Eric: My Scouting Career and Uniform


Figure 1.--In the photo here I'm dressed as smartly as I (and my dad) knew how. Note that the knee socks are precisely vertical with none of the "barber pole" twist seen in "second rate" troops. The gig line (shirt button line, belt buckle, and fly) are also done up regulation. The Boy Scout pocket knife is even hooked to the clip facing the correct direction! Since I wasn't a senior scout, yet, I'm wearing the green tabs (you have to look close to see) on the garters which are hidden under the top roll of the knee socks. My serious face here masks that I was extremely proud of my appearance.

I enjoyed Cubs and thus continued on into Scouting. Dad thought the program it was good forvus and thus strongly encouraged us to participate. Perhaps because of his military background, he also encouraged us to give some attention to the uniform. In the photo here I'm dressed as smartly as I (and my dad) knew how. Note that the knee socks are precisely vertical with none of the "barber pole" twist seen in "second rate" troops. The gig line (shirt button line, belt buckle, and fly) are also done up regulation. A lot of boys dropped out of Scouting as they got older. Actually Cubbing attracted the largest number of boys. Living in a small New England town, however, had about as much excitement as watching paint dry, so I stayed active in Boy Scouts all through high school. I finally earned my Eafle rank in 1967.

Scouting in Connecticut (1963)

Here I am in 1963, about 4 years after my Cub photo was taken. I was a member of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 155 in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

First Uniform

My first Scout uniform after fininish Cubbing was a hand-me-down. In my previous postings, I said that I never remember wearing my overseas cap with my Boy Scout uniform. Here is the exception. Obviously a photo op. I also said that my short pants uniform was my first ever new Boy Scout uniform. Here you see me wearing the Troop Mothers Organization hand me downs. The second class patch and hat are much darker than the rest of the well used uniform. Most people don't realize how much economic expectations have changed. Hand me downs were definitely the rule in our troop and surrounding troops. However, you'll note that the pants are sharply creased, the shoes well shined, and the gig line straight. I think this this was 1963. Note that the cap, neckerchief, woffle, znd sgoes are the same in the two photographs.

Summer Uniform

Here I'm wearing, you guessed it, short pants (figure 1). Summers in the Connecticut River Valley are typically 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. Normal blue jeans were darned near unbearable. Scouts was about the only place where you could legitimately wear shorts except for those weird geeks wearing Madras print Bermuda shorts. Our troop met year round, so shorts appeared as soon as it started getting hot. Since shorts reminded us of the freedom of Summer, some of us wore them quite late into the Fall. I had just reached the lofty rank of Second Class Scout, and my reward was my first new uniform that was not a hand-me-down. I don't ever remember wearing the fore and aft cap, but had it tucked in my belt all the way to Eagle Scout. In this photo I'm dressed as smartly as I (and my dad) knew how (figure 1). Note that the knee socks are precisely vertical with none of the "barber pole" twist seen in "second rate" troops. The gig line (shirt button line, belt buckle, and fly) are also done up regulation. The Boy Scout pocket knife is even hooked to the clip facing the correct direction! Since I wasn't a senior scout, yet, I'm wearing the dark green tabs (you have to look hard to see them) on the garters which are hidden under the top roll of the knee socks. Garters were so foreign that the non-scouts didn't have a clue what to say, and left us alone. The dress uniform was worn with leather shoes. The official Scout shoes were brown, but no one usually said anything about black shoes as long as they were leather shoes. After all shoes were expensive and a special pair of shoes just for Scouting was not reasonable for most families. My serious face here masks that I was extremely proud of my appearance. This would stay so, even through high school and adult leadership while I was in college.

Reader Comments

I found Eric's comments interesting because I was growing up about the same time. His recollection that shorts were only worn for Scout activities, except for the weird geeks in Madras plaid bermudas, I found interesting - and funny! HBC notes that in that by the 1950s and well into the 1960s that shorts were worn mainly by boys in warmer climates and boys from affluent families. Although Eric tells us that it was hot in Conncticut, making jeans almost unbearable, shorts were out of the question, save for Scouts. Peer pressure or local customs, no doubt, overruled a more comfortable alternative. Except for the weird geeks in madras shorts! This style may not have been so well liked where Eric grew up as in the south. Down here, I remember seeing boys wearing those plaid shorts. The plaid shorts I remember weren't the loud plaids of the 1970's (think "Brady Bunch" and polyester here!), but nice tartan plaids (think Black Watch tartan!) They were suitable for everyday wear or even dress-up occasionsfor younger boys.

HBC Comments

Yes I think there were both regional and social class differences at play in the 1960s. There were other factors as well. I think Summer camp was an important factor. One of the reasons I think that Scouts were more likely to wear shorts than Cubs is that Scouts went to camp where short pants were worn. By the same token, boys who went to summer camps (both Scout and non-Scout camps) were more likely to have and wear short pants. It should also be mentioned that not all Scouts wore shorts. There were a lot of troops where the boys all wore long pants unless they were at camp. Another factor in the late 1950s and early 60s is that Bermuda shorts became commonly worn on college campuses. I think this is a trend which began in the 1950s at Ivy League colleges. With young men commonly wearing wearing shorts, the fashion soon became more popular with hifhschool boys and then primary-age boys.

Teenage Scouting (1965)

A lot of boys dropped out of Scouting as they got older. Actually Cubbing attracted the largest number of boys. Living in a small New England town, however, had about as much excitement as watching paint dry, so I stayed active in Boy Scouts all through high school. In the photograph here taken 2 years after the previous shot, I'm a star scout and you can note some changes in the uniform. The garter tabs holding up the knee socks have a red flash denoting that I was a senior scout, and I have a collection of yellow and green backed stars over my left pocket denoting years of membership in Cub and Boy Scouting. Another big change is longer hair for David Acquotta and me since our first trip together. (See the photo of us standing behind my dad's silver Plymouth.) In this photo are Steve Lawlor, David Acquoatta, Danny Henigan, Jimmy Sehaw, and me. We are all on another camping trip here.

Eagle Scout (1967)

Here is the end of my Scouting story. Thisis a picture of me the night I was awarded my Eagle Scout rank. The picture was taken in June 1967 while I was still 15 years old. The uniforming is typical 1960s, Long pants with the field pockets (you could button them up or down), web belt, and long sleeve shirt with the collar turned in to form a V-neck. If you're a real scouter, you'll recognize the Schiff Scout Reservation patch on my right pocket. I had just returned from National Junior Leader Training Camp and was almost as proud of the training as my Eagle Scout medal. (the actual training patch was never sewn onto a shirt and is in the box with my Eagle Scout medal) The gentleman to my right is Joseph Avore, my scoutmaster, wearing his Silver Beaver award. I probably saw as much of Joe as my dad during my scouting years, since I was very active in the troop.






HBC





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Created: 1:27 AM 9/29/2005
Last updated: 11:12 AM 5/17/2007