The St. Louis Eagle Scout Association

An Abbreviated History

Compiled by Roger McFarland

June 26, 2023

The Story of the Founding of the ESA

In the spring of 1947, Col. Joseph E. Vollmar, President of the St. Louis Council, heard of a great Eagle Scout Reception Ceremony in Kansas City presented by the Kansas City Boy Scout Council. He invited Jack Keith, Charles Mills, Carl Laemmli, Lewis Vollmar and Joseph E. Vollmar, Jr. to attend the event with him.

En route home he mentioned that it seemed to him the St. Louis Council could compile all of the Eagle Scouts into an organization. It would be a powerful Force for Scouting.

On July 17, 1947, Col. Joseph Vollmar invited approximately fifty (50) Eagles to an upcoming dinner on July 25th to discuss the subject of bringing together adult Eagle Scouts from the Council to create an Eagle Organization. The thrust of the meeting was three-fold. To go over a list of names of approximately 2000 Eagle Scouts in the Council, to discuss a program that would dignify the position of Eagle Scouts and lastly to affect some kind of organization. About twenty-nine (29) Eagles attended.

At the July 25, 1947, dinner, held at the Racquet Club, Col Vollmar made a pitch for an Eagle Organization. As a part of his presentation, Col. Vollmar reviewed the outstanding record of former Scouts in the military service and quoted both Admiral Nimitz and General Eisenhower on their high regard for men with Scout training. In addition, Albert E. (Mike) Cunliff gave a personal testimony for Scouting and proposed that a committee be formed to bring in recommendations for a procedure in organizing the Eagle Scouts of the St. Louis Council. His proposal was restated in the form of a motion for the election of a Steering Committee of ten to work out a plan for the organization. The motion was seconded by Dr. Jones.

Mr. Cunliff and the committee of ten men continued to meet throughout the fall of 1947 and spring of 1948. On August 11, 1947, the steering committee met at a luncheon meeting held at the Missouri Athletic Club. Under the chairmanship of Albert Cunliff further plans and arrangements were made. Another significant meeting of “The Eagle Scout Club”, as it was first called, took place the evening of September 23, 1947, by which time the steering committee had grown to 19 members.

Then on April 28, 1948, a mass meeting, attended by 209 folks, was held at the Washington University Law School and the Eagle Scout Association was formally organized and Mike Cunliff was elected the first President.

Carl H. Laemmli, with his long tenure in the Council – and personal acquaintanceship with many of the 2000 Eagles in the Council plunged into the job of locating current Eagles for membership in the new organization.

The Rapid Growth

By 1949 the By-laws were written by Thomas B. Cunliff, an organization chart was established and a roster with 209 members was published. Additionally in 1949, an “Outline of Procedure” was published. It included advancement procedures for various activities and included supporting documents.

In 1950 Mr. Laemmli did a survey of the 282 ESA Members on their involvement in World War Two. He found that 96% had served in the Armed Forces, 80.5% had been officers and 36% were decorated.

One of the first official projects of real significance was serving as advisors to Life Scouts on their way to Eagle so the Life to Eagle mentoring program was born. While it was acknowledged to be overly ambitious for the fledging organization, the fact remained that Eagle Awards in 1949 and 1950 jumped 100%.

A long tradition began in 1948 as a weekend campout at Camp Irondale. The camping event took place each Labor Day weekend with the entire camp turned over to the ESA. The member’s families would enjoy swimming, hiking, baseball, campfire programs, square dancing, and late-night snacks.

Other ESA fellowship events during the winter season included dinner dances, bowling parties, square dances, and roller skating.

In 1951 the ESA assisted the Council with the 21^st Boy Scout Circus, a three-night variety show, featuring acts and headliners from the entertainment world.  The event was so successful that the ESA was called upon each succeeding year to take charge of the show.

