By Dan Shine
Voice Columnist
Boy Scout Troop 16
(As written by Bob Shine in 2002. Since that time, the troop has been disbanded and no longer exists.)
It was in October 1913 that Troop 16 of the Boy scouts of America was founded in West Haven, at First Congregational Church. Earlier, two troops had been founded in Hartford, and Troop 16 was the third in Connecticut. People from the Yale Divinity School, working together with members of the Men’s Club of the church were responsible for the organization of what became Troop 16. At the present time the troop is the third oldest in the state. The earliest Scout records in the possession of the Congregational Church are dated January 1916 when the troop had a total membership of 29 boys. Activities that year included putting the playground at the foot of Shingle Hill into shape for the Village Improvement Association, assisting the Red Cross in the sale of seals for tuberculosis work and sending two volunteers to assist the University at the Yale-Harvard football game.
From its beginnings to the present, camping has been an important part of Troop 16’s history and each year several of the membership have attended Camp Sequassen in Winsted or other private camp sites in this area for one or two weeks.
Since 1946 the troop has had a total of sixty Eagle Scouts, the highest rank in Scouting. Through the years great emphasis has been placed on advancement in scouting skills such as hiking, first aid, survival and nature lore. Progress through the steps of Scouting from Tenderfoot to Eagle is the gauge of a boy’s interest and ability and this in turn reflects on the troop as a mark of its standing. It is interesting to note that 5000 boys can claim membership in Troop 16 since 1946.
Thorough the years the troop has been fortunate to have good leadership from both Scoutmasters such as Arnold Johnson, James Dixon, Stuart Boyd, Conroy Taylor (who has been involved in the troop for seventy years), Joe Assunto and Committee Chairmen Seth Taylor, Carleton Byers, Robert Heller, and Conroy Taylor. All of these men were from the Congregational Church which continues to provide support for the troop. In return, the troop has donated funds and services to the church.