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Scout Stuff

My Earliest Scouting Pictures

Brian Edward Keenan

• 3 min read
My Earliest Scouting Pictures
The day of my Eagle ceremony, October 1987, at the Essex Methodist Church.
Me getting my Wolf rank, 1979. I remember joining Cub Scouts in the second grade while I was at Essex Elementary School.
Advancing to Bear, 1980. I remember the stage that this rack is sitting on - we used to meet at the Essex Middle School cafeteria, and that stage was at the end of the cafeteria seating area.
Me as a Bear, 1981. I can't make out where we are, but I suspect this is the cafeteria seating area.
The patch I'm wearing on my shoulder int he above picture is this one, now displayed on my patch shirt
Me being awarded Webelos, 1981. This is not in the cafeteria - this is in one of the classrooms. I remember those ceilings well from my days attending school there.
Me being awarded Arrow of Light, 1982. This is again in the cafeteria, and that's the stage behind me. That's my dad shaking my hand and reading the card.
Arrow of Light Ceremony, 1982. I had forgotten until I looked at these pictures that ties were a typical part of adult leader uniforms in those days.
The patch I'm wearing on my sleeve in the picture above is this one, now displayed on my patch shirt.
Me about to move my name to Arrow of Light rung on the ladder, 1982
Me crossing over to Troop 676, Spring 1983. The gentleman holding the green neckerchief is Mr. Smullen, who was Scoutmaster of T676 for several years. I do not recognize the background, so I'm not exactly sure where this was. Love those old-school uniforms, and again, the tie on Mr. Smullen.
Crossover ceremony, Spring 1983. I do not know who the older scout was. He was from T676, but there were a couple of older scouts I remember aging out shortly after I joined the troop.
All the AOLs crossing over, Spring 1983. Green neckerchiefs = Troop 676. Orange = Troop 1

I went with T676 to summer camp at Mount Norris Scout Reservation for the first time the summer of 1983.

1983 Mount Norris Scout Reservation summer camp patch, now on my patch shirt

I earned Tenderfoot Rank in December of 1983, which is why I was wearing that rank patch in the oldest picture I have of myself as a Boy Scout, at the spring camporee in 1984

My first Camporee, Spring 1984. I vividly remember this camporee as I got a chance to witness my first Order of the Arrow tap out ceremony that night.

Patch from my second camporee - the spring of 1984 - where the picture above was taken

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