My son joined Cub Scouts when he was eight. That was a year older than his friends, but because of the dynamic nature of this group, he quickly caught up. I credit most of the pack’s excitement to the Cub Master, Judy Shelton. Judy’s son, Casey, and our son, Tommy, were almost the same age and already buddies from Niota School. Judy was a veteran bus driver and a farm wife, but still found time to work with about two dozen boys.

Back in 1989, Pack 275 was affiliated with Niota Baptist Church, but they often had activities at the Niota School, especially periodic pack meetings where the boys received badges and pins to show their progress.

Cub Scouts start out as Bobcats no matter when they begin cub scouting. Then the hierarchy is Wolf, Bear, and finally Webelos (WE’ll BE LOyal Scouts). In recent years Tiger Cubs were added for younger boys. Before Tommy graduated into the regular Boy Scout program, I was a Webelos den leader with a half dozen energetic boys.

If you aren’t familiar with Cub Scouts, you may have already seen a pattern. Much of the Cub Scouts is based after wolf packs. Specifically from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Books where Mowgli, the orphan boy was raised by wolves and a bear to be a useful member of the pack, and help all other members of the jungle community.

One of the staples of Cub Scouts was the yearly Pinewood Derby. My husband and son spent wonderful hours shaping blocks of wood into race cars that would speed down a twelve foot aluminum race course. Years later when I became a Cub Master in Athens, it was a yearly custom to borrow a track from another church for our boys to hold their derby.

My son and his buddies did day camps and parades together, went on hikes, visited historic places like Fort Loudoun, and even did skits at the school talent show. Still, what impressed me the most were the service projects.

There was one I remember in particular where the boys made a flower bed next to the flag pole in front of the Niota Post Office. Parents cut and then helped the boys stack the railroad-sized poles two-high. Then they filled it with dirt and plants. Later that year, when Judy took the pack over to the Post Office for a flag ceremony, the flowers had grown huge and beautiful.

Recently, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection due to past accusations of abuse. I find it tremendously sad that so few can disrupt not only the lives of vulnerable boys, but also the wonderful organization that has helped many boys over the years. I will always be grateful for the experience my son and I had in the Cub Scout organization. I still have my Cub Master’s uniform even though I haven’t been in that position for over eight years (and probably can’t get into it either). I hope the BSA is able to overcome and rise above this terrible problem and help other young people better themselves and others.

Susan Kite has five published books for young people. She has a novelette that will be included in an anthology, Zorro the Daring Escapades, coming out in May. A children’s book, The Legend of Billy Bob Flybottom will be published this fall. She is a member of Author’s Guild of Tennessee. Her author page is: www.bookscape.net and her Amazon page is: https://www.amazon.com/author/bookscape