August 1999

__________________________________________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blaine Thompson 1, Sheldon West 1, JD Dobrowolski 2, Daniel Scott 3, Michael Slade 4, Mike Hale 5, Walter Wolfram 5, Neil Armstrong 5, Dustin Hoffman 8, Nathan Armstrong 12, Fidel Castro 13, Robert Redford 18, Richard Jalbert 20, Casey Carruth 21, Ben Hill 22, Ray Bradbury 22, James Savage 23, William Wood 23, Sonny Scott 25, Trevor Tarbet 25, Darryl Dragon 27, and James Coburn 31.

If you were elected to the BSA’s honor camping fraternity in the last election, you should receive an invitation to attend the Ordeal on August 20th and 21st at Camp MK Brown. Those elected were Tres Binkley, Brandon Naylor, Jack Tunnell, Daniel Wetzel, and Randall Waddell. Also elected were Chas Binkley, Adam Cox, Danny Finley, Michael Kiefer, Brent Naylor, Grant Snyder, and Chase Tillery. The adult elected by the troop’s committee was Alan Cox. In a special ceremony, Michael Slade will be receiving the “Vigil” award at the Ordeal and he is only the 8th person in Troop 80 history to receive this honor.

The best thing about Wilderness camp this year was that the constant rain every day kept the temperature from getting to hot. Our scouts earned 121 merit badges for the week. Garry Wood taught the “Paul Bunyan Award” to Blaine Thompson, Adam Cox, Trevor Kos, Richard McGary, and Aaron Amos. The Outstanding Camper for the week went to Adam Cox with an Honorable Mention going to Aaron Amos. The camper of the day and other awards went to :

Blaine Thompson received an 80 Bolo. The Reed - Tunnell Brigade ( A1 and B2 ) spent most of the week building a new latrine which was the first new latrine since 1985. Eric did the ribbon cutting, but the band that was hired, refused to attend the event.

Randy Smiley made the camp patch -- something about his finger. Carl Johnson taught totem pole carving. Bob Wieck did some great wood carving. Our chefs ( Terry Slade, Paul Kiefer, and Michael Slade) did a fab job in the kitchen again this year with homemade iced donuts and the sopapias on Mexican night were to die for and some did.

The week had some really good baseball games and a few of the players really showed us how to hit a dead ball rapped in duct tape. The “Rip-off Rebels” won the softball trophy this year. Kyle Watson ripped his leg in left field. Garry Wood and Michael Slade put balls over the fence and Jim Thompson cleared both the wall of discipline and the one behind it. We had other great plays from some of our future Major League players including some double plays.

Crow 325 Arapaho 310 Mohican 275 Mohawk 232 Maya 165 Erie 149 Apache 132 Aztec 79 Aztec 10 Cree 75 Comanche 46

Cut foil into 12" squares, place chicken in center. Combine oil, lemon juice, thyme and mix well. Spoon over breasts. Seal foil well and place in 350 Dutch oven. Bake 30 min. Open foil and place one slice ham, cheese and tomato over each breast. Bake open for 3 to 5 min. Remove from foil and place on serving platter. This sounds good at home or a camp out.

Walter Wolfram became a Scout when he was 12. Ted Abrahamson recruited him into Troop 9. He made the rank of 2nd Class, although he had all the requirements through Star except making a map. He was the drummer in the very first Kwahadi dance group, when all Kwahadis were members of Troop 9. His patrol leader was Tom Fotheringham, local

attorney, and his scoutmaster was Ralph Irelan. He was Cubmaster at Pack 35, Alice Landergin School from 1962 -1965. He has served on the Council’s Executive Board and Executive Committee. Walter received the Council’s highest honor in 1986 when he was presented with the “Silver Beaver” award. We would like to thank Walter for all his work with the scouting movement and his continued work with Troop 80 and the Museum.

We never fail when we try to do our duty - we always fail when we neglect to do it.

We have something special planned for the August camp out and you need to attend.. There will be Webelos, parents, and Troop 80 alumni visiting this great camp out. The cost is $12 dollars for 80 scouts and leaders and only $10 dollars for the Webelos and their parents which includes a special patch. You can even buy a t-shirt for the event for just $10 dollars with extra patches for $3 dollars. We’re planning some great swimming, slide shows, tours of our museum, and our Grand Camp Fire at the Camp Don fire ring. All parents are invited to come down Saturday afternoon at 1pm for our first annual 80 Family Re-union with a Bar BQ dinner served for $6 dollars and breakfast on Sunday is just $3 dollars if you want to stay the night at camp. If you were one of those elected to the OA and plan to attend the Ordeal on the same weekend, there will be transportation provided

One of our scouts decided to tie the final square knot and went and got himself hitched. Brandon Merrill, Eagle Scout and ex-SPL of Troop 80, got married in July and we wish him and his new wife all the best. They will reside in Borger. Brandon is the son of proud parents, Jim and Cindy Thompson and I understand that the church almost looked like a troop meeting with so many 80 folks in attendance. Others recently hearing wedding bells were Brandon Robertson and Andy Blakely. Sam Myrick will get married in August and all are former Eagle Scouts. Congrats!!!!!

Gregory Henning just completed his 2-week Band Camp at WTAMU. He was honored by receiving the "Outstanding Band Camper" Trophy. Gregory was selected #1 out of 74 band members.

Besides the great Re-Union camp in August, there are some other camps that you need to start preparing for now. The troop is going to Philmont for the Council’s annual trip over the September 10-12 weekend. Then the October 1-3 camp will be to the Pecos wilderness and it will be designed to start getting the troop ready for next year when we do the 35 mile hike north of Durango, Colorado and the Continental Divide.

According to a handout just received from the Council office, Troop 80 will again be doing the Webelos portion of Spook-o-ree this year. Those that worked last year did a fine job and we hope that some of those Webelos we talked to will join Troop 80 in the future. More about this at another date.

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

NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAID

AMARILLO TEXAS 79106

PERMIT NO. 1163

"How did you do it, Dad? How have you managed to not take a drink for almost 20 years?" It took me almost 20 years to have the courage to even ask my father this very personal question. When Dad first quit drinking, the whole family was on pins and needles every time he got into a situation that, in the past, would have started him drinking again. For a few years we were afraid to bring it up for fear the drinking would begin again.

"I had this little poem that I would recite to myself at least four to five times a day," was Dad's reply to my 18-year-old unasked question. "The words were an instant relief and constant reminder to me that things were never so tough that I could not handle them," Dad said. And then he shared the poem with me. The poem's simple, yet profound words immediately became part of my daily routine as well.

About a month after this talk with my father, I received a gift in the mail from a friend of mine. It was a book of daily affirmations with one affirmation listed for each day of the year.

It has been my experience that when you get something with days of the year on it, you automatically turn to the page that lists your own birthday.

I hurriedly opened the book to November 10 to see what words of wisdom this book had in store for me. I did a double-take and tears of disbelief and appreciation rolled down my face. There, on my birthday, was the exact same poem that had helped my father for all these years! It is called the Serenity Prayer.

God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change the things I can; and the Wisdom to know the difference.