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1950's

Scouting in the decade of the 1950’s returned to more normal peacetime patterns.  Another generation of Mahwah boys was introduced to the outdoors and to responsible citizenship through scouting.  

 

Hiking and camping were most scouts’ favorite activities.  Troop 50 continued an active program of both.  Troop records constantly refer to hikes made in familiar places, especially within Bear Mountain Park.  They visited the Valley of the Boulders near Green Pond in both 1956 and 1958.  Overnight hikes were recorded for Deep Hollow in the Park in 1956 and to Stockbridge Mountain in 1958. The troop camping record for 1957 lists five day hikes, two of them for more than ten miles, six overnight hikes, a camporee, and two weeks at No-Be-Bo-Sco  from July 1-14.  Mr. Schimpf allowed the use of his property for overnight camping for younger boys, although the troop kept to the rule that a scout had to reach Second Class to go camping.  Signaling hikes and bee-line hikes continued to be popular.  Trips to the troop camping area near Camp Glen Gray continued although the leanto had fallen into decay.  

 

Troop 50 continued to be active in Council affairs as well. Annual camporees and rally days were held in various places.  Jerry Peirano and his father participated in the Council Junior Leadership training program at No-Be-Bo-Sco in January 1957.  Various members of the Troop Committee served on District Committees.  

A highlight of the decade was the National Jamboree in Washington, July 12-21, 1957.  Jerry Peirano and Eddie Myer were chosen as the Troop’s  representatives with Harry Kowalda as alternate.  Eventually they all got to go.  The Troop paid part of their expenses as they did for Steve Schimpf who attended a Boy Scout Conservation Camp the previous summer.    

Opportunities for service to the community were met again during the 1950's.  Throughout the decade the Troop raised and lowered the town flag. They distributed data on school board candidates for their new sponsoring organization the P.T.A., Civil Defense pamphlets, and "get-out-the-vote" literature.  They distributed Christmas nuts also for the PTA.  A concern for conservation caused them to work on the town watershed project, cooperate with the Shadetree Commission, and construct and place wood duck nesting boxes.  At the 1956 Mahwah Harvest Fair, they constructed a signaling tower and a model campsite. They worked to beautify the area between Betsy Ross school and Oweno Road. In 1956, the Panther Patrol voted to give $4 of their $4.10 treasury to provide a Christmas present for a needy family.  

The paper drive continued to be the Troop's major service project. Collections were made by  truck several times a year. They rented a public address truck from the Ramsey Lions Club to advertise the drives in advance. Generally, five trucks were used for each drive, each with an adult driver and an adult and an explorer supervising the loading.  The custom began by devoting the proceeds of one or more drives a year to the Ambulance Corps. From the November 1956 drive $63 was donated and $115 from the November 1959 proceeds, for example.  Throughout the period William L Fisher played the major role in coordinating the drives.  

In 1953 the Sponsorship of the Troop passed from the American Legion to the Parent-Teachers Association.  Shortly after that, they shifted Troop meetings from the Reformed Church back again to Commodore Perry school.  Several Scoutmasters served during the decade. Wayne Kraft was appointed in 1951.  He was another Abex employee, a former Eagle Scout who had attended the National Jamboree in 1937.  His successor, Harvey Liphem served during the middle years of the decade. When he resigned to move to California early in 1957, the Troop held a "Harvey Day"  at Camp Schimpf, combined with the annual Father and Son Day, May 4th.  Harvey's move from the community was premature since he lived in Mahwah until his death. In subsequent years he served as Packmaster to Pack 50 for several years. After Lipham's resignation, Doc Meyer filled in until Walter Brameld, former Scoutmaster in Paramus, took over in September 1957. When Brameld resigned one year later, Robert Fruit replaced him. 

Organizationally, the most dramatic development of the decade was the establishment of Explorer Post 50, to supplement the programs of Pack 50 and Troop 50.  William Fisher and Vivian Skues were the driving forces behind this expansion of opportunities for the older boys. Willie Fisher remembers vividly how forcefully his father suggested that he NOT quit the Scouts but instead transfer to the new Post. He thus has the distinction of being a character member of both Pack 50 and Post 50, ten years later.  Skues and Fisher worked very closely during these years on many projects. They passed back and forth the post of Neighborhood Commissioner and both served both the Troop (and Post) and the District. Since exploring was confined to boys 14 and older, more extensive camping and hiking expeditions were possible. Howard Avery led a camping trip to Mount Kahtadin at the northern end of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Willie Fisher tells an entertaining story of a monster raccoon who walked directly across his sleeping bag several nights in a row during a camping trip to Mount Marcy, New York while he was in the post.  After his return from the service in 1955, he served as Associate Advisor for the Post specializing in camping activities. Several members of the Post were members of the Rifle Club which Howard Avery ran for 14 years in the Troop and community. They had built a rifle range in the Wrathall property and sought an indoor range.  Eventually, girls and boys joined in this popular activity. The Post did not survive the decade. However. it was dissolved on October 1st, 1959. 

