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Boy Scout Troop 1 Stained glass, basketball, Romeo and Juliet, winter camping. At first glance, these terms seem to have little connection. However, a look into our archives quickly reveals the common denominator: the multi-faceted Boy Scout Troop 1. The Founding of Troop 1 by the Reverend A. Parker Curtiss The following transcript of a sermon, delivered by the Reverend A. Parker Curtiss on the occasion of the twenty-first anniversary of the founding of Troop 1, clearly explains his impetus for starting Troop 1 and gives us a picture of life in Sheboygan in 1911. On February 21, 1932 Fr. Curtiss reminisced with the congregation in a sermon about the the small group of nine boys that had made up Wisconsin's Boy Scout troop 1. While not elaborating on the small start of the Troop which started February 21, 1911, Fr. Curtiss told the congregation that there were two reasons he needed to start the troop. For full text of Fr. Curtiss' sermon click here The Arrival of Harold (Cap) Whinfield The nine original scouts of 1911 increased in number to approximately two hundred members by 1916, when the troop split and Troop 2 was established. From its auspicious beginnings under the leadership of Fr. Curtiss, the troop grew in size and activity. As a result, Fr. Curtiss needed help. That help arrived in 1913 in the person of Harold (Cap) Whinfield. In addition to serving Troop 1 faithfully, Cap Whinfield became the first paid director of the Sheboygan Boy Scout Council and began to build what was to become the Kettle Moraine Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He later served as Scout executive of the Council from 1922 until his death in 1949. Another major accomplishment to Whinfield's credit was his work with various men's civic organizations in Sheboygan to get their support for the purchase of a permanent campsite. In 1923, the present site of Camp Rokilio was purchased. At that time, the original forty acres were not accessible by road, so everything and everybody had to be brought in by boat. The Talents of the Reverend William Elwell The man who spoke the words of that eulogy, the Reverend William Elwell, was himself instrumental in the life of Troop 1. Fr. Elwell, a priest-son of the parish and former member of Troop 1, became the Curate of Grace Church under Fr. Curtiss in 1929 and then served as Rector of Grace Church from 1938 to 1956. Fr. Elwell served the troop as scoutmaster and in many other capacities. However, it was his musical talent that brought him and Troop 1 fame and fortune. The fame resulted from Life magazine's coverage of the eighth annual musical production of Troop 1, their own version of Romeo and Juliet in December 1938. The fortune came in the form of $251.85 profits earned by the production. To earn those profits, fifty-seven boys (many dressed as girls) acted, sang, and danced. The Scribe's Report of 1938-39 includes this account: "As you know, the play received national publicity through the three pages devoted to it in the January 1 edition of Life. Letters of congratulations and inquiry have poured in from all over the United States, several from Canada, and one from Mexico. The most recent letter came from the secretary of a settlement house -. for boys in Melbourne, Australia, who wished to use the script for a benefit performance. Aside from all the publicity we received, we think Romeo and Juliet was the best received of all our entertainments. Every year people say, 'This is the best show yet,' but this time we think they were right." According to a newspaper account, "The Reverend William Elwell, production manager of the musical and pastor of Grace Episcopal Church, which sponsors the troop, deserves much of the credit for the success.. He and Mrs. H.W. Whinfield (wife of Harold Whinfield) rewrote Shakespeare in a manner that sometimes resembled a Jack Benny radio script, with the actors explaining to the audience why certain changes were being made to achieve a happy ending. Fr. Elwell composed some of the songs and ably played the piano accompaniment to the musical numbers." The newspaper article also gives us a glimpse behind the scenes: "In the basement of the hall, before the performance began, was a scene as funny as any in the show. Mothers and boys buzzed excitedly as hair was curled and makeup applied. So deftly was the makeup applied that it was difficult to remember that the pretty little blonde standing by the wall was really an all-American boy whose muscles were hard from hiking and other outdoor Scout activities." Did the boys rest after all the hard work and excitement of the musical? Hardly! The Scribe's Report explains: "After the play was given and the stage removed, basketball went into full swing and had a full schedule until April." Another account indicates the extent of the attention to basketball. "The first three months of the year saw basketball become the main activity outside of regular meetings. Three or four nights out of every week there was either practice or a game." Newspaper clippings. Scribe's Reports, and other memorabilia in the archives clearly indicate that something was always in full swing in the life of Troop 1. In addition to camping, earning badges, playing basketball, and putting on musicals, the boys also distributed Christmas baskets, collected food bags, raised funds, and collected clothing for Bundles for Britain. Looking back to Fr. Curtiss' charge to the boys that they keep themselves "free from the vices that sully the soul and