How a Power Company Honoring one of its Retired Employees ended up dissing his BSA affiliation and ultimately embarrassing him.

 Arthur Evans  who everyone called Art  was one of those rare gems of a gentleman and caring person you run across. a life long bachelor

I meet him in early 70s  while on the path to Eagle Scout as he was a Merit Badge Councilor for Citizenship in the Community Badge .

 

 

 

 

My Mom dropped me off at his home in Whitehall and we connected right off . I loved learning about old things and Art had many old items around his home  which has since been  sold off and his old home fully remolded

We went over the whole badge requirements and I learned he 

was also our troops 383#  Scout Master at one time. I also believe he received the Silver Beaver scouting award

He was also Big Time into Little league baseball and had many Awards and Thank Yous on his wall which we talked about.

Now in today's society you might think it weird or unsafe dropping your son off at a strangers home but Art was a well loved and trusted scout leader despite fact he had no children of his own .In-fact he had no living relatives

There where many such men who served in scouting back then.

I would see Art from time to time at scouting events and always stop and say hello and talk to him for a few minutes  and this is why he asked me to be in an article that was to be done on his behalf 

with the Power Company he had retired from Magazine . Art had run the Emergency Board at the Operations center for many years helping to keep the lights on in Allegheny county and City of Pittsburgh .

I had just received my Eagle scout Award  and he had received the prestigious  Dapper Dan Award 

https://old.post-gazette.com/dapperdan/history.asp

For all his hard work promoting sports. He wanted me in the article to represent his other  love of Scouting as well. 

It was a large silver tray he was awarded and he was in seventh heaven. People thought that much about him.

I meet him at his home in my Scout Uniform and he also had a Young man who was in his Baseball Uniform  . We where both interviewed and photographed with Art  by the photographer reporter for the power company magazine .

However Arts Joy would soon sour. 

Several months after the photo session he walked up to me he seemed very saddened and embarrassed

He apologized to me that  there was no mention of me or my picture in the magazine article in fact there was less than a sentence on his scouting efforts it was focused solely on  the baseball player and Arts sports activity's.

I consoled him and told him it was OK but I know it stayed with Art till his passing how his scouting efforts where overlooked in the article.

Why was all his scouting and me overlooked  ? One can speculate  but it has been suggested to me it was because my last name sounding Jewish.

I would hate to think it was any such possibility  and it was more they only had so much publishing room for the article.  

 Having been in many publications over the years I think it very unlikely it had to do with my last name  . But Pittsburgh has always had a very racist makeup and i have seen and heard it .

If that was the reason it would have broken Arts Heart.

I really miss him to this day and wish things would have went better for him but it is what it is as they say. 

I am sure there is no one left in today's scouting program even remembers him  as well as all the great men who made scouting in 50s thru 80s.