Kahuna

Posting this under program rather than uniform because it really has more to do with that. On Sunday before Flag Day, the local Elks organization held a flag ceremony on the fantail of the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor. Not really well attended unfortunately, but the Pacific Fleet Band was there and lots of people were touring the ship. As I was making my rounds with a group, a lady offered us a program and invited all to participate. We finished our tour and I returned to slip in at the back. A local Boy Scout troop was carrying the flags as the Elks did the program. What an embarrassment! None of the Scouts were in the same uniform. About half had no socks, white socks or those low socks you can't see. At least a third were wearing jeans or other non-Scout pants. No effort at decorum, they were scratching and snickering as they stood along the sidelines. The leaders were just as bad. I just slunk away. No point saying anything to them, as they wouldn't have gotten the point. Just venting, really. I have posted in other places about my willingness to be more flexible than some in uniforming standards, but if a unit is to be part of public ceremony in a national landmark, you would really think . . . Anyway, I'm not going to the SE or Council Commissioner or anyone and since the unit had nothing to do with battleship, I have only mentioned to the higher ups there that it didn't reflect well on them either. Grumble, grumble.

Here's my proposed article, it's a draft, so please don't hesitate to offer comments: JAMES AUSTIN WILDER July 4, 2005, marks the 71st anniversary of the death of a citizen of Hawai'i now largely forgotten: James Kimo Wilder was born in Hawai'i in 1868. He was the son of a prominent businessman, Samuel Gardner Wilder, who had been Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hawai'i under King David Kalakaua, and created a steamship company. Kimo became a moderately successful artist. In 1922, he presented a portrait of Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, to the Territory of Hawai'i. It was hung in the Throne Room of the Iolani Palace. Wilder was a world traveler, a raconteur, a friendly and informal man who loved sailing and owned a sizable sailing yacht. He was also noted for his outdoor cooking skills. Kimo was the author of several books, one of which, Jack-knife Cookery, was about the art of cooking without pots and pans in the outdoors. He had a home on Kalia Road in Waikiki, where hotels are the only residences today. It was the scene of many social gatherings during his active years and even when he became an invalid. When Scouting arrived on the world scene, he was one of the first to pick up the program in the then Territory of Hawai'i. He founded the one of the first Scout Troops in Hawai'i, Troop 5, known as The Queen's Own. This was not a fanciful designation. Queen Liliu'okalani, was its patron and gave it the motto Onipa'a, or stick together. Liliu'okalani presented the troop with a silk banner as its flag. A couple of years later, he founded the first Sea Scout Ship in Hawai'i, one of the first in the B.S.A. Wilder's yacht served as the group headquarters. Shortly after, he answered a call to serve as the Boy Scouts of America's first Director of the Department of Sea Scouting. This he did, at no or at least nominal salary. He wrote the first Sea Scout Manual, along with another Sea Scout Skipper and a member of the national staff. In September 1922, at the National Conference of Boy Scout Executives, Wilder made a brilliant observation. He said, There are two places where we never want anybody but our best friends and Scouting has adopted them both, camping and boating. . . Both things, both activities, both adventures call for organized unselfishness. . . [O]n a ship, every man must do his duty. Kimo Wilder went to England to find out all about Scouting from the men who started it. He also attended the second international Scout jamboree, the Coming of Age Jamboree, at Arrowe Park near London, in 1929. He was an invalid from 1930 until his death in 1934, but he continued to follow the development of Scouting. In 1930, he was presented the Silver Buffalo, the highest award in American Scouting, at the same time as President Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then Governor of New York. He could not attend the presentation, but special arrangement was made to fly the award to Honolulu so it could be presented to him at the same time as the presentation was made in New York. A surrogate represented him there. Interestingly, his wife, Sara Harndon Wilder, was presented with the Gold Elephant award by the Honolulu Scout Council. The author has been unable to find any other information about this award or it's history in the Aloha Council. BTW, this material is copyrighted, so please treat it as such. Most of the information here is from archives of the Honolulu Advertiser and the Official Report of the 2d Bienniel Conference Of Boy Scout Executives (1922).

