I joined the Troop in the fall of 1950 and the first camping trip was the Spring Camporee. Since we didn't have any equipment at the start, we slept in 8-man army tents, with cots, no less. The first Scoutmaster that I remember was named Logan Ratliff, ASM. Another name I recall was A.H. Minnow. Thinking about things that far back, I cannot recall many names. I suppose if I heard a name, then I would remember the person and things about them. We went to summer camp for two weeks at Camp Roosevelt on the Bay. This was always the highlight of the year. Everyone got their swimming and boating merit badges there. I recall we did this every year.

At age 14, I joined the explorer post run by William A. Carr, Jr. Their specialty was riflery and didn't go camping very much. I found myself drifting back to the Troop as a JASM. When I turned 18, I became an Assistant Scoutmaster in the Troop. I also completed my Eagle badge. I was the first one ever to go that far back then. We had an excellent Troop and were very active. We went camping once a month, then had a summer camp experience, and for the first class Scouts and above, a week-long hike along the Appalachian Trail (a/k/a "the Death Marches"). Boy, can I tell stories about those trips. We even had our own Troop neckerchief and patrol competition was intense. The two Scoutmasters I worked closely with as an Assistant Scoutmaster were John Abel and Claude Fike. I was never the Scoutmaster, since I was either in college or graduate school at the University of Maryland at the time. I was gone most summers (except for the hikes) working in summer camps in Vermont.

The Troop always met in the basement of the church (it wasn't a hall back then). When the new Church was built, we always stayed in the same place. We met every Friday night except for summer when the meetings were bi-weekly. The size of the troop was between 25-40 over the years. We usually had 4-5 patrols of 7-8 members each. Our camping trips went everywhere and twice we would try to start permanent camps for the Troop on donated private land from Church members. But each time after we built campfire rings, trails, and water supplies, we lost the lease. It was disappointing. Once was near Vint Hill and the other was east of the Virginia mountains.

As for personal information, I moved out of the area in 1963, and in 1966 took a job with the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. I am still there and am Chairman of the Economics Department at the University and full Professor. I love the West and it was mainly the Scouting experiences that convinced me that I wanted to live where the mountains and wildlife abound. That is why I work in Wyoming. I haven't been active in Scouting since about 1971. I am divorced and have two sons, one who works in Maryland and another who is in high school.

You asked about Daniel Walker. He was a member of Troop 111 only for a short time. His Dad was chairman of the Troop Committee and was a Warrant Officer in the Air Force. He was transferred out of the area soon after Daniel received his Eagle badge (he probably was the second Eagle Scout in the Troop as I recall).

This letter is about all I can recall about Troop 111 unless you have some specific names or questions. You have my phone numbers. The one thing I haven't wrote are the stories and experiences, but you must remember I was the one who told all the ghost stories around the campfires in those days and buried the ashes. Like the first time I went camping in the Troop and the Scout leaders did the cooking and we had Italian spaghetti for dinner: the sauce was cooked all day. All of us kids wouldn't eat it (today I couldn't wait for something like this). We all pretended to like it, but that night the latrine was overflowing with spaghetti from our mess kits.

Keep up the good work and the traditions--there are many. I know only too well the effort it takes.

Sincerely,

Dr. Curt Cramer

Fall 1998