October 2003

Ten male residents at St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center are proof that you’re never too old to become a Boy Scout. The men recently became members of St. Camillus’ Golden Eagle Scout program, the first such group chartered by the Hiawatha Seaway Council, Central New York’s Boy Scout’s division. The program kicked off in September with the Golden Eagle Scout’s first meeting. For some in the group, this is their second go around with scouting.

		From left, Jerome Prigoff of St. Camillus’ Golden Eagle Scout Troop 97 tries to tie a knot as fellow senior scout member Sidney Spillett and Hiawatha Seaway council district director, John Witford, look on. This is the second go around with scouting for both Prigoff and Spillett.

St. Camillus’ Golden Eagle Scout Troop 97 is the first senior troop in New York State and only the second in the country. The program will allow the men to reminisce and share common interests as they work toward becoming Eagle Scouts. This process will include intergenerational activities where the senior scouts will learn from local troops, and local troops will work with the men on skills such as earning their handicapped badge.

Resident Jerome Prigoff is a former scoutmaster and eager to get going on projects with the rest of his senior troop members. "I’m glad to be part of this organization… to see these men here and become acquainted with them."

The facility’s licensed charter will follow all the Golden Eagle Scout requirements for the year. They will meet monthly, learning a skill one month and then hold a badge ceremony the next. The troop began learning how to tie knots at their first meeting, and reciting the Boy Scout oath, which some residents remembered from their days as a Boy Scout.

		Frank Weiss (standing at left), St. Camillus activity leader, leads the Golden Eagle Scouts in reciting the Boy Scout Oath. Taking their picture is photographer, Gloria Wright, of The Post-Standard. A front-page story about the troop appeared on 11/17/03.

John Witford, the Hiawatha Seaway council’s district director, Frank Weiss, St. Camillus activity leader, and Mary Ellen Goodbread, CTRS, St. Camillus director of activities, have been working hard to get the senior troop started, and have provided a curriculum with four on staff to support the program. Weiss got the program off the ground after being inspired by an article about the country’s first senior troop at a Philadelphia, Pa., continuing care facility.

		From left, Golden Eagle Scouts Sidney Spillett and Martin Stas listen to St. Camillus Environmental Services Director Dave Castaldo talk about fishing equipment during the troop’s November meeting. Castaldo’s presentation was the group’s first step in earning their fishing badge. The men are planning a spring fishing outing.

The first St. Camillus Golden Eagle Scout outing was in late September at the Bill Hilcourt Scout Museum located at Camp Woodland in Constantia. The troop worked on earning their nature badge. One of the seven gentlemen at the outing, Sidney Spillett, has a long history with the camp. As a teenage Boy Scout he started going there in 1929 and spent every summer at the camp until he came to St. Camillus in 2000. Sidney helped build the camp’s buildings and its museum displays. He became very emotional during the recent visit when he was shown his old tools and bedroom.

"We saw uniforms [at the camp] dating back to 1930," said resident and senior scout, Harvey Harris. "Sidney’s picture was plastered all over the place."

	Liz Hacken (left), contributing writer for The Post-Standard, interviews senior scout Jerome Prigoff for her article that appeared in the paper's 11/17/03 issue.

The troop has been busy recently working on a number of badges. They’ve also received many requests from local Boy Scout troops to work on projects together following a November article about the senior troop in Syracuse’s daily newspaper, The Post-Standard. Some of their upcoming projects include the Pinewood Derby in January and a Scout show at Great Northern Mall in February.