The Scoutmaster Serving Troop 174

Rick Meyerhein
(505) 898-2193
e-mail:  rmeyerhein@aol.com 

Scoutmaster's Scouting Background (more than you ever wanted to know)

My father had been killed in WW-II so as a young boy my outdoor experiences were related to Scouting. I was a Cub Scout up through Lion and  in 1953 I joined Troop 124 at Central Methodist Church, when Ron Carlson was the Scoutmaster. The Troop was brand new, and since I was the only boy to go to two weeks of Summer Camp I was appointed the Troops first Senior Patrol Leader. In 1957, I went to a National Jamboree at Valley Forge along with 55,000 other Scouts. When I turned 14 , I was, according to Troop Policy, transferred to Explorer Post 124. The Post had no program, so I joined Troop 86 at St. Charles Catholic Church, and served as JASM until I started college.

Shortly after moving to Paradise Hills in September 1963, I asked a neighbor boy if he was a Scout. When he said he was, I asked him to take me to a Troop Meeting. At my first meeting there were three committee people trying to teach knots out of the handbook. They gladly accepted my offer to teach knots and made me an Assistant Scoutmaster that night. Since the Troop had no official Scoutmaster since 1964, I was officially appointed as Scoutmaster in 1965.  In 1971, I married Jean Edenburn, the daughter of Lois Butler, the Troops Transportation Chairman. After moving into into Albuquerque I found it very difficult to be a commuting SM so I took on the Scouting position of District Roundtable Commissioner. In 1973 I moved back to Paradise Hills, rejoined the Troop, and soon became SM again. In 1979 I stepped down as Scoutmaster while my children were very young, and  confined the majority of my Scouting to District positions ( Roundtable Commissioner, Training Team, and District Camping Chairman).. In 1985 I again became active with the Troop as an Assistant Scoutmaster, and became Scoutmaster again in 1986. From then until now, (with the exception of 1994 when Fred Unsworth was Scoutmaster) I have been active with the Troop as Scoutmaster. 

 I have taken and served on staff for most of the Scout training courses from Basic Training through Woodbadge. I have also served on several week long Brownsea-22 and Jr. Leader Training courses. I have stayed in Scouting because I feel and obligation to Scouting,  it is the best youth program available, and I am having fun.