November 1999

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Aaron Amos 1, Brent Naylor 3, Adam Ant 3, David Worden 4, Roy Rogers 5, Carl “Jethro” Johnson 6, Michael Gray 10, Anthony Kennedy 10, Neil Young 12, Christopher Klein 14, James Kone 17, Jimmy Kone 17, Trey Wood 17, Rodney Dangerfield 22, Jim Altsman 24, Jeremy Gilbert 24, Michael Wood 24, Pablo Rodriguez 26, and Chris Burris 27

Now is the time to talk to your friends about joining Troop 80. Many great camps are scheduled for next year and we can look forward to the float trip and the hike over Columbine Pass. We are still needing your used uniforms, hiking boots, and camping gear that you might have outgrown. Just another way to help out a scout in need.

Desserts getting you down? Tired of that same old white cake? They say you can’t cook. Try this quick and easy to make cheese cake..

Melt the caramels with the milk and add pecans. Pour into crust. Mix other ingredients and pour cheese cake mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes then refrigerate for 3 hours. Serves 8. Yum Yum!!!!!

Aaron Coldeway, a Life scout with our troop during 1980-1981 recently passed away. He was 35 years old. Leroy Savage died on Oct. 14th and he was the father of James Savage. He was 78 and an Assistant. Scoutmaster with Troop 86 in 1976. Both will be missed.

Let’s meet Terry Slade. He started his scouting career with Pack 80 in 1965 and earned his Life rank with Troop 86 where he was their ASPL. He attended Tascosa and served in the US Navy. He worked at KAMR and now works at the Amarillo College PBS station, KACV as their broadcast engineer. He was the Cub Master for Pack 80 for 10 years. He received the Vigil award from the OA and works closely with the BSA on the District and Council levels. Terry has been honored with the District Award of Merit and the Distinguished Commissioner Award.. He is the uncle of Eagle scout, Michael Slade. Terry is the editor of the “Eagle Times” and a member of our kitchen staff.

Jimmy Reed and Chris Klein made 1st chair in the all city band. Nice work guys!!!

Randy Reed did it again and boy was it fun. The weather was great. We spent three Saturdays wining and dining over 140 - 5th grade Webelos. More than seven T-80 adults and seventeen T-80 scouts gave the Webelos some exciting times even if we were a little short handed that middle Saturday. The shining star was Cindy Thompson. Big thanks as we could not have done the great program without her. Blaine Thompson and Danny Finley did an outstanding job and were a big help. Time will tell how this effects our recruiting, but all the feedback was positive. Some that worked all 3 weekends and deserve special recognition were Cindy Thompson, Jimmy and Kenny Reed, Chris Klein, and Devin Michelotti. The “Spook House” was also a success and was built by Terry Slade and Michael Slade.

Two of our patrols helped Pack 7 build and repair the obstacle course at Camp Don. They worked on Saturday 9/25 and Sunday 9/26 with over 12 hours of service. Pack 7 would like to thank C-1 (Jon Musser) and D-3 (Jimmy Reed) for all their help. A great BIG thanks also goes to Jarrell Long and Blake Klein who worked both days.

Steve Filipowicz will be stepping down as our Venture Leader at the end of the year. Many thanks to him for the past few years of hard work. During his time of leadership, many of our older scouts completed their Eagle and had successful rock climbing trips to New Mexico and Oklahoma. His efforts will be sorely missed. Jim Thompson has agreed to become the new Venture leader and we look forward to his leadership.

The annual swim meet is set for Tuesday evening, November 30th at the Maverick Club and all parents are encouraged to attend. The troop is planning a trip to a Rattlers hockey game on December 7th. Our Father/Son banquet is planned for December 14th at the Jack Bryant Center. Purchase your tickets to the BarBQ dinner from Randy Reed or Paul Kiefer.

Our next camp out is scheduled for Chicken Creek on January 29-30. We will be hiking in and out to prepare for this summers Trek in Durango.

