More than 300 friends, family members and Boy Scouts, past and present from Troop 787 gathered to mark their 40th anniversary with a reunion at Coast Bible Church and its historical meeting place, the “Barn,” 26300 Via Escolar, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 on Sat., July 12, 2014.
The theme for the celebration was ‘The Lincoln Highway and The Boy Scouts.’ The first Boy Scout Sunday was celebrated in 1914 and the first section of the Lincoln Highway was built in 1914. Both are more than 100 years old.
“Great oaks from little acorns will grow; long roads of concrete from seedling miles’ will spring” was the slogan for the Lincoln Highway. To dedicate the highway in memory of Abraham Lincoln, 3,000 concrete markers weighing 220 pounds each were ordered. On Sept. 1, 1928, the Boys Scouts of America placed the 3,000 markers across the country from New York to San Francisco, CA.
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Replicas of these markers were created for the table decorations as well as a Boy Scout casted in iron saluting the American flag.
The celebration kicked off with a presentation of flags, revelry by bugler, Scout Prayer and troop history. Current, Troop 787 Scoutmaster, Steven Comer praised local Scouts’ service to the community, dedication of the parents, leaders, scoutmasters, patrol leaders and Eagle Scouts.
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Comer introduced Brandon Derache, Senior Patrol Leader saying that the role of senior patrol leader is a coveted role. The senior patrol leader is a person of gold who is willing to make the sacrifices of being responsible for the other scouts.
Derache along with Comer kept the scouts on their feet singing, acting out skits, reminiscing, eating lunch, watching videos of adventures and enjoying photos on the Memory Wall.
Founded in 1974, Troop 787 has been guiding young men into responsible societal roles. The troop has seen its share of hardships, but they have always survived because of the parents and the dedication of many.
Awards were given for their dedication to Troop 787 to Mari Wade, Ben Wooldridge and Jerry Sterling. Wooldridge has been actively involved as the High Adventure Chair since 1982. Sterling, has been supporting the scouts since 1987. He is the 1st Year Scout Training Chair and Chair of our 40th Anniversary Reunion Committee. Together, Sterling and Woolridge have given 59 years of service to the troop.
“Every adult under Wooldridge came back from adventures wondering how he has done it for so long and so well,“ remarked Comer. “Then, Eagle is at the summit of the boys years.”
Troop 787 has produced 128 Eagle Scouts, including 36 in attendance. If each Eagle Scout project takes an average of 100 hours, those 128 Scouts gave 12,800 hours of service to our community. In addition, a scout completes several years of training in various aspects of leadership and survival. The purpose is to give scouts a sense of personal responsibility and community fellowship that can help them get through hardships they may face in their lives.
“I am involved with the troop as a 1st assistant scoutmaster, but I have been a cub/scout since I was 7 years old,” said Joe Rizkallah. “It is the right thing to do. We have fun, learn independence and gain valuable leadership skills at the same time. Then we come back to lead and empower others.”
Mayor Trish Kelley presented the scouts with a proclamation from the City of Mission Viejo. Her sons were Boy Scouts and specifically, one of her sons was in Troop 787.
Mayor Kelley said, “The Barn is a special place because the Boy Scouts renovated it. It’s where our youth learn to cherish values such as trustworthiness and loyalty. It’s the center for their training in good citizenship and the values of our country.”
Dennis “Duck” Duesing was elated, “What’s really cool is to see the red hat and t-shirt, I designed are still being used today. The Scouts are really the same as it was when I belonged from 1981-1985. My hope is that it is forever.”
Duesing and his family drove from just outside of Sacramento to be at the reunion. Many of his scouts joined him while some Scouts came from as far away as Florida.
However, the afternoon was not over, several current and former troop members shared personal stories and experiences they had during their Boy Scout years.
Some stories were poignant, some were hilarious, but all were very telling of the level of camaraderie and fellowship the troop inspires.
Circling up in the Barn, Scouts and guests crossed their arms and grasped their neighbors' hands as they sang the Boy Scout song,
For more information, please contact Steven Comer, Current Scoutmaster at 775-842-4118 or comerste@hotmail.com.
