Boy Scout Troop 1 (Troop 44)

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Boy Scout Troop 1, also known as Troop 44, out of Van Alstyne, Texas. Now, every good story has a beginning, and this one starts with a storybook. The U.S.

Congress chartered the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. Just two years later, three boys in Van Alstyne got their hands on a Boy Scout storybook. Three boys: Rowland Barnett, Otis White, and Rae Nunnallee.

And something about those pages lit a fire. Rowland Barnett made a Christmas wish. You know the kind.

The kind a boy makes when he really means it. And come March of 1913, the Van Alstyne troop received its charter, one of the first in the entire state of Texas. Rowland's father, W.F.

Barnett, who happened to be the Van Alstyne school superintendent, stepped up as the troop's very first scoutmaster. A son makes a wish, and a father shows up to lead. That's Van Alstyne for you.

They called themselves Troop 1 in those early days, and they didn't sit still. Within a few years, they helped establish other boy scout troops in the area, startin with the communities of Anna and Elmont. A troop barely old enough to shave, already reachin outward.

Through the 1920s, they rolled up their sleeves for a citywide cleanup to control disease and insect population. Unglamorous work, but somebody had to do it, and these scouts did. In the 1940s, the troop's number changed to 44, and by 1948, the city of Van Alstyne donated land for a scout hut that has been used for meetings ever since.

Then came 1959, and this is where the story stretches its legs a little. The troop took part in the relay of the Pan American Games torch as it traveled all the way from Mexico City to Chicago. Van Alstyne, Texas, holding a torch meant for the whole western hemisphere.

Think about that. The troop also became the first integrated troop in the Texoma Valley Council. That line sits quietly in the inscription, but it deserves to be heard plainly and with full weight.

Beginning in 1917, Van Alstyne's First United Methodist Church became an official sponsor of the troop. Other local organizations and churches have joined in over the years, and that Methodist church has kept right on supporting them, continuously, all the way through. Now, remember that storybook from 1912?

Remember the boy named Rae Nunnallee who read it? He never really put it down. Rae Nunnallee was an active troop member for seventy years.

He joined as a boy, and he stayed, servin in a number of key roles both locally and nationally. For his dedication and service, the chapel at nearby Camp Grayson was named in his honor. The marker says he set an example others in the community have followed, that he generously gave his time, his labor, and his care for the boy scouts in Van Alstyne.

A storybook arrives in 1912. A charter follows in 1913. And one boy who read those pages kept giving for seventy years.

Some wishes, it turns out, are less about getting something and more about becoming someone.

What the marker says

Boy Scout Troop 1 (Troop 44) The U.S. Congress chartered the Boy Scouts of America organization in 1910. Just two years later, three Van Alstyne boys, Rowland Barnett, Otis White and Rae Nunnallee, received a Boy Scout storybook. Barnett made a Christmas wish and, in March 1913, the Van Alstyne troop received its charter--one of the first in the state. W.F. Barnett, Rowland's father and Van Alstyne school superintendent, became the troop's first scoutmaster. Within a few years, Troop 1, as it was known then, helped establish other boy scout troops in the area, beginning with the communities of Anna and Elmont. The Van Alstyne troop worked from its founding date to serve its community. Through the 1920s, the troop helped in a citywide cleanup to control disease and insect population. In the 1940s, the troop's number changed to 44, and in 1948, the city donated land for a scout hut, which has since been used for meetings. In 1959, the troop took part in the relay of the Pan American Games torch as it traveled from Mexico City to Chicago. The Van Alstyne troop also became the first integrated troop in the Texoma Valley Council. Beginning in 1917, Van Alstyne's First United Methodist Church became an official sponsor of the troop, which has since been sponsored by other local organizations and churches, as well as being continuously supported by the Methodist church. Scout leaders have included many men and women from the community, including one whose interest was piqued in 1912 by the storybook. Rae Nunnallee was an active troop member for 70 years, joining as a boy and later serving in a number of key roles, both locally and nationally. For his dedication and service, the chapel at nearby Camp Grayson was named in his honor. Setting an example others in the community have followed, Nunnallee generously gave his time, labor and care for the boy scouts in Van Alstyne. (2003)