Boy Scout Troop 75 is eagerly planning its 100th anniversary celebration and reunion, which is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., June 11th at the Kings Park High School. Organizers are hoping as many former scouts and leaders as possible will attend that event, which will honor Troop 75's generations-long legacy of quality scouting and allow current and former members, their families, and community supporters to share their experiences with Troop 75. The unit was established in 1916 as Troop 1 Kings Park and subsequently designated Troop 75 during a reorganization of the Suffolk County Council in the 1920s. In its century of continuous operations the troop has been a part of the fabric of life in the Kings Park area and delivered the promise of scouting to thousands of local boys — most of them from Kings Park but always a few from neighboring communities as well — drawn by Troop 75's strong reputation for its high adventure-leaning outdoor prop-am, its dedication to community service, and its adherence to traditional scouting principles and methods. In June of 1943, David Lyon, the first Troop 75 scout to do so, earned Eagle Scout, the highest rank awarded by the Boy Scouts of America. Currently there are a few scouts in the process of finishing up, and by this June's 100th anniversary celebration and reunion, exactly 73 years after the first, it is expected that a total of 80 scouts from Troop 75 will have attained the rank of Eagle Scout — including 13 within the prior two years alone. That represents 80 Eagle Scout leadership service projects, which substantially benefit the local community. Troop 75, which is currently one of the larger troops in Suffolk County with a roster of over 70 scouts and a couple of dozen adult leaders, is chartered to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5796 and hosted by Lucien Memorial United Methodist Church. For more information on Troop 75 and the June 11th 100th anniversary celebration and reunion, like its Facebook page (Troop 75 — Kings Park), visit its website (Troop75bsa.org), or email contact information to Troop75KP@gmail.com. |