Camping With Jack - We Need Your Help

We are hoping to get moving on the final chapter of Camping With Jack - the great book on the Jack Boyd experience by Heard Floore and Chris Callaway. When it was published in the 90's it included the request for folks to send in their anecdotes about Jack and stories about how he had changed their lives.

If you have ever thought about submitting something for this, now is the time. We all have many distractions in our lives, most of which to be honest, can be rather trivial. None of us are getting any younger and we need to purposefully set aside the time to get this done. Otherwise it will never happen and your stories will be lost forever. That would be a crying shame.

If you can't write, don't worry. What you submit will be quoted source material accredited to you. The writing will be well polished before going into the book.

Where Were U B4 52?

We have recently added a new page to the site - a Other Scout Units page that lists the troops from which our members have come over the years. Take a look at http://post52.org/The_Golden_Age/otherscoutunits.html.

You may be able to help us fill in the gaps. If you or other guys you know are not listed, let us know. Please include the unit number, town (or part of town), sponsoring church, and name.

If there is any notable info about the unit or person, add this as well. (Who knows. Someone may have gone on to write a series of NYT best sellers or become the king of Borneo.)

February 2015 Newsletter

The February 2015 edition of our eNewsletter is out. you can view the online version and download the PDF from the Downloads page at http://post52.org/The_Good_Stuff/downloads.html

Mexican Magic on Bluebonnet Circle

The latest addition to our site comes from Jim Currie (Post 52, 1978 - 1983), who recently joined the forum.

He has posted an article that we will all enjoy on his experiences at Caro's restaurant. To read the article, click here.

Welcome to the Forum, Jim.

Gene Long Post

Gene Long has posted a comment of interest. Here's the shortcut: Dick McCollum on Jack Boyd.

Pieter Bruegel: Children's Games

Ever wonder how far back the game of Buck Buck goes?

In this painting, dated 1560, it was clearly a regular thing. This could go back centuries earlier.

Old Coots and Moe to Boot

Gabriel, Edmonds, Vivian, Starnes, Kleinschmidt, Yancy at the December 2013 21/52 Roundtable discussion.

If you look carefully, you will notice Robert's fine collection of Moe Dean art and photos.

It was reported on the Nishkin website this morning that Dinky Starns has died.   Dink was involved in Post 52 in the beginning along with Colonel Slaton and Jack Boyd.  Dinky was Nishkin's first lodge chief.  He served three terms in that office.  He was a Worth Ranch staff member for many years.   Dinky became a background figure in the early 1960s yet wielded a great deal of influence and was often called upon for advice.  

The Golden Age

An essay on The Golden Age of Scouting is now up on the site. To view it, click here.

Camping With Jack

We are all familiar with Camping With Jack, the biography of Jack Boyd by Chris Callaway and Heard Floore. While this has existed in print format since 1995, we are in the final stages of creating a digital version of the book.
As of August 2nd, the layout and formatting is complete and we are now working on finding higher quality versions of a few of the photos. Once the photos are swapped out we will be ready to output the book in a number of formats, including PDF and flip book (online virtual book).
It is within the realm of possibility that we may produce a print version, but it would be expensive and require a minimum order of 500 copies. It would have a slick cover and either be saddle stapled or with a square binding. Including printing and tax,  the cost would be either $9.25 each (saddle stitched) or $10.17 each (square binding).
As we are talking about $5,000, and as many of us are not rolling in cash, it does not seem likely that it will go to print, but it if did – and if it were to be edited to be PC - it would be something nice to distribute for free among the various troops in the district and elsewhere. Personally, I would love to see this happen.
Thinking a bit more realistically, I have something else in mind: As the original printing included a request for Jack Boyd stories, I think it would be a great idea if these stories to be compiled and edited with additional content providing context, then added to Camping With Jack as an additional chapter.
If this can be done, we'll let everyone know.

–MDG

The Evolution of Post 52

Chris's fascinating in-depth article on the evolution of Post 52 has been posted and can be read at http://post52.org/The_Golden_Age/post52evolution.html

This is a good read, so make sure that you take a look.

21 Stew

This is the recipe for the quick and simple stew that was developed back in the fifties by a mother of a member of Boy Scout Troop 21. Known as "21 Stew" it remained a popular item on the camping menu of Troop 21 and its successor, Troop 52, which then carried on the tradition for another half a century.

(If anyone has any tweaks, post 'em on this blog.)

Here's the recipe:

Hamburger
Minute Rice
Ranch Style Beans
Tomato Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Onion
Bell pepper

This was meant to be prepared by 11 year old boys. In other words, the proportions vary. May the spirit of the woods guide your hand.

Start the water for the Minute Rice.
Combine the beans and tomato sauce and heat.
Brown the hamburger along with chopped onions and peppers. For an authentic experience, burn the hamburger, then toss in a june bug and let it simmer for 10 seconds before removing. If the june bug explodes, toss out what would have been your share of the meal.
As the rice is going, toss the hamburger and veggies into the beans.
Season to taste, remembering to add a touch of campfire ash and a dozen gnats (option: Tabasco)

Serve over the rice (or, what the heck - just mix it all together) along with a nice vintage of grape Kool-Aid.