The year was 1936. Franklin Roosevelt defeated Gov. Alf Landon in a landslide in that year’s Presidential Election. Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed for kidnapping and killing the Lindbergh baby. King Edward VIII abdicates, the Spanish Civil War begins, and it was the year that Howard Cowles became a Boy Scout at Troop 12 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.

Howard was a member of Troop 12 until he graduated from Williamsport High School in 1942 and went to Philadelphia for work and college. Howard’s father Clifford was an active committee member.
Troop 12 just celebrated its 100th Anniversary Reunion. Walt Nicholson contacted Howard’s son Russ and made the connection to get Howard to the reunion. Walt awarded Howard a Camp Kline 75th Anniversary patch in recognition of being the oldest scout to attend the event. Howard was 12 in 1932 when he joined scouts. It was a great way to celebrate Howard’s 82-year involvement with the Boy Scouts.

Howard says scouting has been a wonderful part of his life. He enjoyed the activities and advancing through the ranks. Going to Camp Kline was a special highlight of Howard’s Scouting experience. He remembers that Camp Kline was a beautiful place in the mountains on Pine Creek, and always looked forward to summer camp there.

Nicholson sent the Troop rosters from 1936-42 for Howard to look over. The names there brought back long forgotten memories of boyhood friends, and the good times they had in scouting. Howard spent quite a bit of time poring over the lists and talking about his old friends and their adventures.

When Howard had a family of his own, he became Scoutmaster for Troop 24 at Sacred Heart Church in Lancaster, Pa. Howard’s two sons Rick and Russ were both scouts in Troop 24. Russ remembers his first backpacking trip into the new Scout Camp there, Camp Mack. A young scout would be struggling with their overstuffed pack, and Howard would stop and take a few things out and put them in his soon really overstuffed pack.

Howard’s oldest son, Rick, became involved in Troop 24 as an adult when his two sons joined the troop. The Cowles family returned to Howard’s hometown, Williamsport, in 1970. Russ was 13 and joined Troop 38 at St. Ann’s Church, and Howard became a committee member. Howard and Russ completed their Tiadaghton Lodge Order of the Arrow Ordeal together at Camp Kline — Howard’s old camp. After returning from the Navy, Russ became the Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 38 and worked as a guide at Kline High Adventure Base while attending college.

Howard says that it is easy to see how important scouting has been in his family’s life. Scouting is an experience that stays with you for the rest of your life, even an almost 95-year life. Scouting can cross generations to influence sons, grandsons and beyond to live a life based on scouting’s values.