I would add my welcome to Xray10. Not to burst anyone's bubble, but his analysis is pretty much right on. I can't verify everything Xray says, but I know enough about it to tell you that he has been really close to the situation. While it's true that not every council indulges in all the excesses that Xray mentions, I would be willing to bet there are staff members in every single council who do exactly what he is talking about with regard to adding boys to units who are due for rechartering. I was a professional long ago, but the practices were the same. Not all professionals do it, I'm sure, but the ones who get ahead do it to some extent. Most professionals probably have never created a fictitious unit, but certainly most have chartered a unit that they knew in their hearts would fail. Most units in poorer, inner-city neighborhoods will fail unless they have a paraprofessional working directly with them. It's hard to get trainers and commissioners and all the support systems you find in better parts of town to get them up and running. I'm also sure that some professionals do this for reasons of greed, but most do it for reasons of survival. If you want to keep your job, you will probably be faced with the situation at some point or other in your career. I don't know how most councils report their staff incomes, so can't comment on that, but I know there are some games played. For instance, the Chief Scout Executive receives X hundred grand as a salary, but he is also Editor in Chief of Boys Life magazine for which he receives another X hundred thou. It's not my intention to cast any aspersions on the BSA, but I think most of the responses to Xray's comments reflect a misunderstanding of how the professional part of Scouting works.

Mahalo, Stradguy! And welcome to the forums. Since I posted the first message on this, I discovered that the State Archives has a newspaper file on Wilder. I got the citations from them and copied the articles from microfilm at the public library. One of the articles references his relationship with Troop 5, "The Queen's Own," and mentions the flag you talk about. It did not mention the Kawaihao Church, however, or the award. I also discovered there is a book, "The Wilders of Waikiki," by a Wilder relation at the public library. I was aware of his book "Jack-knife Cookery," but can't seem to locate a copy. I plan to try to run an op-ed piece on Wilder in the Honolulu Advertiser to coincide with the 71st anniversary of his death on July 4. If I can pull that off, I might get responses from some other people who know something about him, including where I could find the book. One of the newspaper articles mentions the fact that when Kimo was awarded the Silver Buffalo in 1930, his wife was given an award by the council here, called the Gold Elephant. I know the Aloha Council knows nothing about Wilder, but perhaps you have heard of the Gold Elephant?(This message has been edited by Kahuna)

Camp staff and Philmont staff experiences were some of the greatest of my life. We're talking 40 plus years ago. Those young guys have no idea what kind of memories they will have. I haven't been to camp in almost 15 years, but I always tried to be friendly with the youth staff (didn't always succeed with the adult, particularly professional, staff).(This message has been edited by Kahuna)

Reality TV competition for "most preachy Scoutmaster speeches?" Ditto for "worst roundtable." Both could include a "You're Fired" component. Seriously, should include reruns of "The Brian Keith Show." Great show, made in Hawai'i, about kids, one whom was a Scout.

FB, you are right on the money. We know, for instance, how the U.S. government squanders and wastes our money on projects we don't support. Yet, we don't move to Mexico. Why? Because in our judgment this country is the best one. Scouting is the same way. We can write letters, we can talk to executive board members, we can agitate for honesty. Just like the letters I write to my congressional and state legislative people, I don't expect a lot of results. But it's no reason to leave Scouting. Scouting is by far the greatest program for youth and the only one doing anything about teaching values and self-reliance to kids on any volume in the country. It's no reason to be suspicious or nasty to our professionals, either. They do what they have to do, they have hard jobs and very few work a 40 hour week. Whether there are cheats and crooks in the BSA or not, my unit or yours can be the best thing that ever happened for several hundred kids over a period of years.

I'm not sure why but when you say " but since I'm not leaving any kids, it doesn't matter in my case" I find this kinda sad. Eamonn: Yeah, I drowned 'em all when they were small. Have to have standards, after all! Seriously, it isn't really sad. In the next two weeks, I'm going to see two of my old Eagle Scouts, one of whom is getting married. I get cards, email and occasional rumors that indicate I've left a bunch of kids of whom I'm very proud. The fact that none of them are biologically mine doesn't really make much difference. One of the truly great things about Scouting.

