Great Falls tribune., 1921-02-27

ly awake, and morally
Boy scouting in Great Falls has had
an intermittent existence, over period
Of some wears. prior to the present
organization. In 1917 sufficient pro-
gress had been made to permit me
establishment Of second class council
with three troops functioning. Due
to war conditions in 1918. leadership
became increasingly difficult to secure
and finally, in 1918, the charter was
surrendered and the movement aban-
doned. Following this abandonment
nothing further was done in DEFINITE
way to again establish the organization
until early in 1920. A group OF boys
who had been scouts under the former
council banded themselves together to
revive scouting in Great Fails. In
March. 1920, the Rotary club. inter
ested in boys work, took up the cud-
gel m behalf Of the boys, and after
much discussion set out to raise q
fund of money whereby scouting could
be placed on firm and permanent
footing.
The fund was subscribed in two or
three DAYS, and the contributors to
this fund were called to gether' on May
10, 1920, in the palm room OF Hotel
Rainbow. At this meeting few cx-
plantations and demonstrations OF Boy
Scout work were made and an organl-
zation known as the Boy Scout asso-
,ciation of Great Falls was perfected.
A local council, consisting of 70 mem
bers was chosen to administer the
fund. The original members OF this
council were A. J. Trodick. II. X. Mac
Donald, E. G. Maclay. 5. ID: Largent'
q. S. Warden. r. B. Noble. A. NJ.
Sandahl, Fred G., Andretta. Grant Can,
Ransom Cooper. J. J. Flaherty, Scott
Lcay;tt. r. f. O'Connor. j. w. Sher-
wood. S. s. Singer, II; A. Temples2n'
w. !. Tighe. f. o. Wheeler, DIR. u.
K. Woods, and w. H. Hoover.
Chose Executive Board.
Thus was scouting started. A few
DAYS after this initial step, the local
council as above constituted, was
called together, and proceeded to or
ganize for the work Of the year by
electing officers and choosing an exc
cutive board to act between meetings
of the council itself.
A constitution was adopted. and o!-
ficers were elected as follows: Presl-
dent Edgar G. Maclay; first vice
president. S. ID. Largent; second vice
president, @. S. Warden; treasurer
r. b. Noble; members of the execu-
tive board A. J. Trodick. w. I'll.
Hoover. A. M. Sandahl and II. r. Mac
Donald.
In order to carry on the work OF the
council most effectively, it was de-
cided at the first meeting of the execu-
five board that a full time executive
officer should be selected. to give his
whole energies to the movement, work
ing directly under the direction Of :he
officers and the executive board. r:
r, Graybill, at that time teacher OF
mathematics in the high school was
chosen.
During the period Immediately fol-
lowing the raising of the funds, wnen
the Rotary committee. !. K: Hopolns'
H. A. Templeton DR.. ID. X. Woods,
and F. o. Wheeler, were laying plans
for the perfecting Of the organlzatlon'
Mr.. Graybill had given much Of his
time outside of school to the work:
Prior to coming to Great Falls he had
considerable experience in scouting II
Michigan and Illinois. From the time
the executive board chose him as scout
executive, he gave such time. as could
he shared from school work, with the
consent of the school board. to the
promotion Of the movement and as soon
as school was out for the summer va
cation, he entered upon his duties as
fuu-time executive.
Scout Commissioner.
Early in the summer. President Mac
Law was designated as scout commls-
sioner, the titular head of the actual
work with boys in the scout organlza-
ton. In general the division of duties
between the commissioner and the exc
cut:ye has been thus: The commits
sioner lays out general policies, coilab-
crates in the drawing up of plans, and
the executive attends to the technical
carrying out of the plans thus made.
The commissioner represents the COM
munity and the local council, while the
executive represents, to some extent.
the national organization, and performs
the administrative tasks in connection
with the movement.
In the early part of the year, the
organization Of troops was rapid. The
coming into existence of an organiza-
ton charged with the direct supervision
of the movement lent stability and
demand for troops arose. Two troops
now known as Troops l and 2, located
at the Congregational church. had been
meeting for some months, and were the
first to be organized and furnished
leadership under the direction of the
present local council.
New Scoutmasters.
Johann Van Teylingen, then teach
ing in the junior high school took
charge of Troop g and soon after
wards, Robert H. Slye, of the Tribune
Printing & Supply CO., took over the
management of Troop l A third troup
was soon organized at the Presbyterian
church, led by the scout executive.
Within a few weeks troop 4 at the
Christian church came into being under
the leadership of w. o. Harmon. The
Boys Brigade at the Methodist church.
under the leadership of Frank J. Park
er, elected to become troop of scouts,
and were designated as troop 5. Troop
s was then formed at the Catholic
church, with an overflowing member
ship, which necessitated the formation
of troop soon after.
This brings the history of the move
ment down to the middle of August,
when the summer camp commenced.
New Troops In Fall.
Following the close of the summer
camping period, school activities abb
sorbed the attention of the boys for
few weeks and then revival of in
terest in scouting manifested itself.
During the autumn months Troop 6, at
the Episcopal church, under Roy e.