BSA - Troop 502 - History and Background

Background and History

TROOP 502
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
ROSE BOWL DISTRICT
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY COUNCIL

Updated 02/27/06

roop 502 was chartered on May 23, 1940, and celebrates its 66th anniversary this year. It is one of the oldest Troops in La Cañada Flintridge. St. George's Episcopal Church is our sponsor. You can check out the current ages, school grades, and ranks of our Scouts in the Profile of our Troop. One hundred and one members of Troop 502 have become Eagle Scouts over the years, far above the 2% national average. Scouting is an outdoor program, and we emphasize fixed base camping and water adventures. We do some backpacking as part of our regular program but it's not our primary focus. The real choice of activities is up to the Scouts, however, and each year they put together an annual program.

We also attend a BSA summer camp each year. In 1996 and 1997 we went to Lost Valley Scout Reservation, in 1998 we attended Camp Kern, in 1999 we again went to Lost Valley, and in 2000 we went to Mataguay Scout Reservation in northern San Diego County. In 2001 we attended summer camp at Camp Emerald Bay in Catalina in July and a second summer camp at Lost Valley Scout Reservation in August. In 2002 we attended summer camp at Lost Valley Scout Reservation and Camp Trask. In 2003 we attended Camp Three Falls and Camp Kern. Camp Three Falls and Camp Kern were on our schedule for 2004. In 2005 we attended Camp Emerald Bay in Catalina and Lost Valley Scout Reservation.

After Lost Valley summer camp we reserved one week on board the Argus tall sailing ship, where our Scouts and adults actually crewed this ship and sailed the local waters. In addition, in conjunction with Crew 502, our affiliated Venture Crew, we offered our older Scouts a three week trip to Mongolia, China and Siberia at the end of June. We constructed a children's playground and painted murals as service projects in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which were accompanied by a few days of touring in Mongolia, China and Siberia.

Troop 502 is currently under the leadership of Gordon Wulke, our Scoutmaster as of June 9, 2003. Our former Scoutmaster, Darold Pieper, served from 1996 to 2003. He remains an Assistant Scoutmaster with the Troop.

Please click here to see some of our Troop Achievements and Awards!

Joining Information

Boys interested in possibly joining Troop 502 should contact the Scoutmaster at one of our meetings or by emailing sm@troop502.org. Annual membership dues are $200, and our primary means of communication is this website and email, so web access is essential. There are several informative letters and forms on this website that will help you prepare to join the Troop. In particular you might want to look at:

Welcome to St. George's Troop 502
Uniform Equipment Requirements
Uniform Standards
Participation Requirements
Personal Information Sheet
Consent to Medical/Dental Treatment of Minor
Class 1 & 2 Medical Form

Some commonly asked questions:

Q. Do I have to be a member of St. George's Church?

A. No. St. George's is our Troop's sponsor, but less than half of our members also belong to the church. We do follow the Scout Law and remember that a Scout is reverent, but we don't do or ask anything pf you that would interfere with your personal religious views or church attendance.

Q. When does the Troop meet?

A. Our regular meeting nights is Monday at 7:15 p.m. at Lower Softley Hall at St. George's Episcopal Church located at 4467 Commonwealth Avenue, La Cañada Flintridge. The meetings formally start at 7:30 p.m. and visitors are always welcome. We do not normally meet when school is not in session (school holidays and winter, spring, and summer recesses), but we do go to summer camp and may have other summer activities and training programs. If in doubt, consult "news and events" on this web site or ask a Troop Scout or adult leader.

Q. Do I have to attend every meeting?

A. We'd really like it if you did, but we know it's not always possible due to homework, sports, and illness. We do expect you to make as many meetings as you can, and we expect that you will share absences between Scouts and your other activities when conflicts do arise. Advancement depends in part on participation, and you should read about our participation standards.