I think the hard thing about following the Scouting program is that it goes against everything they have learned in other youth activities. Letting boys run activities is apparently a heart stopping thought for many adults. Figuring out how to actually help them plan program without taking over is a difficult thing. That's why the best Scout Troops are run by guys who were in good troops when they were kids. The Scouting program also runs counter to most adults experience where the adults feel compelled to plan and lead "busy work" activities. That's where training comes in, but even there a lot of people just don't believe it when they hear it. It ain't easy, but the payoff is enormous when you see a really great troop at work.

The reason the FBI is involved and the reason it's a big deal is that: 1-As a 501©(3) corporation, BSA is only tax exempt as long as it follows the IRS rules. Soliciting funds to put live kids in Scouting is not the same as putting names on the rolls knowing they are not getting a program. The donors are being defrauded. I would consider that I am being defrauded, since I contribute money to Scouting, although that probably does not rise to the level of a federal offense. It would be against the law in most states. 2-Scouting receives grants and federal subsidies for support of underprivileged kids in some of these special programs. Again, if the councils are taking the money and using it to register phony members, it violates federal law. 3-Although I am not as concerned personally about the ethics of the professionals who are doing this, since I already know the ethics of the BSA when it comes to this, it is a lousy time to be playing with fire. In a day when we are under siege from all sorts of places over our membership policies and leadership requirement, it strikes me as pretty stupid to be doing something that will further damage our public image. Having said all that, I will opine that our chances of causing the BSA to seriously put a stop to number goals and growth at all costs are about the same as getting a seat on the next space shuttle.

I love email. It's fast, convenient and gets the job done. I also like voice mail. I much prefer someone who calls and leaves the message: "I need to meet with you about so and so, can we get together at such and such," rather than just, "It's Joe, give me a call." Sometimes I can dispose of an entire business matter without ever actually talking to the other person live. I only write letters when someone dies. If they don't take email, I send 'em a fax. The only bad thing is, letters were such a lasting record. I have all my dad's vmail from WWII to my mom and some of my uncles to my grandmother. Our generation won't leave that to our kids, but since I'm not leaving any kids, it doesn't matter in my case.

Aloha All! I'm wondering if any history buffs have more information about "Kimo" Wilder than I do. Here's what I know. Wilder (1868-1934) was an artist, outdoorsman, sailor, world traveller and Scouter of great distinction. He was born and raised in Hawai'i, son of an architect, the architect who designed the famous Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki Beach and allegedly was the one who convinced his dad to make it pink. He founded one of the first Sea Scout ships, some say THE first in the BSA, in Honolulu, using his own yacht. He was selected as the first Director of the Department of Sea Scouting at $1.00 a year and took part in all the early conferences of Scout Executives in the U.S. He wrote the first Sea Scout Manual, along with a couple of other men. He was said to be: "brilliant but modest, cordial and friendly, gracious and informal. He had a fund of stories and cosmopolitan experiences, as varied as his unusual skill in outdoor cookery, or his deftness in marine crafts. He was an apostle of cheer . . ." This is from Murray's History of the BSA. I am curious because he is almost unknown in the Aloha Council and it seems to me he should be more lionized here. I don't know of any skeletons in the closet, but there is so little information about him that I wonder.

Another movie that comes to mind is "Stand By Me," about 4 boys and a summer adventure that includes no adults. It is a pity that kids today can't be allowed to run free, but it's a fact of life. In the South, I think air conditioning has played a role in what kids do in summer. They think it's too hot to go out, so they play inside. BTW, don't forget equine encephalitis, west nile, etc. In the South, a lot of Scouts have been limited to daytime activities at times to avoid the mosquitos that carry it.

According to the FAQ at scouting.org, the CO is not responsible for selecting unit leadership. The CO selects a COR who assists in formation of a committee which then selects the leadership. In my experience, it very seldom works that way anyhow. Usually, the leadership who will work with kids are sorted out first, because they are harder to find. The committee is usually formed afterwards, because more people are willing to do that. I would take issue that the Scoutmaster who told the boy he wouldn't sign his Eagle application was wrong. He might be, but while units can't adapt advancement requirements to suit themselves, only the Scoutmaster can decide whether to sign an Eagle application. I have known some Life Scouts who should never have become Eagle. Of course, it would be wrong to tell the kid he wouldn't sign it without saying why.