                                                                                    

By 1953 the first major project, the “Eagle’s Nest”, a fire observation tower, was completed at Beaumont Reservation. An official dedication was held on August 14, 1954, at which many ESA’ers “supported for the first time the smart new ESA emblem” on a cap. It was considered the first official uniform item of the ESA.

The next major project was a horse drawn chuck wagon which was designed, built, and equipped by the ESA, for the rangers at Beaumont Reservation for use in the Explorer Program.

To avoid possible liabilities with such major projects and to stabilize the organization, the Eagle Scout Association was incorporated on November 2, 1953.

New Traditions

At the annual meeting at Camp Irondale in 1953, the first suggestions were offered about the advisability of having some sort of yearly Recognition Day for new Eagles at the Eagles Nest. Over the next 70 years Eagle Recognition Day would change forms and venues but to this day it remains at the core of ESA providing service to Council.

The Launch of Other ESA Organizations

At the 1956 annual meeting at Camp Irondale the Council reported that the St. Louis Eagle Scout Association’s pattern was being considered across the county. In fact, the National Council was using our constitution and By-laws as a basis for consideration for a national organization.

In 1972, Zane Squires, the ESA President was contacted by the National Council to assist with the formation of an Eagle Scout Association. Many By Laws, procedures, and practices in place by the St. Louis ESA were adopted by the National Organization. The National Eagle Scout Association was formed in 1972.

Forward Progress

The 1960’s were a time of great change to the organization. On February 19, 1961, it was decided to move the Eagle Scout Recognition event to the spacious Scottish Rite Cathedral from Beaumont Reservation. The success of the initial event there set the pattern for years to come.

In May of 1962, the Council sought the help of the ESA in publicizing the new S-F Ranch begun. The ESA responded by creating an extensive topographical display in the Scout Exposition which depicted the entire camp layout.

ESA members personally donated $16,719 to the S-F Development Fund construction. That 1962 sum is the equivalent of $167, 944 in 2023 dollars.

In 1965 the last Camp Irondale Labor Day weekend occurred as the Council was selling off the property to focus on the newly opened S-F Ranch.

In the “more mature years” of the organization the trend shifted toward a more formalized scheduled social dance in the spring for couples and a fall stag campout for the guys at S-F or Southern Comfort Lodge. For the first stag a chartered bus was rented to tour ESA members though all the major parts of the huge S-F complex. It was noted S-F is “most assuredly” by far the finest and most advanced camp in the country which emphasized “Patrol Cooking” and a 280 Acre Lake.

The First Twenty-Five Years

By 1972 the ESA was a powerful influence in getting inner city Scout troops to camp by providing the required adult leadership. These efforts, along with all of the other projects cemented the success of the first twenty-five years.

In the Twenty Fifth Anniversary Yearbook the question was raised whether the organization be successful in maintaining the number and quality of members to take it forward to 1997.

The Next Fifty Years

In the next fifty years the ESA remained active in service and donations to the Council. It continued its evolvement in the Annual Eagle Recognition Event and Merit Badge Make up Day and started the Golf Tournament, Trivia Night and the Eagle Scholarship Fund.

The Eagle Recognition Event

The very notion of the ESA began with the trip to Kansas City to observe the Kansas City Council’s Eagle Recognition Program. Initially held at Beaumont Scout Reservation the event was moved to the Scottish Rite Cathedral in the 1960’s. By the early 2000’s the event was back to Beaumont.

There the ESA and Council co-hosted a Sunday afternoon event in which all scouts earning the Eagle Rank the year before would be recognized both individually and as a class. The current president of the ESA was invited to say a few remarks and encourage Eagles to join the ESA.

In 2010 Ron Greene became the new Chief Scout Executive and ushered in the Soaring Eagle Program. Each year a significant community leader would be recognized as the Soaring Eagle of the year at a large banquet held at the Chase Hotel. The event was a major fund raiser meant to replace the lost donations from Anheuser Bush after they were purchased by InBev SA.

The ESA contributes to this event each year and provides leadership in executing the family reception prior to the main event.

