Call it “The Revenge of Scoutmaster Henry.”
When Topher Clark was a scout, he had a leader named Roger Henry. Here’s how he describes the love-hate relationship between the scouts and Bro. Henry.
“We loved him because he was a former surf dude and drove a classic red MG, and we hated him because he made us do scouting things we disliked and he called us on all of our bull. He never let us get away with anything. Whenever we were too lazy to, say, put up a tent or roll-up a sleeping bag he would tell us that the tooth fairy wasn’t going to do it for us, and would wait until we did it. I think if I met Roger today he and I would be great friends, but at age thirteen boys are naturally distrustful of any adult who is more awesome than they are. I remember feeling that it was our job to be awesome, and that the adult’s responsibility was to be gullible, fat, allowing, and to roll up our sleeping bags.”
It was because of the Bro. Henrys of this world that Topher went on to become an Eagle Scout and somehow survive adolescence. But that doesn’t mean the scouts went soft on Bro. Henry. Topher goes on to describe one particularly memorable encounter with Bro. Henry involving mud, a Smurf, and a bolo tie.
It’s just one many engaging posts on a relatively new blog called Part Time Authors, described as “a conversation between four friends about life, fatherhood, what makes us laugh and what makes us tick.”
But back to Bro. Henry, who ended up getting the last laugh, as I suppose all former scoutmasters do. Writes Topher, “And now I have spent almost ten years in the young men’s program myself, and Karma sucks!”
Read the full account of Topher’s encounter with Bro. Henry in Scouting for Trouble.
