West Windsor, New Jersey
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| History of Pack 66 |
| Pack 66 was
first chartered in May, 1947 but due to various short-term breaks
reached a 50 years of service in 1999. The Pack was first sponsored by the Penn's Neck PTA and met at Penns Neck School the last Thursday of each month. It started with 17 boys and three den mothers. The first Committee Chair was Eugene H. Margerum and the first Cubmaster was Rev. Wellington A. Chew of Mount Lucas Road in Princeton. In 1949 the Pack met at the Princeton Junction Firehouse, returning to Penns Neck School, this time on Friday nights, in 1951. Through most of the rest of the 50's the Pack met at the Dutch Neck Firehouse, which was also known as the West Windsor Firehouse. A number of the current traditions of the Pack were started in this decade. Ranks of Cub Scouts included Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Lion, and Weblos (current Packs have all but Lions). There was an annual fundraising project, which was selling light bulbs. The annual February Blue and Gold Banquet, recognizing the achievements of the Cub Scouts, appears to have begun as a covered dish supper. There was an end-of-year picnic, even then featuring hot dogs and hamburgers (though quoits were played in 1955, a game few Scouts know now). Activities included: trips to Connie Mack stadium in Philadelphia for baseball games; an outing to the Ringling and Brothers Circus; attending Princeton football games; and marching in the Princeton Memorial Day Parade. And there was a constant plea for more adult leaders to help. In 1959 the West Windsor Lions Club began sponsoring the Pack. The Scouts met at the Princeton Junction Firehouse, the Dutch Neck Firehouse, the Dutch Neck School and the Penns Neck School in the early '60's. William Bleacher was Cubmaster from 1959 to 1964, and Elmer W. Fry was Committee Chair for 4 years beginning in 1962. Scouting appears to have been very popular in West Windsor in the 1960's, as the Pack had over 100 boys from 1963 to 1967. In 1966 the Pack began meeting at the Maurice Hawk School one Friday night a month, a pattern that still continues. The early Pack traditions continued in the '60's, as well as the light bulbs sales. Pack activities included: Christmas parties, with cartoons and carol singing; an outing to Valley Forge park; Halloween parties; a trip to the Philadelphia Navy Yard; and skating parties at the Lawrenceville School. The first reference to the Pinewood Derby was in 1961, when 35 cars, built from kits by Cubs and Dads, were raced on an official track after the June Family Picnic. In the late '60's, the number of boys in the Pack declined somewhat, but in 1970 Alfred Conte became Cubmaster for 5 years and the enrollment again increased to over 90 boys for a few years. David Boshea Sr. was Committee Chair for three of those years. From 1976 to 1979 Robert Malcolm was Cubmaster, with Stephen Oberheim as Committee Chair. In 1979 Stephen Oberheim moved to Cubmaster and served another three years. One of the most rewarding activities of the '70's was a "Good Turn" Pack meeting in December, 1972, when Cub Scout Pack 66 did a good turn for Wilkes Barre, PA, Cub Scout Pack 77 after Wilkes Barre was hard hit by floods. Each Cub Scout brought a gift to the meeting with a personal note in each package. A group of Cubs, accompanied by Cubmaster Al Conte, Assistant Cubmaster Lou Hutchinson and Committee Chairman Dave Boshea delivered the gifts to the boys of Pack 77, most of whom would be living in trailers until summer, at a special meeting in Wilkes Barre. In the early '80's the Pack had just under 50 boys and was led by Charles Morgan as Cubmaster and Joseph Kielec as Committee Chair. In 1984, Joseph moved to Cubmaster for another 3 years. Bradley O'Cheskey served as both Committee Chair and Cubmaster in the mid-'80's, with Robert Hutchinson as Committee Chair. In 1989, Richard Miller became Committee Chair and served in that role for six years. Barbara Wethe, Sharon Hardy and John Kowalchik were Cubmasters during that time, with John continuing in that role until 1998. George Krebs and Ingrid Brase worked with John as Committee Chair. The Pack grew from approximately 50 boys through the '80's and early '90's to 96 this year. In the early '90's, the Fundraising project was changed from the annual light bulb sale to participation in the official Cub Scout fundraiser, the sale of Trail's End popcorn. Activities of the Pack still include the annual Blue and Gold dinner to recognize achievements, a year-end picnic, and sport and nature outings. The Pack is still sponsored by the Lions and is currently led by Committee Chairman Fred Munch and Cubmaster Philip Slater. There are approximately 75 first to fifth grade boys in the Pack, which meets monthly at Maurice Hawk School. Monthly activities typically include Indoor Olympics, Carnival Night, Pinewood Derby, Conservation Night, a bike race or rodeo and a family camp-out. In weekly meetings, dens of 3 to 8 boys work on activities geared to their grade level in areas related to citizenship, physical fitness and sportsmanship, family life, and learning about their world. In all of their activities on the Pack level or in the Dens, the Cub Scouts in Pack 66 are guided by the motto, "Do your best!". |
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