Dad, as Scoutmaster, Inspires us to Great Heights

Us Thompson boys (and probably even the Thompson girls) were well aware that Dad had been an exceptional scouter as a young man, earning his Eagle Scout and then three palms. Something that none of us probably considered, at least until he was called though, was that he would make an excellent scoutmaster. I vaguely recall not being overly excited when Dad was called to be the scoutmaster. There was nothing like having your father around when goofing off as a scout or trying to be cool with the guys. However, Dad’s status rose in my books, and probably in the books of the other scouts, when he inspired us to undertake and complete a major feat, that of hiking the four-day, 70-mile Emerald Necklace trek that circled the Greater Cleveland area. It was no insignificant undertaking for a bunch of young “tenderfoots” like us. No doubt it took a lot of preparation to ready us for the task. The journey surely was not free of whining and grumbling, but I recall us being encouraged and motivated by Dad and others to continue, to finish the course, and as we trudged on, and eventually completed that arduous four day hike, we felt a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and because we had a leader who inspired us to great heights, we and I gained a greater love and appreciation for Dad, and for how he could help us attain great heights in our lives.