info on early Wood Badge courses?

[Trevorum]

Does anyone have suggestions on how I might go about getting participant information on early Wood Badge courses?

My father left me a leather woggle among his many neckerchief slides and, while I never had the opportunity to ask him, I believe he may have gone through Wood Badge in Los Angeles Area Council sometime between 1955 and 1963. I wrote to the council but they did not have those records anymore. Is there a national Wood Badge clearinghouse?

Thanks!

[JFL49]

There is no national clearinghouse on Wood Badge unfortunately. BSA published a history of Wood Badge in 1988, but the book is out of print. This is a link to the history. Look in the Appendix, starting on page 69. It lists a few courses held in Los Angeles (although no participant information is available):

 

http://www.scatacook.org/WB/WB-Book-Part1.pdf

http://www.scatacook.org/WB/WB-Book-Appendix.pdf

 

 

[Trevorum]

Thannks, JFL. I had already looked at that link from your earlier posting and that is what prompted my query. From the note on page 118, it doesn't sound like National compiled any rosters (or even a list of courses!) in those early days. I guess I'll never know for certain if my dad was a Wood Badger or not.

[JFL49]

Trevorum,

 

I seem to recall that leather woggles were not uncommon as neckerchief slides, and not necessarily indicative of Wood Badge. Obviously, the best evidence that your Dad completed Wood Badge is a set of Wood Badge beads.

 

You might try to contact the Council Training Chair for Los Angeles Council. There is likely a Council Wood Badge Committee with access to some "seasoned" former Course Directors. Even though the Council responded to you that the old records do not formally exist, there's always a possibility that some older Course Directors have participant lists or have memories of those courses.

 

Good luck in your search.