Flint – “On my honor…”
For the last 100 years, millions of boys have uttered those three words as they started their journey in Scouting.
Today, as the Boy Scouts of America celebrates its centennial, community and business leaders in the Flint area honored the movement that has been instrumental to the personal growth of thousands of youth in Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee counties.
“This is a special day for everyone in Scouting,” Michael Chaffee, Scout Executive with the Tall Pine Council, Boy Scouts of America, said during an event to open a Scouting centennial exhibit at Sloan Museum.
“The Scouting movement has provided youth countless adventures – be it in the woods camping and hiking or in the community helping collect food for the needy or registering people to vote,” Chaffee said. “This celebration is not just a reflection on our storied past but a reminder that Scouting remains a relevant part of our lives.”
In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was formed, using Lord Robert Baden-Powell’s “Scouting for Boys” as a guide for preparing youth for a life of education and adventure.
The first Scout troop in Flint was formed in 1912 at Oak Park Methodist Church in Flint. By 1917, community leaders, including Charles Stewart Mott and Edwin Atwood, mobilized support for the creation of an official council to oversee Scouting activities in the Flint area.
The first council was called the Flint Council and included eight troops and 248 Scouts. Among the notable executive board members at the time were automotive pioneers Walter P. Chrysler, J. Dallas Dort, and C.S. Mott.
In 1925, the council was renamed the Flint Area Council with the addition of Lapeer and Shiawassee counties. Two years later, it became the Muscadawin Area Council and in 1937 it was named Tall Pine Council.
Today, Tall Pine Council serves 9,000 Scouts and operates two camps; Camp Tapico near Kalkaska and Camp Holaka in Lapeer County.
Information on the Scouting exhibit:
The exhibit will be on display in Sloan Museum’s Conclusion Gallery from February 6-28. During that time, any Boy Scout in Uniform will receive free admission to the Sloan Museum & Buick Gallery and $1 off admission to Longway Planetarium.
The discount cannot be used for any programs.
