Scout Master's Heaven

Chuck with his Boy Scouts - circa 1970's

Scout Master's Heaven
by Charles Lee Butler

St. Peter stood there at the Pearly Gate

Determining each of the applicant's fate.

When up the path came a quiet man

With a thoughtful look and a suit of tan.

"Come in, come in," St. Peter cried,

"Nothing to you will be denied.

"Your life below we've watched with joy

"As you spent your time with each new boy."

"We've watched you work with real delight

"As you camped beneath our stars at night.

"So here's your harp; it's our golden best,

"And there's your cloud, so take your rest."

Now the Scout Master stood with a doubtful grin.

"I guess I'm not sure I want to come in.

"The cloud and the harp are pretty to see,

"But to ride and to play isn't heaven to me."

"Just give me the boy that was hit by a car,

"And the one who went out in the lake too far,

"The boy that was felled by an illness grave,

"And the one that was lost in the lonely cave."

"Give me the boys who were called back here

"Before they saw their first wild deer,

"Before they hiked on a mountain trail,

"Or found the nest of a hawk or quail."

"A harp and a cloud may be fine for some,

"A welcome rest for a job well done.

"But give me some boys who are just eleven,

"And for me, this will be a Scout Master's Heaven!"

 

 

Chuck's life was taken suddenly when he was killed in a car accident 

on his way home from work on August 25, 1977.

This poem that he had written sometime earlier 

was read at his funeral.

Scoutmaster Chuck

Charles Lee Butler - serious Scouter

The Boy Scout program was one of Chuck's great loves.  Together with Lou, he was involved with his sons and nephews and helped each one of those boys achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.  

In 1964 he served as Scoutmaster of Jamboree Troop 52 and attended the Boy Scout National  Jamboree in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where there were more than 50,000 Boy Scouts and leaders in attendance.   He took his sons, Steve and Gary, and nephew, Don, and had a great adventure.  

 He began whittling while attending Boy Scout camp as a leader, and through the years taught countless young boys how to carve.

Pueblo Star-Journal  April 27, 1967

He was the Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 12 in the Pueblo, Colorado Ward for 10-12 years.

Scoutmaster Chuck with his Koshare carving

In 1970 he was awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest honor that a local council can present.

What a great legacy of service.

Silver Beaver Scouter

Dad was involved in Scouting for much of his life, and had helped his four sons and two nephews achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

In 1978, he was honored with the Silver Beaver award for his service in the Boy Scouts of America. This award is among the most prestigious given by the Boy Scouts, and recognition is granted by one's own peers in Scouting for distinguished service to youth.

It appears he was qualified!

As part of the nomination process the following recommendations and tributes were submitted in his behalf:

From his nephew, Charles Steven Butler:
"He is a proponent of an idea once expressed by philosopher John Stuart Mill. 'Men are men before they are doctors, lawyers or engineers; and, if they are good men, they will be good doctors, good lawyers and good engineers.' Lou Butler, however, takes this one step further. Boys are boys before they are men; and, if they are good boys, they will be good men. To this end, then, Lou Butler has dedicated his life and unselfishly given of his time and talents.

"I would at this time convey to you the recommendation of my father, Charles L. Butler. In life he had expressed to me a desire that his brother Louis E. Butler, be awarded the honor of the Silver Beaver, firmly believing that he deserved such honor in every respect. Therefore, in consonance with my father's wishes and my own judgment of an exceptional man, I do at this time strongly urget he bestowal of the honor of Silver Beaver upon Louis Edward Butler."

From his sons:

"We feel that our father deserves this award because of his service to boys, beginning with his sons and expanding to an outstanding scout troop, to the Fountain District, to the El Pueblo District, and to units in much of Southeastern Colorado. He has used the same leadership, which built a successful troop, to encourage scout leaders in a wide area to give quality service to thousands of boys. He has especially served in the areas of citizenship and moral development, building in all he encounters the importance of being true to God and country. He has continued to work in scouting long after his own sons have children of their own, having and spreading the philosophy that scouting is a lifetime activity worthy of every minute or penny spent participating in it."

A well deserved honor

The Eagle's Nest

Lou was involved in Scouting from the time he was a young boy, and continued the tradition with his sons and nephews. The following picture and story appeared in the Pueblo newspaper on February 7, 1964:

In 1961 Lou, Jr. and Jim received their Eagle Scout awards.


In 1963 the twins joined the prestigious group.

The Butler family Eagle tradition has continued as several of the grandsons (those pictured below as well as others) have earned the award. While processing Dad's memories, I found these pictures and the following journal entry.

December 29, 1989

Jeremy - Chuck - Tom - Chuck - Grandpa Lou

January 3, 1990 - One of the highlights of our stay [during Christmas break, 1989 in Germany] was the Eagle Court of Honor for Tom and Chuckie. They are both taller than I am now, and such big good looking kids. And they are doing great in school as well as in Scouts and church. Jeremy is a Star Scout now and headed for his Eagle as soon as he is eligible, but that will have to be in the States now. He is also getting big, almost as tall as I am.

And these words, hand written on the back of the program for that Eagle Court of Honor, are representative of how proud Grandpa was of all of his Eagle Scout grandsons:

"Great thrills:
Father - to see sons become Eagles
Grandfather - to see grandsons become Eagles"