Cub Scouting: Integrity makes a comeback

At a time when multi-million dollar, role model athletes are behaving more like dime store thugs than heroes, it's nice to know that values such as honor, trustworthiness and integrity haven't completely fallen out of favor.

I have been a cub scout Den leader for a couple of years and have noticed a very inspiring trend.  While my sons and I have always viewed scouting as a fun and "cool" activity, the rest of the world has seldom held the same view.  Lately, though, more and more "cool" kids have begun to migrate over to our side of the proverbial fence.  Frequently, we are seeing football, basketball and baseball standouts being drawn into our little community seemingly compelled by some unseen force.  What could possibly be behind this movement?  How do we account for the rising popularity of one of America's least heralded traditions?

The answer is simple.  Even children understand and desire to associate themselves with things that are good.  As previously mentioned, modern day athletes haven't done much to inspire our youth in quite some time.  Please understand, I would never argue that all professional athletes are greedy, selfish and morally corrupt.  Unfortunately, though, the prevalence of such behavior has permeated the culture to such a degree that it is much more difficult to tell the good guys from the bad.  What is clear, however, is the message that scouting has been sending for over 100 years.  It is a simple message but one that, when heeded, can lead our young men down the path to responsible adulthood.

The following is a list borrowed from Wikipedia that chronicals some of the more noteworthy scouts from years past.  Hard to find a lot of "bad" guys in there isn't it?

Name	Notability
Buzz Aldrin	astronaut and Tenderfoot Scout
George W. Bush	Cub Scout, 43rd U.S. President
Calvin Coolidge, Jr.	son of President Calvin Coolidge; with his brother, he was the first Scout to live in the White House.
Walter Cronkite	Broadcast journalist
John Hope Franklin	Boy Scout; historian, author of From Slavery to Freedom recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Bill Gates	Life Scout, founder of Microsoft
Alexander D. Goode	Scout leader, Rabbi, Army Chaplain, one of the Four Chaplains who died when the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed during World War II
Walter Greenberg	Scout, World War II refugee from Italy, movie maker
Byron Hill	Life Scout, Nashville songwriter
John Isley	host of The John Boy & Billy Big Show
John F. Kennedy	Star Scout, 35th President of the United States
Tommy Lasorda	member of National Baseball Hall of Fame, manager of two LA Dodgers World Series champion teams
Ross A. McGinnis	Cub Scout, Boy Scout, awarded Medal of Honor in the Iraq War
Clark V. Poling	Scout leader, Hillsboro County, NH, Dutch Reformed minister, Army Chaplain, one of the Four Chaplains who died when the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed during World War II
Alan K. Simpson	Scout, U.S. Senator from Wyoming
John P. Washington	Scout leader, Elizabeth, NJ, Catholic priest, Army Chaplain, one of the Four Chaplains who died when the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed during World War II

In addition to this list, every U.S. President since William Howard Taft accepted the role in 1911 has served as honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America.  If you are searching for role model material, your search has ended.  Without doubt, some "bad" guys do and can claim a scouting heritage.  However, they are absolutely the exception and not the rule.  By and large, you would be hard pressed to find another organization that has had the kind of positive influence on our country and those that we trust to run it.

Here's to another 100 years of honor, integrity and trustworthiness! 

For more info: To find out more about scouting in the Indianapolis area, please visit http://www.crossroadsbsa.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.crossroadsbsa.org/pf.