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We have an outstanding record for boys in Troop 2 Weymouth who have obtained the
rank of Eagle Scout.
From 1927 to 2009, two hundred and thirty four Boy Scouts of Troop 2 Weymouth have attained
this, the highest award in scouting.
The Troop 2
Weymouth Drum Corps was organized in 1931 and made its first public appearance on Memorial Day, 1931.
Boy Scouts from Troop 2 Weymouth were color bearers at the dedication of
the Lincoln Monument at Hingham on September 23, 1931.
In
October 1934, the Weymouth Heights Men's Forum of the First Congregational Church, Weymouth Heights became the sponsor of
the troop
Troop 8 - Girl Scouts used the Weymouth
Heights Club building from 1934 to 1937.
A Sea Scout
Troop was formed in 1938.
The Weymouth Heights Club
clubhouse was enlarged in 1938 and is twice as large as it had been.
Troop 2 Weymouth is proud that Franklin Pratt, Scoutmaster from 1938 to 1974 was the holder of the Silver Beaver
Distinguished Service Award. At that time he was one of the few adults in the Old Colony Council to have received this award
for local Council service.
In early 1939, a dispute
arose as to which troop was the oldest registered in Old Colony Council. Records of Troop 2 Weymouth, compiled by Franklin
Pratt, Scoutmaster, were sent to Old Colony Council for examination. The educational Director of the Council and a member
of the finance committee reviewed these records proving Troop 2 Weymouth to be the oldest registered in Old Colony Council.
Troop 2 Weymouth along with other Troops camped on
Grape Island in May 1939.
In 1939 and 1940 Troop
2 Weymouth put on Minstrel shows and charged twenty-five to thirty-five cents for tickets.
Pack 2 Cub Scouts met at the club house after receiving its charter in 1940.
Troop 2 Weymouth has had two Explorer Posts registered under the old Explorer program. Charles Krabek and our former
scoutmaster, Ronald Parry, received the Explorer Silver Award, the highest rank in this program.
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At this time it should be noted that ninety seven boys received the Eagle award
in Troop 2 Weymouth during the years Franklin Pratt served as Scoutmaster. This is a record no other Scoutmaster in the Old
Colony Council has come close to. Mr. Pratt also camped with hundreds of boys from Troop 2 Weymouth in over 1,000 different
campsites in the United States and Canada and Mexico.
In 1941, the United States Navy proposed to build
a Dirigible Base in South Weymouth and the Garden Club asked Troop 2 Weymouth to remove and transplant Lady Slippers and Trillium
plants as a conservation measure.
Records show that
Troop 2 Weymouth started collecting waste paper in November of 1941 and was earning $10.00 a ton for it.
Members of Troop 2 Weymouth performed many civic duties for the community
during World War 2. The war service stripe was awarded to 34 Troop 2 Weymouth Boy Scouts and the General Eisenhower Medal
was awarded to Troop 2 Weymouth who individually collected over a half a ton of waste paper.
The fee for Camp Child in 1945 was $9.00 per week.
In 1946 Troop 2 Weymouth collected unused Boy Scout uniforms to send them to help
Scouting return to the Philippines and Europe after World War 2.
In 1946 the "Charles H. Wilder and Fred H. Smith Fund" was established in memory of two good friends of
Troop 2 Weymouth. This fund was established by Franklin Pratt with the proceeds of waste paper drives and donations. In 1976,
the moneys in the original fund were transferred into a newly created Wilder-Smith Trust Fund. The interest of this new fund
to be used by Troop 2 Weymouth to underwrite camp expenses, purchase new camping equipment, to allow an annual Parent and
Son Ham and Bean Dinner, and to be used to defray the expenses of the annual Parents Night Diner.
We had contact with Weymouth, England in the years 1947 - 1949. Their Troops are
called Groups and each Group has three sections, Rover Crew, Scout Troop, and Wolf Cubs.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contacted Troop 2 Weymouth in 1948 for
information on two men who applied for positions with the FBI.