CNYScouter: The extra kids on your registration sheet are not really part of the problem. I'm sure every unit has kids who come in, pay their registration and drop right out again. While that inflates the numbers of the BSA artificially, some of these guys have created entire units and districts of fake or mostly fake units by using school surveys, rosters of inner city youth programs and maybe even the phone book. Packsaddle: I would say "ambition rises to the top," which sometimes is scum and sometimes not. I would say that it is unlikely that anyone who is a Scout Executive or Chief Scout Executive has not inflated figures or allowed inflated figures by turning his/her head. BTW, you can be pretty sure there are professional Scouters on these forums who choose not to identify themselves as such. I can't say whether they participate in ethics discussions or not. Certainly there are men and women in the profession who would not take part in any fake units or membership, and who doubtless feel the same way most of us do about the issue.

CNYScouter: Sorry, I misread your original post. It is a problem when the unit you are in doesn't use the program properly. I think most of the advice I could offer is already in thread. Good luck with your mission.

It would be nice to believe that Scouting (or the Church) was about something other than careers, but that would be unrealistic. In any organization, as soon as someone is hired whose livelihood will depend upon the rise or fall of the organization, the whole picture changes. Look at the March of Dimes. It was created in the thirties to help victims of polio. Polio went away, but not the March of Dimes. The BSA as an organization is not about believing in a Creator or being heterosexual. It is about it's survival as an organization. The top brass of the BSA perceives, probably rightly, that the main chance for growth lies with other organizations who would not support it if they changed those basic tenets. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to find an organization with employed executives that does not function and have pretty much the same outlook on survival and growth as does the BSA. One of the reasons I left the profession thirty years ago. I didn't like it as a business.

Thanks for the help on G2SS, guys. I just couldn't figure that one out. Makes sense now.

Sadly, it is now an established tradition that started back in the days of Boypower 76 under Alden Barber. At least in some councils. I would hope it doesn't go on everywhere. It's also very difficult to get inner city and rural minorities into Scouting in meaningful numbers and a lot of financing is related to how well they serve minorities. I'm not sure, but I feel that may even be a more significant reason than total youth numbers. Unfortunately, executive boards don't seem to want to really know what the results of an independent audit would be. Scout Executives like the one in Atlanta probably don't want to know either. They just want to see the numbers.

Why do we want to change other units? I have enough trouble taking care of my own. However, if you must, what Eamonn said is about it.

There are a lot more rules than can be grouped into those four categories. F'rinstance: fundraising, travel (eg, tour permits and international letters of introduction). For what it's worth, I find commissioners and trainers notoriously unreliable sources of black letter rules. They certainly can help the unskilled newbies to stear a safe course, but when you get to the questions more experienced Scouters have, such as in the previously referenced thread, they mostly have opinions. Better sources are the ones contained in handbooks as well as those referenced by Eamonn. BTW, would somebody clue me as to what G2SS is? I have not come across that acronymn.

Eamonn: Splutter, splutter, gack, gack, caff caff - NAVY?? Wheez, choke, splutter, splutter - NEVER!! :-) Thirty years Air Force, active duty and reserve. Of course, I do work with Sea Scouts and volunteer aboard a Navy warship memorial (so I guess I can overlook it since you may have been misled), but serve in the Navy? Never. I also am a big fan of the late Patrick O'Brien, whose books are always discussing British food of the early 19th Century. There's a cookbook that was put out by fans to explain how to cook some of their concoctions: syllabub, boiled baby, spotted dick, lobscous, etc. I'll let you know how I make out with that one.

Sounds very much like a receipe from the cookbook of the Patrick O'Brien (of Master and Commander fame). One of Captain Jack Aubrey's favorite dishes. Thanks for posting that. I'll have to crank up my limited cooking skills and see if I can do one of those.

Will Do! They don't do it alone, lot's of folks out there putting out those leis. I agree with you that Punchbowl is an awesome cemetery. It does justice to those who rest there.

Scouts here will be assisting in placing a flower lei on every grave in the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery. I'm not involved, but will make my annual pilgrimage out there before I go over to the USS Missouri to conduct some Memorial Day tours. I add my thanks to all those who have served.