The Axe and Log totem originated when Frances Gidney, the first Camp Chief of

Gilwell wanted a special ―logo‖ to denote Gilwell Park as opposed to Scout Head-

quarters. Gidney wanted to be sure that although Gilwell was part of Scout Headquar-

ters, it was quite different and much more associated with the outdoors and the wood-

craft side of Scouting rather than the business side. He therefore adopted the symbol

for useon all leader training publications and letterhead. Gidney‘s leader courses al-

ways featured a great deal of practical activity and axes were very prominent. Great

emphasis was placed on safety. Tools and axes were always expected to be ―masked‖

by burying the blade in a log. Hence, there were examples of axes properly masked

all over the training camp and they clearly struck a chord with Gidney as an ideal

symbol to denote all that the training courses stood for. Francis Gidney was the first

Camp Chief of Gilwell during the first Wood Badge course in 1919. He was known

for his axe throwing exhibitions and his training course in axe-

manship. Gidney also came up with the idea for the Gilwell

―necker‖ (neckerchief) with the MacLaren Tartan patch.

Explain during Guide during times of

times of forming Norming (rising

(High enthusiasm, enthusiasm,

low skills) growing skills)

Demonstrate Enable during times of

during Times performing (high

of storming enthusiasm, high skills)

(low enthusiasm,

Low skills)

R E M I N D E R S

“If you make

listening and

observation your

occupation, you

will gain much

more than you

can by talk”

-Baden Powell

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

News 1

Rocket Boys 2

Woodbadge Swag 3

Meet the Staff 4

Patrol News 5

Patrol News 6

Day 4 Schedule 7

W 4 - 5 1 - 1 1 - 1

The Gilwell Gazette

March 5, 2011 Volume 1 Issue 4

leading edgeTM & Teaching edgeTM

M M M M M

M M Leader

The axe and log

All of the Rocket Boys went on to graduate from college, something not likely in pre-Sputnik

West Virginia. Roy Lee worked his way through college, became a banker, and traveled the world.

After serving in the Air Force and graduating from college, Odell went into insurance and farming.

Quentin became an engineer and now lives in Amarillo, Texas. Homer became a NASA manager

at Marshall Space Flight Center, Werner von Braun's old headquarters. Homer's brother, Jim

Hickam, became a high school teacher and head football coach in Roanoke, Virginia. Elsie

Hickam went after her dream and moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Miss Riley ranked first

in the high school graduating class in Coalwood in 1955 and first in her class at Concord College

in 1959. She returned to Coalwood and taught for 10 years before her death in 1969. "As a teacher,

Miss Riley impressed and inspired her students-―The greatest tribute that we can give is to emulate

the principles by which she lived: a deep faith in God, the courage to face difficulties, a sincere

concern for others, the unselfish quality to give of herself, a respect for knowledge, and the desire

for excellence‖— The Big Creek High School yearbook, 1970 Homer's father stayed in the mines

until he retired at age 65, and continued as a mine consultant for several years after that. In 1989

he died of suffocation caused by "black lung" disease from his many years in the mines. Homer

Hadley Hickam Jr. was born on February 19, 1943, in Coalwood, West Virginia. He graduated

from Big Creek High School in 1960 and from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech)

in 1964 with a B.S. in industrial engineering. A U.S. Army veteran, Hickam served in Vietnam

from 1967 to 1968 for which he was awarded the Army Commendation and Bronze Star medals.

He served six years on active duty and left the service with the rank of captain. For 10 years he

was employed as an engineer for the U.S. Army Missile Command. He began employment with

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Marshall Space Flight Center in

1981 as an aerospace engineer. During his long NASA career, Mr. Hickam worked in propulsion,

spacecraft design, and crew training. His specialties included training astronauts on science pay-

loads and extravehicular activities (EVA). He trained crews for many Spacelab and space shuttle

missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope deployment mission and the first two Hubble re-

pair missions, to name just a few. He retired in February 1998. Mr. Hickam published his first

book, a military history bestseller called Torpedo Junction, in 1989. His second book, Rocket

Boys, was published by Delacorte in 1998.The paperback version of the book was No. 1 on The

NewYorkTimes bestseller list for three weeks and stayed on the list for 16

weeks. It has been translated into eight languages and also has been re-

leased as an audio and an electronic book. Rocket Boys was selected by The

NewYorkTimes as one of its Great Books of 1998 and also was nominated

by the National Book Critics Circle as Best Biography for that year. Since

Rocket Boys, Mr. Hickam published several books, including Back to the

Moon in 1999, The Coalwood Way in 2000, and The Keeper's Son in 2003.

