Life

Longtime Troop 605 scoutmaster steps back

Don Henderson, left, passed the scoutmaster title on to Brackley Kicklighter.

By Bill Moss, Published: June 5, 2012

EDNEYVILLE — It would be hard to tell from watching the troop in action, but one of the area's longest serving scoutmasters recently retired.

Make that "retired." Don Henderson became head Scoutmaster in 1992, only the second scoutmaster in the troop's 65-year history. The troop was founded and led for 45 years by Minor Wilson, a World War II Army officer legendary for his skill in leading a large troop and turning out Eagle scouts.
Henderson, who had been mentoring under Wilson since he was a scout himself, took over and produced as impressive a record, pushing Troop 605's amazing record of Eagles up over 200 (it's 218 today) and even duplicating Wilson's famous Tarzan yell to summon boys from deep in the woods or up in a tree or the camp canteen.
The mantle was passed without fanfare to Brackley Kicklighter, a burly good natured former Eagle who works third shift as a stocking manager at the Flat Rock Ingles.
"Don does a lot," Kicklighter said. "I knew that but I didn't know how much."
"It's definitely an honor" to lead a troop with so rich a history, he said. "I was honored to be asked. I told Don if I could help half the kids he has, or a quarter, I'd be OK."
At a troop meeting on April 30, Henderson instructed boys loading a trailer for that weekend's annual barbecue fundraiser while Brackley was busy with the important but sometimes maddening pile of BSA paperwork —merit badge signoffs, rank advancements, board of review schedules, medical forms, summer camp payments.
If anything has surprised the new leader "it's the amount of meetings," Kicklighter said. "Every time I turn around, another one? I missed a patrol leader meeting the other day. One of the kids called me and said, 'Are we supposed to be having a meeting? ' 'Be there in a minute.'"
Henderson acknowledged that he is still "very active" and wouldn't have it any other way. Shedding the title as the lead scoutmaster gives him and his wife, Wendy, both retired schoolteachers, the freedom to visit their grandchildren. They have three in Raleigh and one in Albuquerque, N.M.