “Yellow Scarves” could stand very early in their scouting careers.
Camp Staff: Many of Troop 121 Scouts served as camp counselors at Camp Tamarack including Tom Minichello, Mark Arenz and our very own fire hoopers Brett Arenz and Rex Foster.
Eagle Scouts: In February 1977 Dave Paston and Brett Arenz were awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. Then followed twelve others to receive this highest rank offered by the Boy Scouts of America during the tenure of Scoutmaster Don Arenz.
Special Awards: Mr. “A” was selected as Scoutmaster of the Year for the State of Indiana. Both Don and Sid Arenz were awarded the Silver Beaver Award from the Northern Indiana Council and both received their Wood Badge Beads. All Assistant Scoutmasters also earned their Wood Badge Beads.
Augustana Lutheran Church is to be commended for it continued support and sponsorship of Troop 121. For the over 250 young men who were members of the Troop from 1977 thru 1987 we thank you.