March, 1950, 24 members of Troop 2 Weymouth attended
the Governors Reception in the Hall of Flags at the State House on Washington's birthday. Troop 2 Weymouth was the only Boy
Scout Troop present.
The first Church awards came
to Boy Scouts of Troop 2 Weymouth in 1950 for Ad Altare Dei and God and Country.
Family picnics at Valley Pines started in 1956. Merit badges and Eagle presentations were awarded to members of Troop
2 Weymouth during a ceremony on that day.
A
new service flag, showing 310 members of Troop 2 Weymouth who served in the two World Wars and the Korean Conflict, was carried
in the parade on Memorial Day in 1965.
November 4th,
and 5th, 1967, Troop 2 Scouts were among the first Boy Scouts to camp at Great Esker Park. At that time, they began construction
of a foot bridge across on of the tidal streams.
In
1968, Troop 2 Weymouth qualified for the Historic Trail Award by locating and marking an historic trail that is notable in
American History. They chose the old road from North Scituate to Plymouth (through Valley Pines) and named it "Damon
Road" in memory of the Damon family, who with the Otis family, were the original owners of Valley Pines. The Scouts also
mapped out the route through Scituate and Norwell used by the Minute Men. The wood road through Valley Pines was laid out
in 1700 and was the main traveled highway between the settlements to the Northwest and Plymouth until 1858.
Due to the low cost of scrap paper in 1985, Troop 2 Weymouth's long time
money making project of collecting newspapers stopped. Collection of returnable cans and bottles proved to be more profitable.
On November 11, 1985, a memorial program in honor
of Haig S.Alemian and Mr. Franklin Pratt was held at the clubhouse. The flag pole was dedicated to Commander Alemian with
many members of his family and friends and of Troop 2 Weymouth present. The new brick building behind the Clubhouse was dedicated
to Mr. Pratt.
The Silver Beaver Award, one of Scoutings
highest adult awards, was presented to Herbert H. Holmes on January 23, 1986. Mr. Holmes had been active in Scouting with
continuous service since 1923. His presence in Troop 2 Weymouth has been a source of strength and inspiration to all the Scouts
of the Troop. Both the Troop Committee and the boys of Troop 2 Weymouth had tremendous respect and high regard for Mr. Holmes
who served with dedication and honor for over 60 years.
Through
2006 Scoutmaster Ron Parry had one hundred and thirteen scouts who reached Eagle Scout. He was Scoutmaster of the Year
and had given the Silver Beaver Distinguished Service Award for his dedicated service to the Boy Scouts of America.
Long distance trips with Ron and Troop 2 Weymouth in the past included
to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Colorado, California, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona,
and other states in between.
Late summer weekend
bike trips to Cape Cod are taken each year by Troop 2 Weymouth with about 60 bikes being trucked down and then boys ride the
bike trail of the Cape.
About every two years, a
five day canoe trip is taken by Troop 2 Weymouth down the Saco River in Maine and New Hampshire. Also in the years when the
snow condition allow an exciting experience is the snow mobile trip to New Hampshire.
Eagle Scouts in Troop 2 Weymouth now number over 200 since 1911. We have been getting three to five Eagle Scouts
each year for the past several years.
Boy Scouts of Troop
2 Weymouth have marched in parades for many years. They have marched in Weymouth, Quincy, Braintree, Hingham, Cape Cod, Dorchester,
and Bristol New Hampshire. Troop 2 Weymouth is the oldest continuous marching unit in Weymouth
.
For over 50 years Troop 2 Weymouth has conducted Summer Camp in Wellington State
Park at beautiful Cliff Island in Bristol N.H.. Camp is and has been rewarding for all who attend. These camps teach many
Merit Badges that can not be taught at the Club House. Many required Merit Badges and of course water types are taught.
We are indeed fortunate to have many instructors that attend, along with
qualified water front people and of course certified EMT's.
