Boy Scout Troop No. 17

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Boy Scout Troop Number 17 out of Claude, Texas. Now, when folks talk about scouting west of the Mississippi River, most of 'em are picturing some troop that came along after the dust settled, after the roads got paved and the towns got comfortable. But this story starts earlier than that.

Way earlier. We're talkin' May of 1912. And the man who got the whole thing going was Dr.

W. A. Warner, a pioneer physician born in 1864 and gone from this world in 1934, who apparently decided that running a drugstore and a medical office wasn't quite enough to keep him busy.

So he organized what would become one of the oldest Scout troops west of the Mississippi River. Think about that for a second. One of the oldest.

West of the Mississippi. That is a wide piece of geography and a long stretch of time to be sitting near the top of. The first troop, about thirty boys strong, met in a room right above Dr.

Warner's drugstore and office. You want atmosphere, there it is. Young boys gathered up above the medicine and the remedies, learning something that would shape the rest of their lives.

Dr. Warner served as the first scoutmaster himself, and the marker is careful to give credit where it's due. He was followed by John W.

McClure, then Bert C. Wooldridge, then Cecil Waggoner, and then J. L.

McFarland. A line of leaders, each one carryin' the torch forward. And the marker says something that doesn't get said enough about a person: because of Dr.

Warner's foresight, many of Claude's civic leaders were influenced in their youth by the ideals of scouting. That's a legacy you can't hang on a wall, but you can see it walkin' around town. The troop even earned itself a name.

Troop Number 17, also called the Lone Star Pioneers. And here's the detail that makes you sit up a little straighter: the troop is governed by the Scouts themselves, through their Junior Council. The kids are runnin' it.

Just like Dr. Warner probably figured they should.

What the marker says

One of the oldest Scout troops west of the Mississippi River, this group was organized in May 1912 by pioneer physician Dr. W. A. Warner (1864-1934). The first troop of about 30 boys met in a room above Dr. Warner's drugstore and office. Because of his foresight, many of Claude's civic leaders were influenced in their youth by ideals of scouting. Dr. Warner served as the first scoutmaster, followed by John W. McClure, Bert C. Wooldridge, Cecil Waggoner, and J.L. McFarland. Troop No. 17, also called the "Lone Star Pioneers," is governed by the Scouts through their Junior Council. (1975)