Service Projects and Donations

The ESA provided both Spring and Fall Service Projects for decades. They included donation of building materials a sweat equity for projects like landscaping, reroofing pavilions, clean up and repairs.

The major donations at Beaumont Reservation include the Scoutmaster Chapel, the Vollmar Council Ring, the remodeling of Wright Lodge, the William Johnson climbing wall and installation of the Irondale stained-glass window and air conditioning at Sverdrup Lodge. At S-F they include The Eagle Range, The Russ Hart Shelter, the donation of funds for the Sakima waterfront and annual assistance to the OA at the Fall Reunion.

The Acting NESA Chapter

In the mid-sixties the ESA served as the Distinguished Eagle Nominating Committee. A committee of the five immediate Past Presidents were charged to do the research on past Eagles that performed noteworthy service in Business, Government, etc. and had earned their Eagle twenty years before.

Merit Badge Make Up Day                        

The merit Badge Make Up Day as started under President Dick Gould and VP James Grossman in 1978 and handed to the ESA as a special assignment by Scout Executive Russ Hart. Since 1978, the ESA has staffed every Merit Badge Make Up Day at Beaumont Reservation. The one-day event each August provides Scouts the opportunity to finish merit badges requirements for badges started at summer camp. The ESA solicits help from Merit Badge Counselors for every badge offered at summer camp and provides the staff to support the event. Often over 500 merit badges would be completed in a day.

The Annual Golf Tournament

The first annual golf tournament was held on October 24, 1992. The original event was organized by Les Rowe and Don Davidson. Since then, Bill Johnson, Larry Knopfel and Jeff Kendall have led the events. The fund raiser is the most significant source of funding for the organization raising an estimated $300,000 since its inception.

Trivia Night

In 2010 the ESA sought to create a second fund raising event with the goal of creating funds for Eagle Scholarships. The event has been held yearly and has provided the organization with a terrific social event and additional funds for scholarships and projects.

The Eagle Scout Scholarship

In 2010 the Eagle Scholarship Program was created to give Eagle help with their college needs and in 2015 additional funding for Eagle Scout Gants begun. Since the inception of these programs, over $5,000.00 has been awarded.

The Eagle Scout Project Grants

The Eagle Project Grants grew out of the college scholarship program to directly fulfill our mission - helping scouts on the trail to Eagle. The original committee for these grants consisted of myself, John F Bild, Mike Flynn, Joel Schwartz, and Larry Heyman. The goal of the committee all along was never to fully fund a project, but rather be an option to where scouts could reach out and ask for help. The goal being to have the scouts be willing to reach out and seek sources of funding that may be out of the norm for projects. Over the course of the years, we've funded numerous projects with well over $4,000 in funding. Given his help in getting this program started, and with the countless years of service to the organization, the ESA voted to rename these grants the "John F Bild Memorial Eagle Project Grants" after his passing in 2019.

The Next Twenty-Five Years

Since the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary the ESA has proven it can maintain dedicated leadership and change with the times to stay relevant.

As a symbol of our past and our commitment to the future, the ESA will dedicate the Eagle Pavilion at Nimes Lake at S-F Ranch later this year (2023). ESA members will be able to sport a new uniform cap with their current logo as a symbol of the next twenty-five years.

                                                    

Epilog:

The St. Louis Eagle Scout Association Abbreviated History was compiled by Roger McFarland from historical documents of the organization and by assistance of current members.

The following historical documents were quoted and are available online by clicking on the links below:

Sources:

• The Original Meeting Invitation and Meeting Notes
• Outline of Procedure: 1949
• Official Handbook and Roster: 1959
• Twentieth Anniversary Yearbook: 1967
• Twenty Fifth Anniversary Yearbook: 1972
• Eagle Scout Association: The Story of Its Founding by Joseph Vollmar, Jr. May 21, 1998
• ESA Report 1971

In addition, the 50^th Anniversary Addition Roster and comments by Richard Koch were incorporated.