The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-02
SCOUT NEWS
BY JACK STILLMAN

W, A. Dobson, regional Scout ex-
ec,tive of Region Six, which con-
sists of the IS Boy Scout councils
in North and South Carolina, Geor-
gia. and Florida, will be G e t
speaker at the next Court of Honor
Of the Wilmington district, to be
held on June IL. He is a native
| Southerner. who has been both a
volunteer and professional Scout
leader since 1921.
Before becoming regional execu-
tive on February 10, 1886, Dobson
was Scout Executive of the Allan
ia council for eight years. Under
his administration the Atlanta
Council grew from 81 Troops with
1857 Scouts to 143 Troops with g.
0O4 Scouts. During this period
Scouting for negro boys was or
ganized in this council, which now
has nine troops with ITS negro
Scouts. Under Dobson's leader
ship, Clubbing, the prescott age
program for boys, 8, 10 and II was
organized and the program is now
well under way. Sea Scouting, Ex-
plorer Scouting and other Senior
Scout activities for boys Is years
of age and upward were also in
troduced in Atlanta during Dob
sons tenure.
Executive Dobson served as the
first camp director of Camp Bert
Adams, the Atlanta, Ca, S Scout
Camp when it first opened in 1927.
The annual Boy Scout circus, a
great spectacle of boys demon
strating Scout handicraft activities,
games and contests which gives
an incentive to boys to become pro-
icient in all phases of Scout craft,
has become a part of the Atlanta
Councils yearly program.
Dobson was born on a farm west
of Dalton, Ga. He worked his way
through the Berry Schools at
Rome, Ca, where he graduated
as valedictorian of his class in
1916. The following year he taught
at the Lees-McRae Institute, a
Presbyterian mission school, at
Plumtree, N. c., in the mountains
of western North Carolina. He en-
listed in the United States Navy,
where he served from 1917 to 1921.
Following his Navy experience he
taught at the Lindale, Ca, High
school and in that community he
became a Scoutmaster.
Dobson graduated from the Ma
tional Training School for Scout
Executives in 1922 and became the
Scout Executive at Rome, Ga. In
1923 he become the scout executive
at Lagrange, Ga. Late in 1928 he
ganized the Chattahoochee council
with headquarters at West Point,
Ca, and was the Scout Executive
there from 1923 to 1926.
He became Assistant Scout Ex-
ecutive at Atlanta. Ca, in May
1926, and in 1923 was promoted to
Scout Executive in the same coun-
Gil.
Scout Executive Dobson is mar
ried and lives with his wife, daugh-
ter and son in Atlanta.
AS a citizen of Atlanta, Dobson
has distinguished himself. He gives
leadership in the Atlanta Rotary
club, the Ministerial Association,
the American Legion, the Atlanta
Community chest, the Social We'll
fare council, the Better Films COM
mittee, the Social Workers club
and Berry School club, the Meth
odist church and the Ansley Park
Golf club.
He has served as president OF
the Social Workers club Of Allan
ia and was a faculty member Of
the Christian Culture Institute
which gives leadership training
courses to the young people of the
Methodist churches of Atlanta.
Thus, in assuming the regional
executiveship of Region Six in Feb
ruary 1886, Dobson brought to his
new duties a background of sue
cessful volunteer and professional
Scout experience.