Homer Hickam is married to Linda Terry Hickann, a jewelry designer,

photographer, and his first editor and critic. They have four cats and live in

Huntsville, Alabama—"Rocket City," USA.

About the "Real" Rocket Boys and Others in the Story

P a g e 2 T h e G i l w e l l G a z e t t e

WOODBADGE SWAG

S c o u t m a s t e r ‘ s M i n u t e

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 1 I s s u e 4

As many of you have discovered, our troop neckerchief has other uses besides looking good. You found that it can be used in first aid. Over the next few months, you'll find that the neckerchief has other uses, too. There's one use, though, that you may not think of - and that's to remind you of the Scout Oath. The neckerchief is a triangle, and its' three corners should remind you of something you newer scouts recently learned - our Scout Oath. The Oath, you remember, has three corners, too - duty to God and country, duty to Others, and duty to Self. Every time you put on your neckerchief, it should remind you of the things you pledge each time you repeat the Scout Oath.

The Woodbadge Neckerchief William de Bois MacLaren, a Scottish businessman and the District Commissioner of

Rossneath, paid 7,000 pounds in 1919 to buy Gilwell Park, a 55-acre estate on the edge of

Epping Forest, London, as a training center for Scouters and as a camp site for Scouts. He

also paid another 3,000 pounds to help put the White House into good repair, as the

place had been abandoned for the previous 14 years and was virtually derelict. When Gil-

well Park was officially opened on July 26, 1919 Mrs. MacLaren cut ribbons in Scout

colors (Green and yellow) that were hung across the doorway to the White House to mark

the opening. Baden-Powell then presented MacLaren with the Silver Wolf as a sign of the great debt that the

Movement owed to him. Not much more is known about MacLaren. He died in 1921. The Wood Badge neck-

erchief is presented along with the woggle and beads upon successful completion of Wood Badge. A patch of

the MacLeran tartan is worn on the point of the scarf to honor MacLeran and his contributions to the Scouting

Movement and Gilwell.

The Woggle In the early days of the Scout Movement in Great Britain, the Scout scarf used to be tied

loose knot at the neck and naturally became very creased. However it was known the

Americans were experimenting by using a ring made from bone, rope or wood to keep

their scarves together. Bill Shankley, age 18 and one of two permanent camp site

employees at Gilwell Park, had the job of running the workshop and coming up with ideas

for camping equipment. He found out about the American rings and decided to try and go one better. After

various attempts with different materials he finally made a two-strand Turks Head knot, adopted in the days of

sailing ships when seamen developed decorative forms of rope work as a hobby, made from thin sewing ma-

chine leather belting. He submitted this to the Camp Chief and, no doubt, the Chief Scout, for approval and

had it accepted. The American rings were called ‗Boon Doggles‘, most probably because they were made of

bone, and the name was a skit on ‗dog bones‘. To rhyme with ‗Boon Doggle‘, Shankley called his creation a

‗Woggle‘. An article in The Scout on 9th June 1923 by ‗Gilcraft‘, called ‗Wear a scarf woggle‘ made refer-

ence to the idea of having become very popular among Scouts.

Meet Your Staff P a g e 4 T h e G i l w e l l G a z e t t e

Kevin Bryan - (Red Rover) - Antelope Patrol Troop

Guide

First and foremost, Kevin is a Military Brat. He started his scouting career

in 1968 in San Antonio Texas as a Cub Scout and became a Webelos

Scout. The family moved to Lansing Michigan in 1970 where he com-

pleted his Arrow of Light and transferred to Boy Scouts. After one year in

Michigan the family moved to Maryland where he transferred to a Boy

Scout Troop in the area. He completed 2nd class through Life Scout in Maryland, completed his

OA Ordeal and Brotherhood, and serving on summer camp staff. In 1976, the family moved

once again, this time to Germany where he joined the Troop on the Air Force Base. As a mem-

ber of Transatlantic Council, he earned his Eagle rank and the Black Eagle Lodge bestowed its

Vigil Honor on him. After graduating from high school, he left his family behind in Germany

and moved to Texas to attend Texas Christian University. While in college he served as an As-

sistant Scoutmaster and was Chapter Chief. He attended Wood Badge in 1980 and earned his

beads in 1982. As one of his ticket items, he helped restart the Gamma Kappa Chapter of Al-

pha Phi Omega at TCU. APO is a co-ed service fraternity based on the principles of scouting.

