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Troop 152 reunites
In the early 1940s Dunn Loring resident Ray Worley was a young boy attending Vienna Elementary School.These days, he's a little older, and is a highly respected official in adult education. Nevertheless, this Friday, he'll follow in the footsteps of his younger self and attend a meeting of Boy Scout Troop 152 at Vienna Presbyterian Church, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week.
Worley wasn't a member when the troop formed in 1933, but he began his quest for merit badges not too long after.
“It just seemed like a good thing to do,” Worley said of his joining the Scouts.
Many years later, that's still true.
Roxanne Paul, a widow and mother of three, credits the Scouts with helping her sons grow up.
“It meant a lot for them to be around the other dads when they were young,” Paul said.
All three of her sons have made Eagle Scout and moved on, but Paul remains affiliated with Troop 152. When she saw that the troop's 75th anniversary was coming up, she organized a reunion and got the word out to alumni.
Jack Lundin, now 82, is a former Scoutmaster himself. In the late 60s, he was Troop 152's Scoutmaster and he has three Eagle Scout sons of his own.
“Scouting teaches good citizenship in a way that's fun,” said Lundin, who still works with the Boy Scouts of America.
When Worley and Lundin were members of Troop 152, Vienna was a very different place. “There were woods everywhere,” Lundin recalled.
He used to camp out with his Scouts in a lot of places now covered by housing developments.
When Worley was a Scout, he had to dig his own latrines on Scouting excursions, and it was his goal to light his campfires with just one match, using no paper or other fire starter. “We had lots of opportunity to be in the woods,” Worley said.
This week, Lundin's three sons will travel to Vienna from all over the U.S to reunite with their fellow troop mates, past and present.
“I think it will be so inspiring for parents to see all those kids grown up into young men,” Paul said.'
email the reporter at mtayloe@timespapers.com
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