By Richard Mabey Jr.
On the sixth of September of 1997, my beloved father turned 70. The day before, I turned 44. Early September of 1997 brought a very endearing and heart moving moment to my life. For I began to see just how much the words of the Scout Law and the Scout Oath really meant to my dad. Dad had served as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 170 nearly 30 years, from 1965 till 1994.
It was in 1997, that my cousin, Raymond Kemmerer served as an Assistant Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout Troop in a small town in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. During the Summer of 1997, my Uncle Pete and Aunt Alice hosted a big family reunion at the Knothe Farm in Randolph, New Jersey. There, Dad and Cousin Raymond became reacquainted and talked and talked about scouting. Before we all went home that day, Cousin Raymond invited Dad to give a talk at his scout troop.
So, after a couple of follow up telephone calls, between Dad and Cousin Raymond, it was decided that Dad would be a guest speaker and the scout troop’s big Court of Honor in September. I was honored when my father asked me if I wanted to go with him.
Dad didn’t want to encroach upon our cousin, so he decided to get a motel room, for the night of the big Court of Honor at Cousin Raymond’s scout troop. We arrived at the motel at about 3:00, on a Friday afternoon. I had taken a day off from my job at the phone company. There was a certain joy in the air. The temperature was beginning to drop, and soon the leaves of the maple, elm and oak would shame an artist’s canvas, with their brilliant colors.
As soon as we got settled into our motel room, Dad began reviewing his notes for his speech. I don’t know why I remember this, but I was in the midst of rereading Thomas Wolfe’s novel, “Look Homeward, Angel” for the fourth or fifth time. As I sat in the chair next to the window, Dad sat at this little table in the hotel room, rewriting his speech.
We took a break at about 5:30 or so and walked to a little restaurant in the center of town. There, in that little eatery, Dad confided in me that he was nervous about his upcoming talk. The Court of Honor was to begin at 8:00. So, Dad and I had just enough time to eat our supper, walk the block and a half back to our motel room and then change into our old scout uniforms.
To say that my dad knocked the ball out of the park, in giving his talk on scouting, is an understatement. Dad touched and moved the hearts of everyone in that meeting hall, when he gave his talk on what scouting meant to him. I nearly cried.
It occurred to me then, just how much my beloved father loved scouting. How his motto of “it’s better to teach a boy the straight and narrow, then to rehabilitate a wayward man” rang so true that night. My father believed in every single word of the Scout Law and the Scout Oath. He lived it in every aspect of his life.
It’s hard to believe that was over 18 years ago, when Dad gave his last talk on what scouting meant to him. I loved my father with all of my heart. I dearly miss him. If there are any words I can share with you, good reader, it’s this. Love the ones dear to your heart. Tell them. Forgive people when they do you wrong. Forgive, forgive, forgive and forgive again. None of us are going to live forever on this earth. None of us have a guarantee for tomorrow. Hold dearly this truth, that love is the most powerful force in the universe.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He has recently had two books published. He currently hosts a YouTube Channel entitled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” Richard may be contacted at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com.