WESTBOROUGH – Three adult leaders for Westborough’s Boy Scouts received annual awards at the Nobscot Scout Reservation’s White Lodge on June 9.
Eric French of Troop 100 won scoutmaster of the year, Bill Bramley of Pack 100 won cubmaster of the year and Warren Anderson won chartered organization representative of the year from their area’s Mayflower Council.
French, who generally shies away from accolades like this, said it was an honor to receive the award and he was very thankful to be recognized.
“I think that Westborough has a very strong scouting tradition,” French said. “We’re active in participating in the district and the council level with volunteering and we’re a go-to organization for them for sure.”
Anderson reflects on win
When Anderson won the award, he said he was surprised to see it.
As a chartered organization representative, Anderson is responsible for maintaining relationships between leaders of different units of scouting in Westborough, making leadership appointments and finding places for meetings.
He said he received the award as a recognition of his work trying to maintain tight relationships between the different units over the past 14 years.
“This is a kind of a position that is in the background, and it doesn’t get a lot of publicity,” Anderson said. “It was very nice to see the recognition for things that are happening behind the scenes that nonetheless make a difference in how scouting units operate.”
Increase in membership
Bramley said that they had been able to increase membership through the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a major accomplishment. He said the pack made use of Zoom sessions and meetings outside from a distance, and that it was great to be able to still do scouting activities.
Bramley said that the increase in membership likely happened because the scouting program was still doing activities where kids could be engaged safely.
Some of the activities they offered to scouts included exploring submarines at Battleship Cove, going tubing in Shrewsbury and Pinewood Derby races for both scouts and adults. Additionally, the scouts participate in community activities, such as sing-alongs for the senior center in Westborough and an annual food drive for the Westborough Food Pantry.
Bramley said while it was “awesome” to receive the award, many den leaders in his pack did a lot of work to accomplish what they did.
“Being recognized just means that the work that I put in made an impact on others for them to nominate me,” Bramley said.
Bramley and French both became Eagle Scouts in their youth and became involved in adult leadership positions when their sons joined Cub Scouts.
This was Bramley’s last year as a cub master. As his son moves onto Boy Scouts he will be assistant scoutmaster in Troop 100.
“It’s a cool process, because you’re watching these kids grow, especially the ones I knew from the pack,” said Bramley. “Seeing some of those older ones when I was just starting out in the pack are leading the troop, it’s a great experience to see what they’ve accomplished through the years.”
RELATED CONTENT
Westborough’s Liam Johnson reflects on work with veterans
Westborough Scouts host Senior Citizen Pasta Dinner
Westborough Troop 100 honors three new Eagle Scouts
