- Joined
- Mar 19, 2008
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- 75
(Mr. Moderator: If this is the wrong forum, please move it as needed. Thanks.)
Three years ago, our local Wood Badge Association had an auction at a Wood Badge Reunion to help raise money to finance our next course, which ended this past weekend.
(Wood Badge is like a PhD level training course for adult Scout volunteers. It takes 18 months to complete.)
When that reunion was held three years ago, we auctioned off a commemorative knife made by Mr. Gene Ingram, located not far from here in North Mississippi. Mr. Ingram had donated the knife to the auction, and it brought the highest dollar amount in the auction, if memory serves, at around $225.
This past weekend, the class section of the course ended, and we had another Wood Badge Reunion, and guess what the most desired item in the auction was? Another knife, this one a really clean, pretty 7" drop point with ironwood handles, made by Mr. Gene Ingram. This one was engraved on the blade with our council name, and the date and course number of the course.
The knife was in a nice brown leather sheath, and both knife and sheath were in a zip up black bag.
The knife was the last item in the auction. Once again, it brought a higher bid than any other item in the auction.
Once the blood-letting was done, the high bidder of the knife paid in $425 for the knife Mr. Ingram donated.
This money will help guarantee that the next Wood Badge course in our council (to be held in 2012) can be presented.
As a member of the Wood Badge staff, I had plenty of time to examine the knife he donated. The precision was as good as it gets. The blade grind was as good as I've ever seen, the leather stitching was precise, the design on the pins matched the look of the handles, the handles were mirror images on one another: thin, dark, smooth, and well curved.
I went home after the course ended Sunday night, and looked for a few minutes at some of what I turned out in the shop, and the gulf between Mr. Ingram's work and mine was the breadth of the Atlantic. Instead of disappointed in my stuff, I was inspired by what I'd seen and held.
The Scouts of the Pushmataha Area Council owe a debt to Mr. Ingram for his kindness. He has helped ensure that the next training course will be funded adequately, and that we will continue to train leaders who understand that our purpose is to turn boys into men of good character.
I am placing this here, in this forum, where Mr. Ingram's peers and compatriots and read about his efforts to support the Boy Scouts of America.
On behalf of all the Scouts, adult leaders, and volunteers in the Pushmataha Area Council 691, THANK YOU to Mr. Gene Ingram for his kindness and generosity.
Allen McBroom
Scoutmaster
Troop 45, Boy Scouts of America
Starkville, Mississippi
Three years ago, our local Wood Badge Association had an auction at a Wood Badge Reunion to help raise money to finance our next course, which ended this past weekend.
(Wood Badge is like a PhD level training course for adult Scout volunteers. It takes 18 months to complete.)
When that reunion was held three years ago, we auctioned off a commemorative knife made by Mr. Gene Ingram, located not far from here in North Mississippi. Mr. Ingram had donated the knife to the auction, and it brought the highest dollar amount in the auction, if memory serves, at around $225.
This past weekend, the class section of the course ended, and we had another Wood Badge Reunion, and guess what the most desired item in the auction was? Another knife, this one a really clean, pretty 7" drop point with ironwood handles, made by Mr. Gene Ingram. This one was engraved on the blade with our council name, and the date and course number of the course.
The knife was in a nice brown leather sheath, and both knife and sheath were in a zip up black bag.
The knife was the last item in the auction. Once again, it brought a higher bid than any other item in the auction.
Once the blood-letting was done, the high bidder of the knife paid in $425 for the knife Mr. Ingram donated.
This money will help guarantee that the next Wood Badge course in our council (to be held in 2012) can be presented.
As a member of the Wood Badge staff, I had plenty of time to examine the knife he donated. The precision was as good as it gets. The blade grind was as good as I've ever seen, the leather stitching was precise, the design on the pins matched the look of the handles, the handles were mirror images on one another: thin, dark, smooth, and well curved.
I went home after the course ended Sunday night, and looked for a few minutes at some of what I turned out in the shop, and the gulf between Mr. Ingram's work and mine was the breadth of the Atlantic. Instead of disappointed in my stuff, I was inspired by what I'd seen and held.
The Scouts of the Pushmataha Area Council owe a debt to Mr. Ingram for his kindness. He has helped ensure that the next training course will be funded adequately, and that we will continue to train leaders who understand that our purpose is to turn boys into men of good character.
I am placing this here, in this forum, where Mr. Ingram's peers and compatriots and read about his efforts to support the Boy Scouts of America.
On behalf of all the Scouts, adult leaders, and volunteers in the Pushmataha Area Council 691, THANK YOU to Mr. Gene Ingram for his kindness and generosity.
Allen McBroom
Scoutmaster
Troop 45, Boy Scouts of America
Starkville, Mississippi