In August 1999 a 9000 mile trip for 25 Troop 2 Weymouth scouts went to the west coast with stops all across the country.
In August 2000 we went to the mid west for 3 weeks. The boys and adults learn many things about our country on
these trips. A 2001 summer trip is being planned to take about 24 Scouts and adults to the Far West.
The Silver Beaver Award was presented to Harold A.
Porter in 2008. His continuous contributions to Troop 2 Weymouth and the Weymouth
Heights Club are inspirational and show great leadership and incomparable dedication. He is the
Troop 2 Weymouth Treasurer, coordinates advancement, and manages our redemption facility. Harold is part of a long family
tradition of scouting in the troop, which includes his son David (Eagle scout in 1985 and former troop committee chairman)as well
as his wifes father and grandfather. We are indebted to the service of Mr. Porter.
After the
unexpected and untimely death of Ron Parry in June 2006, Assistant Scoutmaster and Eagle scout James Hamilton took over
as Scoutmaster, serving with distinction in that role, keeping the troop together through the tumultuous time after Ron's
death, guiding the boys through to Eagle scout for two years. Jimmy stepped down in June 2008 to focus on his growing
family, and Charles Clancy, also a Troop 2 Eagle scout, assumed the role of Scoutmaster. In September, 2009 another
former Troop 2 Weymouth scout, Jim Kelley, took over as scoutmaster.
Article from Weymouth News by D. Pennisi, 7/4/2006 re: death of Ron Parry
On the morning of June 23,2006 30 Troop 2 Boy Scouts and leaders arrived
at the Clubhouse for a four-day canoe trip. It was here, gathered together that they learned that our Scoutmaster, Ron Parry
had passed away in the night, following heart surgery. Ron had planned and packed for this trip and the boys and leaders continued
on the journey that has been a tradition in the last week of June.
On May 26,1975, Troop 2 Boy Scouts and
their leaders had gathered in lower Jackson Square for the Memorial Day parade. Arriving at the site, they learned that their
Scoutmaster, Franklin Pratt had passed away during the night. With heavy hearts, they marched on with Ron Parry as their new
scoutmaster. The irony of this story is at first striking, however the story is in the continuity of scouting, which so many
have learned from these men.
On the morning of June 26, a procession of Troop 2 Boy Scouts led the funeral
service, and a recession from Immaculate Conception was lead by some 75 or more men with Eagle Scout medals on their chests.
As the sun met this procession outside the church another 35 members and alumni of the Troop 2 Drum Corps recalled the drumming
Ron had taught them as they raised the casket into the Troop 2 truck. At the Fairmont Cemetery, Marines were waiting to bestow
honors to one who proudly identified as theirs as well.
Ron had joined Troop 2 in 1949 and earned his Eagle
in 1953. As recalled by our new Acting Scoutmaster Jimmy Hamilton, he is well remembered as friend to thousands and father
to hundreds. As Scoutmaster for 31 years, it is estimated that he guided more than 100 boys through their Eagle rank. There
are over 200 Eagles of Troop 2 and many more to come and be awarded their metal at the May Eagle dinners that have become
tradition along with the traditions of more than 50 years of camping in the last week of July at Cliff Island, Monday night
meetings at the Weymouth Heights Club, September parent and son ham and bean dinners, setting flags on Memorial Day and Veterans,
parades on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Valley Pines Thanksgiving dinner, Family Day and camp-outs at Valley Pines, Columbus
weekend bike trips.
In our years to come, these events will continue as we all carry the Scout oath that
Troop 2 Scouters have valued for 95 years. It is time now to continue the work, pass on what was passed to us and continue
the traditions of Boy Scouting led by Ron, Franklin and a history of Troop 2 Scouts.
Now as we set the
flags in Troop 2 tradition on Memorial Day, we will have one more stop in Fairmont Cemetery to reflect on the Scout that led
us here.
DID YOU KNOW John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a Scout in Troop 2, Bronxville,
New York? He was the first Boy Scout to become President of the United States.
