By Dr. Darrell Groman
The year 2010 marks the Centennial of the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years, histories have been written regarding the Boy Scouts in town.
However, histories about Cub Scouts have rarely been written. Cub Scouting was formally introduced in the USA in 1930. This program, for boys in the first through fifth grades, follows British Scouter and World Chief Scout Robert Baden-Powell's Wolf Cubs. "B-P" had based the Wolf Cubs on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. The youngsters were grouped in neighborhood "dens" of six to eight boys for after-school meetings in private homes.
As Mother's Day approaches, it is fitting to offer "A Tribute to Den Mothers" by recalling those who had taken the time to lead the local, energetic boys in their respective dens. From 1930 until 1970, the den leaders were officially known and registered in the local cub pack as Den Mothers.
The Den Mothers taught songs to the active boys; helped them to choose, practice and perform skits at the monthly pack meetings, to go on local field trips and to make plans for making their racing cars at home (with Dad's help) for the pack's annual Pinewood Derby.
Recently, complete records of Bluffton Cub Scout Pack #256 have been found, which date from 1954 through 1989. Pack #256 was officially chartered (originally as Pack #56 in Shawnee Council) by First Methodist Church in December 1954 with 42 boys. The first Cubmaster was J. Richard Weaver. By mid-1955, the pack grew to having 65 boys registered. In 1956, 72 boys had joined as Cub Scouts in Bluffton.
"The List" of those who had served Bluffton Cub Pack #256 as Den Mothers were:
1955 Ellen Herr, Dorothy Edwards, Mary Clark, Virginia Emans, Mildred Suttermeister, Margaret Weaver
1956 Louise Amstutz, Patricia Mast, Ellen Herr, Lois Rodabaugh, Virginia Edwards, Margaret Bogart
1957 Marie Stratton, Louise Amstutz, Mary Burkholder, Margaret Bogart, Lois Rodabaugh,
Helen Foltz, Patricia Mast
1958 Mrs. Ropp Triplett, Mrs. Robert King, Mrs. Carl Smucker, Mrs. Earl Lehman, Treva Kinsinger
1959 Mrs. Morris Triplett, Mrs. Nelson Diller, Mrs. Charles Kinsinger, Mrs. Charles Emans,
Mrs. Harley Steiner, Louise Amstutz, Phyllis Simcox
1960 Margaret Steiner, Faye McKibben, Betty Gratz, Betty Cookson, Louise Amstutz, Phyllis Simcox
1961 Eula Fett, Faye McKibben, Dorothy Eastman, Patricia Mast, Anna Reichenbach
1962 Joyce Hall, Peggy Augsburger, Mrs. Robert Bell, Mrs. Joseph Harris, Mrs. Harley Steiner,
Mrs. James Szabo, Mrs. Richard Gratz, Jean Reichenbach, Elizabeth Hauenstein
1963 Wanda Pannebecker, Martha Graber, Virginia Augsburger, Joyce Hall, Elizabeth Hauenstein,
Jean Reichenbach
1964 Wanda Pannebecker, Virginia Geiger, Carol Falk, Sara Jane Amstutz, Betty Lutz, Jean Reichenbach
1965 Eula Fett, Mary Ellen Ludwig, Jan Simons, Patricia Smith, Judy Augsburger
1966 Jan Simons, Patricia Smith, Judy Augsburger, Betty Yoknis, Betty Steiner, Jeanette Warren,
Jane Parish, Kaye Elwood, Oma Lee McManus, Alice Bogart, Christine Shedd
1967 Kaye Elwood, Jane Parish, Patricia Smith, Jeanette Warren, Christine Shedd, Mrs. Maurice Kohli,
Mrs. Robert Millager, June Strahm
1968 Lena Badertscher, Elaine Gossard, Rowena Kohli, Allene Luginbuhl, Beverly Millager,
Betty Steiner, June Strahm, Dorothy Edinger, Eloise Caskey
1969 Lena Badertscher, Eloise Caskey, Elaine Gossard, Rowena Kohli, Carol Koontz,
Allene Luginbuhl, Saundra Marshall
1970 Lena Badertscher, Juanita Fleming, Kathryn Little
. . . In 1971, the "Den Mothers" officially became known as "Den Leaders" . . .