 

One important result of the organization of the post was to keep some older boys in Scouting longer.  Although there were no ranks in Explorer Posts, boys who had been working on their Eagle badge in scouting could continue while in explorers. As a partial result of this Troop and Post 50 had the largest number of Eagles ever during this decade. In 1958 alone 8 Eagle badges or silver awards were conferred, four in June and four in December. Surely this was one of the highest points in the entire history of Troop 50. 

Sponsoring Institutions: 

John P. Fromm, Post #236, American Legion

James G. Edwards. Commander

 

Troop Committee:

Amos Smith Jr., Chairman, Howard S. Avery, E. L. Collins, G. M. Shimer, Charles Shoemaker, George F. Watson

 

Scoutmaster:

Horace J. Weyner

 

Assistant Scoutmaster:

Lloyd Salling

 

Scouts:

Bardsley, Joseph (T), Buchanan, John (T), Binko, Richard (T), Codrington, Bruce (T), Deming, John (T), Frauson, Jack (T), Green, Charles, Jr. (T), Heller, Larry (T), Newell, Michael (T), Olszewski, Marvin (F), Remo, John (T), Schaefer, Chris (F), Shoemaker, John (F), Skelly, James (T), Trichitta, J. R. (S), Spiech, John A. (T), Wiley, John (T), Wilson, William (T), Wurts, William (T)

Sponsoring Organization:

J. P. Fromm. Jr., Post #236, American Legion 1932-52

Parent-Teachers Association, Mahwah High School 1953-71

Meeting Place:

Ramapo Reformed Church 1948-55

Commodore Perry School !956-59

 

Scoutmasters: 

Horace J. Weyner 1950, Wolf Ettinger 1950, Wayne Kraft 1952-54, Harvey D. Lipham 1954-57, Edward H. Meyer, Jr. 1957, Walter Brameld 1957-58, Robert C. Fruit 1958-60

Assistant Scoutmasters:

Horace J. Weyner 1953-54, Lloyd Salling 1950, Douglas M. Smith 1950, William L. Fisher, 1951, Herbert W. Lloyd 1954, John Wiley 1954-56, John Dryden Mevius 1955, Milton L. Schneider 1956; 58, Edward H. Meyer Jr. 1956; 58, John Shoemaker 1955-56

Institutional Representatives:

Douglas M. Smith 1950-51

James Hancock 1952

Howard Avery 1953-60

Committee Chairmen:

Amos Smith, Jr. 1950, Charles Shoemaker 1951; 55, William D. Buhr 1953, Vivian W. Skues 1954; 56, Donald Schimpf 1957, Joseph Crowley 1958, Vincent A. Depp 1959

Committee: 

Howard Avery 1939-77, Earl W. Anderson 1957-58, William D. Burh 1953, Donald F. Bowler, 1959-60, Henry Chapen 1959, E. L. Collins 1950-51, J. J. Crowley 1957-58, William Clark 1959, Vincent A. Depp 1959, G. M. Etherington 1954-55, W. L. Fisher 1954-56, Paul Guftafsen 1954-55, Edmund L. Gregor 1957-61, Wm. S. Harrington 1957, H. L. Kaufman 1957-61, Judd Kinsley 1959, Harry Kowalda 1959, Kenneth Lindberg 1959, Robert Lorenzen 1955-56, John D. Leisure 1955-56, Harvey D. Lipham 1956, William Munk 1956, Edward H. Myer 1953, Charles Shoemaker 1950-55, Douglas Smith 1950-52, J. Skelly 1952, Vivian Skues 1954-56, Richard Shaw, Jr. 1955-58, Donald Schimpf 1957-58, W. H. Small 1957, M. L. Schneider 1957, Alfred W. Swope 1959, Charles Turner 1955-56, Gustav O. Uhlmann 1955-58, Theodore Vilord 1954, James C. Wolley 1955-57, Richard D. Wade 1957, John W. Zisgen 1958-59

High Ranking Scouts:

Star Scouts:

Anthony Franklin 1950

John Shoemaker 1950

John Wiley 1952

John Speich 1953

Charles Vuolo 1953

Charles Uhlmann 1955

Robert Cishek 1955

Fred wehren 1955

Stephen Schimpf 1955

Brendon Finuchane 1956

John Peirano 1956

John Pope 1956 

Morris Ruddick, Jr. 1956

Edward Meyer 1957

William Dator 1957


Life Scouts:

John Shoemaker 1952

John Wiley 1953

Charles Vuolo 1953

Stephen Schimpf 1956

Jerry Peirano 1958

Eagle Scouts:

John Wiley 1954

John Shoemaker 1954

Charles Uhlmann 1956

Stephen Schimpf 1956

John Peirano 1958

Harry Sampson 1958

Charles Vuolo 1958

Willis Cheney 1959

 

Silver Awards:

Charles Uhlmann 1958

Stephen Scimpf 1958 

John Peirano 1958

Joseph Pullaro 1958

Andrew Chubaty 1958

Don Glasgow 1958

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