Have you signed up for your 3 tree lot shifts at the single tree lot. That’s right. We will only operate one tree lot this year. The dates to remember are unload trees on 11/18-19, price trees on 11/20, and the lot will open the week before Thanksgiving on Monday 11/22. The tree lot sale is how we make the needed funds to pay our bills. The building we meet in, the buses, and all our monthly bills are paid for by the tree sales so lets all get involved and do our part.

Tom Upchurch, a local attorney, donated a large number of Christmas lights and decorations for the 80 tree lot. This generous donation is made in memory of his beloved, wife Judy, who recently passed away. The troop is very appreciative of this gift, which will be put to good use in the service of Amarillo youth. Troop 80 extends its sympathy to Mr. Upchurch and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.

Each month, a magazine is sent to you called Boys’ Life. It costs you just $7 dollars a year and is part of your membership dues. There are some great stories and it is written for scouts by scouters. Pick it up and give it a read. You might see something you like.

The founder of the BSA said, There is in every human individual a germ of love, that “bit of God” as the soul has been termed, which, if its expression is encouraged, will develop till it permeates the character of a boy.

The troop would like to say thanks to Jo Ann Banks who will no longer be doing the mail outs. She has served in this capacity for several years and will be missed. We are looking for a volunteer for this vital job. Please contact Eric Wolfram if this sounds lake a job for you.

The OA held their Fall Fellowship at WTAMU and oops, the Activity Center was closed. Something about a football game. The Banquet was catered by Cattle Call and was held at Camp Don. Michael Slade was officially presented with his Vigil and given the Delaware indian name of “Ehalluchsit” which means“Strong, Powerful One”

The next big OA event will be NOAC which will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. We are only allowed to send 20 members. The dates are 7/29 - 8/3/2000 and the cost for the 6 day event is $280 dollars..

It was nice and laid back. A lovely 3 mile hike on a great cement trail (highway). MH led the hike down the highway and still, nobody got lost. A lock at the main gate held the troop back, but after a couple of hours of waiting, DH scared it off. The hike out was almost as much fun (highway again). Matt Scott decided to go see the lake, gat a little too close, and fell in. He said he slipped while doing a service project on the dam, but we all know better. Dr B finally returned to the camping fold and we’re glad to have him back. A story about the November Witch was told by JT at the camp fire and then a witch visited his suburban during the night.

The Council’s Winter merit badge camp.dates are 1/14 - 16 and the cost is $35 dollars. Registration runs from 12/3 - 12/18 and is limited to the first 250 scouts. This is not a T-80 camp and all regestration is done through the scout office. We must have a scout leader volunteer ($15) to be there during the camp before any 80 scouts may attend. The 80

If you have a story item about a scout that you think needs to be in the next newsletter, send your ideas to Terry Slade 5122 W. 16th Amarillo, Tx 79106-4419 or e-mail them to tmslade@actx.edu

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Someone once defined “Luck” as preparation meeting opportunity. And what is the motto of the Boy Scouts? Sure, Be Prepared. So as Boy Scouts we are half way there. Recognizing “opportunity” may be dicey, but we must not fear risk. Nothing good was ever accomplished without some degree of risk involved. Dale Carnegie had a quick way to assess any kind of risk. He said if you can accept the worst possible thing that can happen to you, then try it. (We are not talking life and death, folks.)

Many people suffer more from the failure to make a decision than if they went ahead and made the wrong decision. Think about that. The fear and worry about making the right decision can sometimes actually do more damage than making the wrong decision. How did you decide what flavor of ice cream is your favorite? You had to have tasted several other flavors to have made a decision on your favorite. In other words, you took some risk in trying other flavors.

Young people often think their decisions are always “cast in stone” and cannot be undone. In fact, it’s easier to change as a youth than when we get older. If the most serious effect of your decision is that you will be laughed at, then always go for it. Laughter only effects your mind and you can control what that laughter means to you. People laughed at Howard Hughes and his super plane the “Spruce Goose” until he actually flew it and now we think it was a great feat. Remember, the ones laughing at you did not make any effort, you did.

So where are we going with all this? Decisions, decisions, don’t be afraid to make them. Don’t be afraid to try new things, methods, or ideas. All of life is a risk and we must take risks and make decisions every day. So at the very least, Be Prepared.