Troop 132, - Scouting Memories

L to R:  Me, ? (he lived on Hicks Rd), ?, James Brown, Walker Gaines, Gene Sanges, and Frankie Hunter

My friends and I belonged to Troop 132, sponsored by Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, which at that time was on the corner of Church Street and Kennesaw Avenue.

We had some good and interesting events.  When I first joined I was told to watch the scoutmaster at the head table, he scratched his balls a lot.  He did, and we all anticipated it and giggled when he did.  Anybody that misbehaved was sentenced to the belt-line after the meeting.  We all lived.    We went to several Cracker Baseball games on Ponce de Leon, across from Sears Roebuck.  For a couple of years we ushered the football game between Tech and UGA Freshman either on Thanksgiving or very close to it.  We went to several Saint Joseph Catholics events to get awards and to usher.  Although their church was on Church Street they already owned the land on the corner Lacy And Campbell Hill, so we went to some outside events there.... I was always amazed to see the priest drink beer and smoke.  We were mostly Baptists and Methodists - so we didn't know what to think.  Once to raise money our troop had a corn beef and cabbage dinner and bingo game at the gym in the middle of Marietta Place.  Again, there was the priest, smoking, drinking beer, and this time gambling.  Wow!

   We first met in the Clay Homes public meeting place, then we met at the granite County Extension building at Waddell and Lawrence Street.  At each place a certain few of us little vipers made us get kicked out for stealing office supplies, vandalism, and other things.  I forgot where we went after the County Extension Building.  But after one or two move kick-outs the troop was disbanded and we went to the boy scout troup sponsored by Shady Groves Baptist Church  on Bells Ferry Road and for some strange reason they disbanded too.  By that time we were getting old enough to get into the BSA Explorers which we joined the Explorer troop at Maple Avenue Methodist Church.  We had some fun adventures and our new scout master made the wise decision to kick the late Jimmy Pat Presley  out after he was caught in the church's ceremonial wine.

While explorers at Maple Avenue troop one time we camped behind the scout master's house near Polk Street and  Burnt Hickory Road.  We were so far behind his house I think we were on the Anderson Farm, owned by  J.T. Anderson and his family.  The next morning after camping there we walked and climbed Kennesaw Mountain.  To get there we walked through a pasture.  There were about a dozen brand new 1956 Chevrolets in that pasture.  James T. Anderson owned the Chevrolet dealership.

Another time we went to Salt Peter Cave near Cartersville and spent the weekend.  We explored inside the many rooms.  I was so impressed, years later I brought friends there to go inside the mysterious cave.

L to R:  Gene Sanges, Walker Gaines, Me, & Frankie Hunter

1st row seating: ? Wallace, Raymond "Snookie" Partain, ?, James Brown, and ?

the others in back = ?

Scout master on right: Huey Hamilton

L to R: visible faces: Ken Braswell, Jackie Turner, Frankie Hunter, and ?

I remember my father carried a carload of us boys out Macland Road to a camping rendezvous.   We arrived before the scoutmasters, of course.  We had to wait a while.  Bored, we started telling dirty jokes.  Or they did, my daddy was sitting there hearing every word, but keeping his mouth shut.  I still remember the joke Frankie Hunter told:  How is a woman and a skillet alike?  They both had to be hot before you put your meat to them.   I sat there plain face not laughing.  I was waiting and planning  for our camping trip to get underway so I could whip Frankie.'s  ass, which was no problem.  

 By the way, I am not related to Frankie Hunter.  Coincidentally we both lived on Manget Street.  His father was Francis Hunter and at times the post office got our mail confused because my grandfather was Frank Hunter, who lived there too.

Me and Tony Hester

L to R:  Mickey Griffin, ?, Me, and Tony Hester

On one of our camping outings in a pine thicket near Hicks Road, apparently we had a big fire which could be seen from the road.  A gang of teenagers slipped through the woods hollering threats.  We, with our big mouths, dared them.  They surrounded us fairly close and then the scout masters and some adults jumped out and chased them.  They caught one.  I remember he was very nice and polite and scared.  

I forgot if they called the police or told him to get gone or what.

L to R:  ? Stokes, James Brown, and Me

On our first camping trip George Hobby, my neighbor and buddy, was an explorer scout in Troop 132,.  As an initiation in the troop in the late hours around the camp fire he ran my new sleeping bag up the flog pole and blasted it with a shotgun he had with him.  George became a Cobb County Deputy Sheriff..  He died a few years ago.

Me and Tony Hester in my parents' front yard on Manget Street, across from Larry Bell Park.

We also went on a few Boy Scout Jamborees at Bert Adams Scout Camp where a business park near Cumberland Mall is now.  Jimmy Pat Presley got us in trouble at these jamborees more than once, and he also got into a couple of fights there.