LEROYPENNYSAVER&NEWS -APRIL 10, 2016
LibertyLoanAndTheBoyScouts
byLynneBelluscio
Boy Scouts of America began
in1910, having taken ideas from
theScouts thatwereorganized in
England by Lord Baden Powell.
Two years later, Troop 1 was
formed inGeneseeCounty at St.
James Church in Batavia. The
HistoryofGeneseeCountymen-
tions that there was also a Boy
Scout Troop in Stafford, perhaps
as early as 1912.
Troop 6 which meets at the
Methodist Church in Batavia
just recently celebrated its 100th
Anniversary. It was chartered in
December1916and is the longest
active Scout Troop in the Coun-
cil. It is not certain when Boy
Scouting began in LeRoy, but it
certainlywas early.
In1918, the localScoutspartic-
ipated in theWorldWar ILiberty
LoanBonddrive. LibertyBonds
were issued by the Federal Gov-
ernment to fund World War I.
Both theBoyScouts and theGirl
Scouts raised money for bonds.
Themost famous poster shows a
BoyScout holding a huge sword
infrontof theStatueofLiberty. In
our files is a postcard fromApril
1918, which shows local Boy
Scouts with the Liberty Ball in
front of theMunicipal Building.
Scouts helped roll the ball from
Buffalo toAlbany.
TheLeRoyGazette
articlenotes
that: “The Liberty Ball reached
LeRoy about 12:30, having been
pulled inby theBoyScouts from
the Stafford town line. It was
placed in theMunicipalBuilding,
wheremany viewed it during its
sojourn here. Shortly after 2:00
o’clock the ball started on its
journey for Caledonia, themotor
power again being furnished by
theBoyScouts.”TheLibertyBall
was seven feet in diameter and
weighed 350 pounds. The frame
wasmade of steel and rattan and
itwascoveredwithheavycanvas
painted in red,white, andblue. It
rolledon abrass rim about a foot
wide. A rope was attached to an
axle thatwent through themiddle.
During the ceremony at the
Municipal Building, Mayor
Ward introduced Frank Lyon
of Binghamton, former Deputy
State Highway Commissioner,
who presented the Boy Scouts
with medals earned in the Sec-
ond Liberty Bond Campaign.
The newspaper listed eight boys:
William Towner, William Cull-
ings, DonaldLawrence, Maurice
Giles, John Gleason, Charles
Graney, PaulTaylor , and Duane
Smyth.Theboysarenot identified
in thepostcard, butwedida little
researchon theseboys and found
some information.
In 1918,WilliamCullingswas
17and laterworkedatLapp Insu-
lator. PaulTaylor lived inPavilion
but graduated from LeRoy High
School. In 1917, he enlisted in
the Navy, so I wonder if he was
in town in 1918. John Gleason
eventuallybecameassistantPost-
master inLeRoy andMauriceE.
Giles was fourteen in 1918. He
died in 1963 in Wisconsin. We
could not find information on
WilliamTownerorDuaneSmyth.
Charles Graney is problematic.
Dr.CharlesGraney–well-known
local physician,wouldhavebeen
already a practicing doctor and
not“aBoyScout” in1918.Never
the less, the 1918 event verifies
that there were boys in LeRoy
who were working on behalf of
theBoyScouts.
Records for these early years
inLeRoyareevasiveandwill re-
quireadditional research. In1924,
the Genesee Boy Scout Council
was formed, and that iswhen the
recent history of the Boy Scouts
begins. OnApril 4, 1924, seven-
ty-fivemen from the surrounding
communities met in the rooms
of the Oatka Hose Company in
LeRoy. Thomas Larkin, (owner
of LeRoy Plow Company) was
elected President of the Council
andhe introducedW.R.Kingfrom
Buffalowhohadbeenhiredas the
first Council ExecutiveDirector.
TheLeRoyGazette
reported that
“one of the great troubles with
America today is the fact that
fathers andmothers are thinking
for their boys and girls rather
than working and playing with
themand that becauseof this,we
are robbing our boys and girls
of the power to think and act for
themselves.” For that reason, the
Scoutingprogramswereessential
and itwassuggested that troopsbe
sponsored by the local churches.
After the oath, the orchestra of
Troop1of theLeRoyScoutsgave
“good music.” Then the Scouts
from the School For theBlind in
Batavia gave a first-aid demon-
stration. The LeRoy Boy Scouts
were tobeguidedbySchuylerC.
Wells, D.C. Prentice, Dr. George
Davis,CalvinKeeneyandThom-
asLarkin.
Troop 21 was affiliated with
thePresbyterianChurch andwas
chartered inApril 1924. Thefirst
Scoutmaster was Daniel Carroll.
Troop 22 was chartered in May
1924under thedirectionofScout-
masterWintropFollansbee. Itwas
affiliatedwith the LeRoy Recre-
ationDepartment. In the follow-
ing years, troops were affiliated
with the Methodist Church, St.
Peter’sChurch,andSt.Anthony’s
Church inLimerock.
