A plaque in the display case is titled Ross W. Holland Memorial Award. It bears the inscription "For outstanding outdoor leadership and camping skills while serving with the Boy Scouts of America - Troop 439."

Below those words are recorded the names of the honorees, one per year beginning in 1984. Then is written, under the subtitle "Who was Ross W. Holland?":

He was big and blond, friendly and kind, and full of devilment. He was adventurous and loved the outdoors. He was a tenderfoot, an SPL, and a leader who inspired others. He admired, respected his leaders, and sometimes tested their patience. He could be counted on and you would want him with you if you were lost in the woods. He did some things great and he did some things wrong. Sometimes you are only allowed a few mistakes. He died at age twenty.

Some of the scout events Ross would be most remembered for are the Tote N Chip program, the Lenhocksin Trail at Goshen, the apple sale fund raiser, the ranger ride at the fair grounds, almost every campout, and the memorable backpacker up Mathews Arm on the Big Blue Trail.

Ross's mother and brother come every year to a BSA Troop 439 meeting in order to make the presentation in person. Robin Zimmermann (aka RadRob) was surprised and honored to receive the Ross Holland award this year. Congratulations!

(see also ThePax (6 Mar 2000), EinBenStein (19 Sep 2002), ParamilitaryOrganization (12 Dec 2002), ...)

TopicPersonalHistory - TopicProfiles - 2003-02-15

(correlates: ParamilitaryOrganization, UncleBert, HumanGenomania, ...)