damage character," we can conclude that the constructive activities of Troop 1 would leave most of the boys little time or energy for the dreaded vices! Links to the Past The Guild Hall no longer resounds with the songs of the musicals or the dribbling of the basketballs, but Grace Church today is still linked to and reminded of Troop 1. The chancel of Grace Church holds for us a significant reminder of the witness of Troop 1: the Scout Window of St. Pancras. Believed to be the only stained-glass window of its kind in the United States dedicated to the Boy Scout movement, the window was a gift of Troop 1 in 1927. The March 15, 1928, Diocese of Fond du Lac newsletter explained that the troop was composed of communicant boys, most of whom were servers. "They determined to set up a window near the altar where they serve to commemorate the beginning of the movement.... The cost of the window, $430, was raised by the troop, the last $60 being secured by a play, The Martyrdom of St. Pancras, written by the Rector (Fr. Curtiss)." Fr. Curtiss' letter accepting the window commends the boys for their labor and their self-denial. The letter also lists the troop members in good standing at the time of the presentation. Two of those members are current parishioners of Grace Church: Russell Bawden and Robert Garton. The central figure of the window is St. Pancras, martyred in 304 A.D. at the age of four- teen. Also portrayed in the window are the Scout law and emblem, five distinctively American merit badges connected with the Lake Region, and a list of the names of the first nine scouts, of Fr. Curtiss, and of Mr. Whinfield.In addition to the stained-glass window, another connection that Grace Church has to Troop 1 lies in the memories of area people who participated in the life of the troop. Dick Whinfield, who now lives near Plymouth, recalls his family's involvement with Troop 1. Besides the work of his father, Harold (Cap) Whinfield, Dick remembers the work of his mother, Ruth. As an early nature study leader at Camp Rokilio, Ruth helped the boys earn their merit badges. Along with Fr. Elwell, Ruth was a prime mover in the production of the musicals, ably filling the roles of director, costume mistress, and makeup artist. No doubt she was extremely proud to direct Dick in his role as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Scouting was important in Alice Bawden's family, too. Her husband Irving was the last scoutmaster of Troop 1, and her son Curtiss (named after Fr. Curtiss) earned his Eagle Scout designation in 1949. According to Alice, winter camping took a different twist one season. It seems that the father of one of the boys was a chef on a Reiss coal boat, and he accompanied the boys to camp one winter. Instead of the usual simple fare of camp life, the boys dined on gourmet meals prepared by a chef! A generous committee member picked up the tab for the groceries. Another former member of Troop 1 is Bob Hansen. In his current role as Junior Warden, Bob is known to be a man of many talents as he directs the care of our buildings and grounds. However, a look into the Scout archives uncovers still another of Bob's talents. The Life magazine coverage of Romeo and Juliet includes a picture of young Bob in his harem girl costume for his role as one of the "six slithering dancers who swayed to the rhythm of 'The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish' and danced their way into the hearts of the spectators." No doubt Bob's long, lean torso was one of the factors that caught the casting director's eye. Bob reports that the remains of the spotlight system used for the Scout productions can still be found in the storage area above the former music room. The Summary of the Minutes of the Meetings of Troop 1 Season 1939-40 tells of the involvement of another present-day Grace Church parishioner. "The first thing that happened in the fall was that our scoutmaster, Bob Garton, got married and resigned from being scout- master. The troop took up a collection and sent him a wedding present of a silver tray marked 'Mary and Bob - Happy Days - Boys of Troop One.'" John Kalk, another member of Boy Scout Troop 1 and longtime member of Grace Church, remembers that the boys of the troop had fun and so did the parents and other adults who contributed so much to the troop. Also, John recalls that three Kohler sisters, who were members of Grace Church, were influenced by the success of Troop 1 and by the encouragement of Fr. Curtiss to start Girl Scouts in this area. John believes that the flurry of activity in the life of Troop 1 instilled in the boys reverence, discipline, camaraderie, and a sense of pride in being Number One. Words on a page can tell only a small part of the life and people of the original Troop 1, a troop as multi-faceted and colorful as the stained-glass window it bestowed to us. Fr. Curtiss, speaking at a Girl Scout function in 1933, congratulated "those who translate interest into action." Fortunately, interest is once again being translated into action. Troop No. 1 was reactivated in February 1996 and has been meeting at Grace Church, thanks to the efforts of parishioners Tony Fessler (former member of the earlier Troop 1) and Bill Gagin (chair of the troop committee) and of our former Curate, the Reverend Stuart Smith (charter representative and chaplain for the troop). Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them. Rev 14:13 Information taken from "Amazing Grace A Sesquicentennial Remembrance" |
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