The Scout Who Saved Christmas Christmas Eve, 1992, wasn’t particularly cold, but after all, this was Southern California. It was early evening, and my son – a 12-year-old Boy Scout – and I were hunting for the last item we needed – a Christmas tree. Some lots had already sold all their trees and were […]

Dear Andy, We have a Scout transferring from a Troop in a Virginia council to our council in New Jersey. I’m pretty sure he should fill out a standard application and indicate that this is a transfer from the other council, but how do his advancement records get transferred to the Scout’s new Troop and […]

A Scout Salute to “The Other 98” My column in this issue is a little different from others. No questions or answers this time. Just a few thoughts about what it means to be an Eagle Scout, and what it means to not be. And this is really about the “not be’s.” You’ve probably heard […]

Dear Andy, We used to have Order of the Arrow elections, but our old Scoutmaster stopped letting those OA guys in. He said those elections are just “popularity contests.” I’m a new Scoutmaster and don’t know what to do. Can you help me? (E.N., Morris Plains Scoutmaster) Sure! Hey, you bet OA elections are popularity […]

Dear Andy, Just before each of our annual Courts of Honor, we go to our local Scout Shop to buy the rank and merit badges to award, and often there aren’t enough in the bins for all of our Scouts. Why can’t the Scout Shop stock more, so that we don’t have to disappoint the […]

Dear Andy, Attendance in our Troop meetings, hikes, and campouts is getting lower and lower. We’re thinking about making a percentage of participation mandatory for advancement, in keeping with the “be active in your Troop and Patrol” requirement. What do you think? (Q.Y., Dunellen Advancement Chair) What do I think? I think you’d better re-read […]

Dear Andy, We like to take our Pack on special outings every couple of months. We’ve been to the Liberty Science Center, the Edison Museum, and Jockey Hollow. Now we’re looking for new places to go. Where can we get information on other places that can accommodate our Cubs? (Y.B., Basking Ridge Cub-master) Want new […]

Andy’s our Council’s “Commissioner extraordinaire.” This is his new column, and he’ll be answering your questions here in every issue. Dear Andy, I hear you’ve got lots of experience. Better tell me a little about yourself before we start asking you questions! (A.J., Mountainside Parent) Well, let’s see… I’ve been a Cubmaster and a Scoutmaster […]