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Longtime leader recalls best days of Boy Scouting, and how local troop handles current controversy
Buy This PhotoRaymond Gotty of Tobyhanna has been a Boy Scout troop leader for nearly 50 years. At 88, he is head of Troop 91 at Tobyhanna Army Depot.Keith R. Stevenson/Pocono Record
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July 29, 2013
"; aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(870,625,window.document.location+'&Template=photos&img="+imgCounter+"')";In 1924, the first traffic routes between Saylorsburg and Easton were assigned, construction on Lake Wallenpaupack began and Tobyhanna resident and would-be Scoutmaster Raymond Gotty was born.
The Boy Scout troop that Gotty leads today ? Troop 91 at Tobyhanna Army Depot ? wasn't more than a twinkle in the eye of what ultimately became the largest youth organization in the country, founded a little more than a decade earlier.
"People tend to forget what the Scouts are all about," said Gotty, 88. "There was a time when the respect was such that if you graduated high school or college, and an employer saw that you were a Boy Scout, or better, an Eagle Scout, that immediately moved you at the top of the list for a job or career."
The Scouts continue to promote programs for young people to build character, train youths in the responsibilities of citizenship and develop personal fitness.
Boasting more than 2.7 million members, the recent controversy over the Scouts banning and then allowing gays in the organization has sparked a 20 percent drop in membership across the nation, according to ABC News and USA Today.
While some reports indicate that membership in Pennsylvania has declined overall, Gotty said Troop 91 has maintained its 70-plus members.
Still, the retired MetLife employee said there hasn't been an increase in quite some time.
"The controversy hasn't hurt us up here, the decisions that have been made, but it hasn't done anything to help," Gotty said.
The troop has refrained from getting involved in the controversy and has regularly declined comment, Gotty said.
He noted that, locally, Scouts have never questioned anyone's sexual orientation, nor did local officials ever discriminate.
Enrolled his son
The negative attention bothers Gotty, who became involved with the organization when he signed up his then-11-year-old son, Raymond Jr.
"Do the math. Raymond Jr. is 60 years old now, so that's how long I've been involved with the Scouts," he said.
Gotty married Regina Stark on June 26, 1948, at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Belleville, N.J.
He worked 27 years for MetLife as a salesman and also worked as a real estate agent with Lawrence Realty in Stroudsburg before serving as an auxiliary police officer and Boy Scout leader in Livingston, N.J.
"I'm on the committee of Troop 91 at the Tobyhanna Army Depot now," he said.
Gotty said he has spent most of his life investing in Scouts so that they would have the character and tools to go forward and contribute to society.
A bet on success
Gotty said he often would sit with new recruits, prodding them about their goals and whether that included making the rank of Eagle.
"They would say yes. I would listen and then I'd challenge them by telling them that they didn't have what it takes," Gotty said.
After telling the Scouts that he didn't think they had what it took to make it to Eagle, each bet the Scoutmaster $1 that they would.
One young Scout, Gregg Anselmi, had heard about the bets and wanted to know why Gotty didn't engage him.
"I told him he only needed two more merit badges and he said he wanted to bet," Gotty said. "At his Eagle Scout ceremony, Anselmi spoke up in his Brooklyn accent, 'Mr. Gotty owes me a dahlah!'"
Gotty said he paid the bet in 100 pennies.
Gotty said when he retired, a Scout chairman told him that he had lost bets 23 times.
"I thought, well, yes, I did, but I won in the long run, and happily turned over two framed 50-cent pieces to each and every boy and a bag of 100 new pennies to Anselmi, who earned the right to declare that he was an Eagle Scout," Gotty said.
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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month
Longtime leader recalls best days of Boy Scouting, and how local troop handles current controversy
Buy This Photo
Raymond Gotty of Tobyhanna has been a Boy Scout troop leader for nearly 50 years. At 88, he is head of Troop 91 at Tobyhanna Army Depot.Keith R. Stevenson/Pocono Record
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By
July 29, 2013
"; aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(870,625,window.document.location+'&Template=photos&img="+imgCounter+"')";In 1924, the first traffic routes between Saylorsburg and Easton were assigned, construction on Lake Wallenpaupack began and Tobyhanna resident and would-be Scoutmaster Raymond Gotty was born.
The Boy Scout troop that Gotty leads today ? Troop 91 at Tobyhanna Army Depot ? wasn't more than a twinkle in the eye of what ultimately became the largest youth organization in the country, founded a little more than a decade earlier.
"People tend to forget what the Scouts are all about," said Gotty, 88. "There was a time when the respect was such that if you graduated high school or college, and an employer saw that you were a Boy Scout, or better, an Eagle Scout, that immediately moved you at the top of the list for a job or career."
The Scouts continue to promote programs for young people to build character, train youths in the responsibilities of citizenship and develop personal fitness.
Boasting more than 2.7 million members, the recent controversy over the Scouts banning and then allowing gays in the organization has sparked a 20 percent drop in membership across the nation, according to ABC News and USA Today.
While some reports indicate that membership in Pennsylvania has declined overall, Gotty said Troop 91 has maintained its 70-plus members.
Still, the retired MetLife employee said there hasn't been an increase in quite some time.
"The controversy hasn't hurt us up here, the decisions that have been made, but it hasn't done anything to help," Gotty said.
The troop has refrained from getting involved in the controversy and has regularly declined comment, Gotty said.
He noted that, locally, Scouts have never questioned anyone's sexual orientation, nor did local officials ever discriminate.
Enrolled his son
The negative attention bothers Gotty, who became involved with the organization when he signed up his then-11-year-old son, Raymond Jr.
"Do the math. Raymond Jr. is 60 years old now, so that's how long I've been involved with the Scouts," he said.
Gotty married Regina Stark on June 26, 1948, at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Belleville, N.J.
He worked 27 years for MetLife as a salesman and also worked as a real estate agent with Lawrence Realty in Stroudsburg before serving as an auxiliary police officer and Boy Scout leader in Livingston, N.J.
"I'm on the committee of Troop 91 at the Tobyhanna Army Depot now," he said.
Gotty said he has spent most of his life investing in Scouts so that they would have the character and tools to go forward and contribute to society.
A bet on success
Gotty said he often would sit with new recruits, prodding them about their goals and whether that included making the rank of Eagle.
"They would say yes. I would listen and then I'd challenge them by telling them that they didn't have what it takes," Gotty said.
After telling the Scouts that he didn't think they had what it took to make it to Eagle, each bet the Scoutmaster $1 that they would.
One young Scout, Gregg Anselmi, had heard about the bets and wanted to know why Gotty didn't engage him.
"I told him he only needed two more merit badges and he said he wanted to bet," Gotty said. "At his Eagle Scout ceremony, Anselmi spoke up in his Brooklyn accent, 'Mr. Gotty owes me a dahlah!'"
Gotty said he paid the bet in 100 pennies.
Gotty said when he retired, a Scout chairman told him that he had lost bets 23 times.
"I thought, well, yes, I did, but I won in the long run, and happily turned over two framed 50-cent pieces to each and every boy and a bag of 100 new pennies to Anselmi, who earned the right to declare that he was an Eagle Scout," Gotty said.
We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form. New comments are only accepted for two weeks from the date of publication.
Source: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130729/NEWS/307290338/-1/rss01
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