After college, he worked at West Virginia University for one year, the only year he was not in

scouting. In October 1984, Kevin and his wife moved to the San Fernando Valley where he

connected with one of his leaders from the troop in Germany. He has served in a variety of po-

sitions at the unit and district level. He and his wife have two sons, both Eagle Scouts and past

OA Lodge Chiefs and a daughter who is a Gold Award recipient.

Mark Weller - (Olaf) Assistant Quartermaster

Mark is a long time Scouter who started his Scouting career in 1960 in the

San Gabriel Valley Council. Mark‘s family was very involved in Scouting

growing up. Mark is an Eagle Scout, as is his son Sean. A Vigil Honor

member of the Order of the Arrow, Mark enjoys studying Native Ameri-

can culture and is a very avid Indian regalia enthusiast. In addition to be-

ing an OA member Mark is also a member of the Tribe of Tahquitz, which is the Camp Society

of the Long Beach Area Council. Mark is a recipient of the District Award of Merit and the

Silver Beaver. Mark serves on camp staff at Camp Tahquitz in many different positions, in-

cluding shooting sports director. Mark loves to participate in Mountain Man rendevouz‘ with

his son Sean and they are very involved in World War I re-enactments. Mark is currently work-

ing as a substitute teacher.

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 1 I s s u e 4

Troop 1 Patrol Reports Antelope Patrol The “Antelopes with Attitude” would like to take today’s story board to introduce you to some of our family. After all, family is one of the reasons we are all here! Martin Deveau is a busy father of nine children! He has five boys in scouting: Two Eagle Scouts, of which one of them is lodge chief, one Star, one Webelos, and one Wolf. Glenn Crites’ daughter is now 25, but spent time in

Girl Scouts at a younger age. Today, Glenn is actively involved with a unit for the son of a lifelong friend, acting as his leader for many Scout activities. Grant Sorney has two children active in Scouting. His son Austin is a Life Scout at age 13, and his 11-year-old daughter Makela is a Girl Scout. Duane Nolke’s sixteen year old son has been a Scout since Tiger Cub and is now Patrol Leader and a Brotherhood member in the Order of the Arrow. Sophia Mo, herself a Girl Scout who earned her Gold Award, is relatively new to Boy Scouts. Married recently—two years now—to life-long Scout Jeremy Mo, she joined a family of life-long Scouters and is becoming more and more involved with San Gabriel Valley Council’s Venturing Crew 91. Michael Fineberg’s son Zachary is a Webe-los I, already preparing for his bridging to Boy Scouts, and his daughter Anna is an active Daisy Girl Scout. His wife Jessica is Committee Chair for their son’s Pack, and together, they are Webelos I leaders. As you can see, Scouting as a family is a common thread amongst the members in the Antelopes Patrol!

Bear Patrol –large mammal, weighing from 100-1800 lb.

-long, shaggy fur; non-retractable claws

-live in forests, are secretive and shy

-hibernate (sleep) all winter (Like many humans)

-black bears eat grass, berries, walnuts, acorns (What the heck -No Insects)

Beaver Patrol

-semi-aquatic rodent, average 35 lb. (How would you like to run into a rodent this big!)

-broad, flat tail about 10 in. long

-lives in a lodge made of sticks and grass (They hope that the Big Bad Wolf stays away)

-noted for building dams, canals

-eats woody and aquatic plants

P a g e 6 N e w s l e t t e r T i t l e

Troop 1 Patrol Reports

.Bobwhite Patrol - field and woodland bird, weigh 7 oz.

-has distinctive bob-bob-white call

-nests on the ground under brush

-social birds living in coveys of 10-30

-most often seen flattened on mountain roads

-bottom of the food chain

-eats weed seeds, insects, grains (They must shop at Whole Foods)

Eagle Patrol The Patrol finished our Spirit Service and proudly started our responsibilities as Program Ser-

vice. We learned the aspects of conducting an interfaith worship and learned the importance of

the religious diversity within Boy Scouting. We enjoyed an excellent presentation on outdoor

camping. As not all of the Eagle Patrol membership has camping experience, the presentation

on camping resources was informative. Many of the cub leaders learned about the BSA Merit Badge books as

being a great reference. The Leave No Trace presentation was inspiring and many of the patrol members are

motivated to bring this information back into their organizations; perhaps there is a ticket it this somewhere J.

