About Scout Troop 628

      Troop 628 is a chartered Scout Troop in the Black Feather District of the Denver Area Council. Its purpose is to promote the ability of youth to do things for themselves and others and to teach them courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues. In achieving this purpose, emphasis is placed upon educational programs and the oaths, promises, and codes of Scouts BSA for character development, citizenship training, and mental as well as physical fitness.

      Meetings:
      Generally meetings are each Tuesday evening at Eagle Ridge Elementary School from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Eagle Ridge is located at 7716 Timberline Road, Lone Tree, Colorado 80124. The last Tuesday of the month are normally patrol breakouts, and meetings are at other locations. Please contact the Scoutmaster at scoutmaster@lonetree628.mytroop.us for additional information.

      History:
      Twelve 12 families, mostly from Pack 628, started troop 628 in late August 1999. Prior to this time, Pack 628 was a “feeder” to Boy Scout troops throughout Highlands Ranch and Littleton. After discussion within these families, it was decided to form our own Troop. The first task was to find an experienced Scoutmaster to lead the Scouts.

      Eric Prun and Jay Nakagawa met on a Sunday afternoon to see if there was a “good fit” and philosophies were compatible with each other. Fortunately, they were, and Eric said “I’ll be Scoutmaster if you commit to two years as Committee Chair”. Within weeks the appropriate paperwork was filed and we self-chartered as Parents of Troop 628 (partly in the spirit that we wanted to be in charge of our own destiny).

      (Parenthetical note: when you hear leadership say it only takes an hour of your time per week, they mean “per Scout”– it is never 1 hour per week)

      The Troop was initially funded by Jay with $2,000 he cashed out in stock at his recent employer; needless to say, the early days were financially “lean” and credit cards got a good workout. Annual dues were very modest. Through Scoutmaster Prun’s connections, the Troop was able to acquire snow sleds and patrol boxes donated from other troops in the Littleton area.

      Scoutmaster Prun also had lots of ropes and staves for pioneering projects, so the Troop was off to a fast start. I spent a lot of time at the Scout shop purchasing flags, awards, and other staples consumed by the Troop. I was also a frequent buyer at the Army-Navy surplus store on South Broadway.

      An early premise of the organization was that we would try to camp 11-12 months of the year and we also wanted activities that would entice full involvement and participation by the parents of the Scouts. As I used to tell parents, “BSA does not stand for BabySitters of America”.

      A cornerstone of the Troop’s philosophy was to have active attendance by the parents in the Committee meetings. Again, the troop was fortunate to have parents who were very active on a variety of things – planning campouts, secretary, recruitment, merit badge counseling, treasury, quartermaster, etc.

      The first year was fast-paced, hectic, and immensely rewarding for Scouts and leadership alike.
      During that first year we:

      • Attended a Camporee
      • Camped several times at Camp Tahosa
      • Family camping event at PV
      • Participated in a Klonderee
      • Snow caved at St. Mary’s
      • Summer camping at PV
      • Camped at Ft. Carson
      • Family campout at the Sand Dunes National Park
      • Whitewater rafting
      • Climbed a 14K (Democrat)
      • Backpacked on the Colorado Trail

      The contribution of the parents in helping to lead these event made all this possible even with a great set of ASMs on board to help. I will always be indebted to that first set of ASM’s who made so much of our success possible: Richard and Carol Forman, Larry Oliveria, Greg Somerhalder, and Allen Story. A special shout out to Tracy Prun, Eric’s wife, and her numerous contributions to the group.

      Similarly, as Committee Chair, I was blessed to have a wonderful committee of dedicated parents and will always be thankful to Jimmy and Annette Shamus, Veronica Driscoll, John O’Dell, Cindy and Tim Ribaul, and Pat McGrath.

      Scoutmaster Prun always impressed on the Scouts the importance of leadership and teamwork. In retrospect, we could not have had a better Scoutmaster to lead this group. Scoutmaster Prun set the values by example of his own behavior – integrity, leadership, vision, and compassion. I, personally, learned volumes from Scoutmaster Prun and am today a better person because of him.

      Like today’s 2019 leadership, Youth Protection Training was a fundamental concern and Eric Prun was always encouraging us to get training – something I noticed at the recent leadership Committee meeting that continues through today.

      I thought some of you might want to know about how the Troop got started and decided to do this short writeup – I hope you find insightful and entertaining.

      Retrospectively,
      Jay Nakagawa
      Co-founder, Committee Chairman, Troop 628