Thomas D. Trainor Scout Museum

05/30/2022

The “John Dam Technical Center” is the name given to a portion of the Graham Hall Pavilion in D-bar-A’s Pines Campsite. This honor was given to John Dam, a member of many training staffs, in 2010. Mr. Dam was heavily involved for many years on the Three Rivers and Mahican District Boy Scout training staffs, spent ten years on Okpik staff, staffed five Wood Badge and three NYLT courses.

John frequently did tech support for training, which included set up and tear down of wiring the Friendship Center, Graham Hall, and a couple of other pavilions at camp. After a few rounds of this, John decided to simply the process for training courses at The Pines, including Wood Badge and NYLT. He donated a PC, an AV switch, a powered mixer, four weatherproof speakers, and some other gear for use by Wood Badge and NYLT, and installed permanent wiring in Graham Hall. That project also included wiring a couple of new electrical outlets, speaker connections, rebuilding the projector shelf, and installing a monitor mount. This made the setup a matter of plugging a computer and the mixer into the new power outlets, running cables to connect everything – a computer, projector, and the speakers. These improvements reduced set up and tear down time from about four hours or more for one person, to less than an hour.

As an acknowledgement of this major project, the AV area in Graham Hall was named the “John Dam Technical Center” in 2010.

John attended C-08-01, staffed C-20-03, C-46-04, and C-13-06, was course director for C-46-07, and then staffed C-34-08 (an LDS course). He staffed NYLT courses in 2006, 2007, and 2008. In recent years John has primarily been involved in Haunted Forest and as a volunteer on the ranger staff at the ranch.

05/09/2022

Longtime Scouting Professional Orion “O.B” Evenson (1906-1981) is honored with a plaque on a boulder near D-bar-A Scout Ranch’s Cow Camp campsite. Although O.B. did not work in the Michigan during his 32 year career, he was a close friend of former Scout Executive Joe Wyckoff, who led the Detroit Area Council from 1971 to 1987.

O. B was born in Wisconsin’s St. Croix county in 1906. There he was a member of the original lone scout organization. Later he would become a charter member of the first Boy Scout troop in Stanley, ND. He attended the University of Minnesota. He became a volunteer Scouter before deciding to spend his life serving the organization.

After attending the 27th national training school for Scout Executives, he hired into the profession as an apprentice field Scout executive at Minneapolis, Minnesota, and after about a month moved to Billings, Montana, in July, 1930, as field Scout executive. In November, 1930, he became field Scout executive at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This was of course, the epicenter of the dust bowl in the midst of the great depression.

In December, 1931 he was Scout executive at Minot, North Dakota. Here he worked with former Gov. Ragnvald Nestos to strongly develop Scouting in the largely rural area. Here they pioneered getting more leaders trained via a correspondence course by providing materials through the mail.

Another depression Era trick he implemented was to make a pamphlet that promoted Scouting, but also had the tenderfoot rank requirements included. This turned out to be very useful to many boys that couldn't afford a Scout handbook.

In November of 1936 he became deputy regional Scout executive in Region IV, Cincinnati, Ohio. Here his responsibility was to intensify Scouting in rural areas. From May, 1941, until September, 1951, except for thirty-three months in the military service, he was assistant director of the Rural Scouting service at the home office. He retired in 1962.

Nick Spencer-Berger provided the biographical details and the photo for this post. Additional thanks for David Morosky and Jay Bottorff for help with the details.

08/24/2021

The Michigan Crossroads Council will conduct an Honor Guard Salute to Service for Jacques "Jack" Sims, who recently went home to be with his Lord. Our hearts go out to his wife Winona (Terry) and his children. Jack served Scouting and its youth with exceptional grace, passion, and commitment for 43 years as the Ranger of D-Bar-A Scout Ranch.
We respectfully ask our Scouting family to join us along with Jack’s family on Sunday, August 29th, to be part of the Honor Guard in a final salute to Service for him. Please arrive in your official BSA Field Uniform (Class-A) at D-Bar-A Scout Ranch (880 E. Sutton Rd, Metamora, Michigan 48455), no later than 12:30 pm. Those in attendance will line the roads of camp in a final salute, showing our appreciation for his lifetime of service to the Scouting movement. His casket will progress through the ranch, entering through the maintenance gate at sharply 1 p.m.

A public processional will follow at the large Marsh flagpole west of Wyckoff Lodge and north of the Trainor Museum. Parking and traffic attendants will be on-site to guide you to parking and where to line up before the formal procession starts. Scouts & Scouters are invited to give their final respects under a large tent where he will lay in repose until 4 pm. A video tribute to Jack will be on display in the tent during this repose.

We hope to see you Sunday, August 29th, for one final time, to offer a “Salute to Service” to Jacques “Jack” Sims for the passionate and selfless service to generations of Scouts and Scouters he gave as part of the historic legacy of D-bar-A Scout Ranch. Please dress appropriately for the weather and bring water.

For planning purposes, please pre-register and indicate the number of guests. https://michiganscouting.org/honorguard-jacksims/
If you have photos of Jack that you wish to share, please upload them here -- https://michiganscouting.org/photoupload/

08/19/2021

A message from the Michigan Crossroads Council Scout Executive:

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Jack Sims this afternoon. Jack suffered a brain bleed on Sunday and was unable to recover. Our hearts go out to his wife Winona (Terry) and his children. Jack served Michigan Scouting for 43 years as a passionate and committed member of this team giving leadership to the D Bar A Scout Ranch for many of those years, he will be greatly missed. We will keep you posted on any details abiding by the wishes of his family. They have asked for privacy in the immediate future. There will be a memorial and life celebration at the Ranch at an undetermined date. Keep his family and D Bar A family in your hearts and prayers.

Don Shepard | Scout Executive/CEO

06/20/2021