This 1938 photo of Columbia Boy Scouts Troop 19 shows the Drum and Bugle Corps scouts could take part in at the time. (submitted photo)

Eighty years have passed since Florence Haberl, a Columbia resident currently at Oak Hill, was among the few to join the first Columbia Girl Scout troop, led by Lucille McKinney.

“I was very proud and blessed, and next year I’ll be 93 and I’ve still got good memories of Girl Scouts,” she boasted.

She remembers the names of girls in her troop. She remembers how inspired she felt to be part of a greater cause. She remembers the fun times she shared with her friends.

“I used to always go out to Camp Vandeventer. Oh, did I enjoy it,” she said. “I remember the old cabins and we would run down to the mess hall to eat and had all kinds of entertainment.”

Pictured is Columbia Girl Scouts founder Lucille McKinney in the winter of 1930. (submitted photo)

Now, as Columbia Girl Scouts ready to celebrate their 80th anniversary — while Columbia Boy Scouts have reached their 100-year milestone — she feels a sense of pride regarding her past involvement.

“That was a wonderful thing to join at the time,” she boasted. “I was very proud I could be a Girl Scout. And to this day, I can stand and give my salute.”

How scouting came to be

Haberl has McKinney to thank for giving her such a life-changing experience, as well as F.W. Weinel, who approached McKinney about forming the first troop. McKinney passed away in April at the age of 102.

“As Lucille told me, you didn’t say no to Ms. Weinel. She was said to be very convincing,” Kerri Roider, a coordinator of the upcoming Centennial Scout Fest, said, adding that Weinel wanted the same opportunities for her daughters as Columbia Boy Scouts.

Scouting was certainly not new to Columbia boys at the time, as the first troop came together in 1917. Gene Haller, a former Columbia Boy Scout and Columbia historian, confirmed that E.J. Schneider was the first troop leader.

“The story my dad told me was that at the time there was a need to find something for the boys to do to take up their time. Their fathers were at war and they needed leadership,” he said of how he believes Columbia Boy Scouts was formed.

In the 1930s, Haller went on to join the scouts as a young boy, recalling, “It was the thing to do at the time. You had to be a Boy Scout if you were a boy.”

“I went in when I was 11 years old, which at the time you weren’t supposed to join until you were 12. But my dad was one of the men who helped dig the water line from Metter to the Scout Hut, so they let me in,” he said.

The Scout Hut was built in 1938 from donated time and materials. Roider said Girl Scout mothers raised money for the Scout Hut in Metter Park through parties, bake sales and a number of other fundraisers, while also donating furniture for it.

Currently, the Scout Hut serves as a place for every scouting organization to congregate, have sleepovers, work on leadership, store camping equipment and more, Roider said. Haller said he has continued to follow Boy Scouts through the years and has seen the scouts make their way through “peaks and valleys.”

“That’s largely because of the scout masters,” he said. “We had scout masters that were excellent. We had scout masters that were sufficient — they were good but they didn’t go above and beyond.”

An expanding tradition

Currently, Columbia Boy Scouts includes Troop 357 and Troop 320. The Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America estimates that about 137 Columbia Boy Scouts have received the Eagle Scout honor.

Over the years, Columbia Eagle Scout projects have included beautifying the city’s parks and schools, rebuilding a shed at Fort Piggot, building a ramp at the Scout Hut, installing bird houses at Waterloo Sportsman’s Club, and more.

Columbia Boy Scouts have also participated in the Boy Scouts of America’s “Scouting For Food” drive, using the Scout Hut to sort collected items. Scouts across the county collect tens of thousands of items during this annual event.

“Service to the community is very high on the list of what scouts do,” said Chris Neumann, Troop 320 scout leader. “Installing the flags on Main Street every year is a great honor, as is helping clean the park for Memorial Day service.

“Overall, it’s giving back to the community.”

Columbia Girl Scouts have also had a strong showing in terms of volunteer efforts. A recent example includes Hannah Redinger’s project of collecting school supplies for girls in Ecuador, for which she also traveled to the third-world country to deliver supplies.

This project earned Redinger her Girl Scout Gold Award. Kelsey Weatherford also received the highest Girl Scout honor when she installed several Monarch butterfly gardens throughout Columbia.

“There are so many women who go on to be astronauts and physicists,” said Anna Stogsdill, Girl Scout First Year Cadet Troop leader. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Boy Scouts who later serve in the military rise in the ranks quicker than standard recruits. According to Neumann, the scouts can also take what they learn about service and character development and apply that to every aspect of life.

Upcoming celebration

Both Boy Scout and Girl Scout milestones will be celebrated during a “Centennial Scout Fest” planned for Aug. 5-6 at Bolm-Schuhkraft Park, beginning at noon on Aug. 5 and ending at noon the next day. Roider planned many activities for the weekend with Ruthie Zola and Jane Stumpf.

The event will include a tent with historic records; camping overnight; a flag retiring ceremony conducted by the Columbia American Legion; painting dugouts and putting mulch around the trees at the park; and much more.

Contact Roider at 314-578-2908 for more information.