Troop 2 East Greenwich
Since 1922
Troop 2 East Greenwich marked its 85th anniversary in the fall of 2007. The idea for the Troop originated with the Rev. Elmer West, a newly arrived Pastor of the First Baptist Church. The church approved the formation of the Troop on September 27th, 1922 and received its charter on October 28th, 1922, with the Rev. Mr. West serving as the first Scoutmaster and seven other men of the church forming the first Troop committee. For the first six years, the Troop met in the Swift Gym.
In 1927, the Rev. Mr. West left East Greenwich, soon after the town's 250th anniversary celebration that fall. The Troop played an active role in that celebration. During this time Samuel Card became the Troop's second Scoutmaster. A year later, a third Scoutmaster took over, as the Troop also acquired a new sponsoring organization, American Legion Post 15, and a new home, the Scout Hall on Spring Street. Troop 2 continues to meet there today, almost 80 years later.
On November 1, 1932, Frank Mellor became Scoutmaster. He would serve a distinguished tenure of just over 13 years, until his death on December 30, 1945. Through the '20's, '30's and '40's, the Troop was very active in community service efforts in addition to its typical scout hiking and camping events. In 1925 and 1926, the Troop helped the town with its cleanup days. In the '30's and '40's the Troop distributed clothing, food baskets, and toys that the scouts repaired to those in need during the holiday season. During World War II and beyond, the Troop collected aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, etc. for the war effort. While Mr. Mellor was Scoutmaster, the Scouts constructed patrol dens in the basement of the Scout Hall. Seventeen boys became Eagle Scouts under his leadership.
Circa 1945
Richard T. Proctor served as Scoutmaster, after service in World War II, from 1946 until mid-1949. The Troop suffered its one regrettable incident during this time. In August 1945, the Troop's older Scouts, in a panel truck they had refurbished, traveled to New Hampshire to camp and go mountain climbing. On the return trip, the truck collided with a bus, resulting in the death of one Scout, John Lincoln Nichols. Troop 2 continues, to this day, to honor his memory with a memorial service at his grave each May. From 1949 to 1956, several men served as Scoutmaster, including George Halsband, Donald S. Houghton, and Maynard Bennett. In February of 1956 the Troop began its tradition of an annual dinner, which continues to this day.
A very dynamic period for the Troop was that of 1956 through 1962, when Raymond T. Dunphy served as Scoutmaster, closely assisted by Stanly S. Andersen. During this period, troop sponsorship changed (after about 30 years with the American Legion Post 15) to local manufacturer, Bostitch, Inc., who would serve in this role for about 30 years. In July 1959, the 131st Toronto, Canada Troop spent two weeks in Rhode Island including one week with Troop 2 at Yawgoog. Ten years later Troop 2 would reconnect with some of the same Canadian leadership, now with the 7th Thornhill Troop in greater Toronto, for a similar exchange. In each case, Troop 2 would journey to Toronto in the following summer for two weeks, staying in the boys' homes, but for one week, camping with their Canadian Scout hosts at the Haliburton Scout Reserve.
In September of 1965 Jim Essex became Scoutmaster, following George Sargent, Paul R. Friend, and Francis Roy. Under Mr. Friend the Troop hiked the 50-mile long trail in northern New England. Under Mr. Roy the Troop started a five-year stretch of a week long summer encampment on the Gatineau River in Quebec (1965-1969). In the 40+ years of Mr. Essex's tenure as Scoutmaster, the Troop has revisited Canada at least four times, including that second exchange venture with the 7th Thronhill Troop in 1959 and 1960. Favorite Canadian city destinations have been Montreal and Quebec City. Among American cities visited are: New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., the historic Virginia triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, and of course, Boston. The Troop continues its community service efforts, today regularly taking part in Scouting for Food in the Fall, the Inner City Churches Soup Kitchen in Providence each winter, regularly marching in town parades honoring our military, and by placing flags on the graves at the RI Veterans Cemetery, participating in Earth Day in April and more.
In 1987 and 1988 Troop 2 Scouts took part in an international exchange program with Scouts in Coventry, England. In 1999 Troop 2 Scouts traveled to Leicestershire, England for and exchange with the 2nd Quorn Scout Group, which visited Rhode Island for about two weeks in the summer of 2000. In February 2008, two Troop 2 Scouts, Chris Capuano and Kevin Drumm were a part of a Narragansett Council contingent traveling to the Dominican Republic for 15 days. Thanks to a bequest by Senator G. Elsworth Gale some years ago, the Troop has a special fund to assist older Scouts in attending the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmaron, New Mexico each summer.
The Troop continues to sell wreaths each holiday season to help finance its programs and equipment needs. The current sponsor of Troop 2 is the East Greenwich Boys Home Association, which owns the hall the Troop uses. It is made up of local citizens interested in supporting youth programs in town.
Since its founding in the fall of 1922, Troop 2 has had 176 boys attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award a boy can earn in the Boy Scouts of America. When Jim Essex became Scoutmaster in 1965, some 48 boys had attained the rank. A major focus under Scoutmaster Essex has been the personal growth of each boy in citizenship training, leadership, and acquiring a love of the outdoors through hiking, camping and particularly more challenging activities such as mountain climbing, canoeing, white water canoeing/rafting and more. Character does count and boys have to learn to live their lives by the points of the Scout Oath and Law.
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