1971 Lena Badertscher, Vicki Mumma, Jean Wagner, Charleen Carroll
1972 Lena Badertscher, Carolyn Gillette, Jean Wagner
1973 Lena Badertscher, Betty Huss, Diann Yoder
1974 Betty Huss, Jean Wagner, Diann Yoder
1975 no records
1976 Ruth Steiner, Kay Forman, Nancy Schweingruber
1977 Margaret "Peg" Murphy, Ruth Steiner, Carolyn Urich, Florence Weber, Melanie Mathewson,
Jeanne Ribley, Ruth Whitt, Karen Kopp
1978 Karen Kopp, Melanie Mathewson, Brenda Bridges, Peg Murphy, Sylvia Pletcher, Jeanne Ribley,
Joyce Winkeljohn, Carolyn Urich, Florence Weber, Ruth Whitt, Nancy Schweingruber
1979 Brenda Bridges, Karen Kopp, Peg Murphy, Sylvia Pletcher, Penny Cheney, Judy Kiracofe,
Susan Rhodes, Linda Stelzer, Nancy Schweingruber
1980 Peg Murphy, Barbara Chappell, Susan Rhodes, Linda Stelzer, Sylvia Pletcher, Nancy Schweingruber,
Brenda Gaines, Jane Good, Karen Deerhake
1981 Ruth Whitt, Brenda Gaines, Jane Good, Barbara Nusbaum, Linda Reichenbach, Gloria Geisheimer
1982 Brenda Gaines, Gloria Geisheimer, Jane Good, Linda Reichenbach, Karen Graham,
Marcia Lodermeier, Helen Spallinger
1983 Brenda Gaines, Emily Crawfis, Terry Downey, Gloria Geisheimer, Jane Good, Karen Graham
1984 Gloria Geisheimer, Brenda Gaines, Jane Good
1985 Sandy Standridge, Teresa Wilson, Kathleen Clinkscales, Sherry Welch
1986 Julie Herr, Linda Reichenbach, Kathy Burkholder, Lynda Best
1987 Wanda Bowers
1988 Anna Maria Brenneman, Pamela Raabe, Sonia Cupples, Kathy Burkholder
1989 Anna Maria Brenneman, Pamela Raabe
Maybe someday, this writer might be able to locate the whereabouts of my Den Mother, Mrs. Augsburger. I had joined Den 3 in January, 1965. The den met in the basement of her home on Old 25, just north of town after school.
I can't recall the names of the other boys in Den 3, the days we had met, nor the things we did as Cubs. All I can remember is that "I had fun!" and that this was the beginning of my personal hike "onwards and upwards" on the Scouting Trail.
Perhaps, Mrs. A. will be able to help me to "jog my memory" of the things we did as Cub Scouts in town. "Thanks, Mrs. A., for being my Den Mother!"
At the March planning meeting for Bluffton's 2011 Sesquicentennial, John Murray mentioned to me that he had been a Cub Scout in the late 1940's (dates well before Pack #256, noted above.)
He couldn't remember much about his Cub Scout activities, nor his pack's unit number; nor could others whom I had contacted later: Richard Basinger and Dean Badertscher.
All that John could recall was that his pack meetings had been in the basement of the Bluffton Presbyterian Church (possibly that pack's sponsoring organization?) However, one Den Mother from the late 1940's has been confirmed by Colletta Mullenhour. Her mother, Geneva Badertscher, was a Den Mother when her brother, Daryl, was a Cub Scout. Although as adults, we can't recall what we did as Cubs. But, we all know ..."We had fun!"
In Bluffton, in the surrounding communities, in towns and cities across the USA, many women have served as Den Mothers and, now, as Den Leaders.
Currently, Heidi Calvelage has been serving as a Den Leader in Pack #256 for the past three years. If I may, for this Mother's Day during the BSA's Centennial year, say on behalf of all Cub Scouts from the past and present: "Thank you, Moms, for being our Den Mothers and Den Leaders! We're having fun!"