As the Eagles are providing the Program Service, we were honored to provide the Outdoor Code to the Troop.

The EDGE (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable) presentation was quick but to the point and we can will be

able to put this lesson into place immediately. While the lost Wolf Cub Scout, Benjamin Dan, wan not a

planned ―experience‖, we did learn and refresh our stills on the need for the buddy system – even with adults.

We will remember that if we do become lost to use the STOP (Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan) principles.

The Eagles also observed the EDGE process while trying to find young Benjamin. As a reflection, we also

noted that the Wood Badge Troop was asked to help in finding Benjamin, when we arrived at the camp fire

area we completely took over the ―rescue.‖ Perhaps as leaders we should also be aware that we might also

need to honor others that are leading and relinquish leadership. Lastly, the Eagle Patrol only had one member

with the 10 essential items at the ready, a good lesson for our adult leaders!

Owl Patrol –nocturnal (active at night) bird of prey

-have large eyes, directed forward

-nest in holes, trees, holes in ground (Come on -Holes in the ground)

-can turn heads 270 degrees to see (pretty cool)

-eats rabbits, mice, snakes, fish, Bobwhites and an occasional 35lb rodent)

P a g e 7 V o l u m e 1 I s s u e 4

Day 3 schedule

Time Activity Location

7:00 AM Participants Arrive Charter House

8:00 AM Gilwell Field Assembly Gilwell Field

8:30 AM Travel to Outpost Camp

9:30 AM Outdoor Experience Assembly Outpost

Leave No Trace Model Campsite

Set Up Campsite

10:30AM Leading Change Outpost

11:20 AM Break

11:30 AM Patrol Leaders Council Meeting Trading Post

12:00 AM Lunch

1:00 AM Generation‘s In Scouting

2:00 PM Break

2:15 PM Problem Solving & Decision Making Outpost

2:45 PM Problem Solving Round Robin

4:00 PM Managing Conflict Outpost

5:00 PM Patrol Meeting

6:00 PM Dinner

7:30 PM The Diversity Game

8:30 PM Patrol Campfire Camp Fire Ring

Venturing Induction Ceremony

9:30 PM Cracker Barrel

The First US Wood Badge Scoutmaster

To familiarize the United States with Wood Badge, John Skinner Wilson, Gilwell Park Camp Chief, came from England

to provide a Rover Scout Wood Badge Course for BSA at New Jersey's Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation.

Bill Hillcourt was a member of the Burnham Patrol on that WB Course, May 12-20, 1936. Four days later, May 24 to June

3, 1936, Bill was the Staff Troop Leader and "Dog's Body" (Senior Patrol Leader) for a second course. It qualified Bill to

receive his WB Beads in 1939, and to become the national Deputy Camp Chief of the United States. Early in 1948, the new

Scout Executive who had replaced Dr. James E. West, appointed four national Staffers to get Wood Badge underway as a

national training standard. These four national Professional Staffers decided from the start that two BSA Wood Badge

courses would be run in 1948. William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt was the Scoutmaster for both. William "Green Bar

Bill"Hillcourt's Totem became a circle with "WILLIAM HILLCOURT" as it's circumference; "Bill" was handwritten at an

angle over a PL's two green bars inside the circle; at its bottom, two leather throngs came out of a WB Woggle; the left one

held three beads and the right one, two beads -- Bill was a "5-Beader"!

Jeremy Mo - Course Director

Bernd Engelman - Senior Patrol Leader

Jim McGrory - Asst Scoutmaster Program

Jo Mo - Asst Scoutmaster Troop Guides

Steve Arnold—Asst Scoutmaster Facilities/Training

Bruce McDonald—Quartermaster

Jonathan Mo—Asst Quartermaster

Ben Karlsen—Asst Quartermaster

Mark Weller— Asst Quartermaster

Eric Miele—Chaplain

Gary Christiansen—Scribe

Tom Wood—Beaver Patrol Troop Guide

Arthur Pinkers—Bobwhite Patrol Troop Guide

Jessica Pazdernik—Eagle Patrol Troop Guide

Marcia McKay—Owl Patrol Troop Guide

Kent Jacobsen—Bear Patrol Troop Guide

Kevin Bryan—Antelope Patrol Troop Guide

4 - 5 1 - 1 1 - 1

Scenes From Week One

Assembly

I thought you said every one was going to wear a skirt

Campfire Dumb paper boats

Hey nice Woggle