Born in 1930, Hugh C. Card, Jr. grew up in the coal-mining region of eastern Kentucky and attained the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 15 in a troop with 8 boys and no scoutmaster. Married in 1952, Hugh and his wife Betty raised three sons and a daughter. All three of Hugh’s sons became Eagle Scouts. Hugh’s grandson, Andy, Jr., reached the rank of Eagle in 2006, making it three generations of Eagle Scouts in the Card family. Hugh’s adult career in Scouting began in 1966, when his oldest son, Hugh, III, joined Cub Scout Pack 350, and has continued without interruption for 41 years, including four years as a District Commissioner. When his son bridged over to Boy Scouts, Hugh began serving Troop 50 as an Assistant Scoutmaster until he became Scoutmaster in 1978. Hugh has always viewed the principal missions of Scouting to be teaching good citizenship and self-reliance through the principles of duty to God and country, duty to others and duty to self. In addition to the self-confidence that comes from learning the Scouting skills, such as knot-tying, cooking, first aid and the proper way to handle our nation’s flag, Hugh continuously stresses the 56 words of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law as “what this is really all about”. Not content with mere memorization, Hugh expects each and every boy to understand the full meaning of these words before leaving Troop 50. The essential element necessary to achieve this purpose is the trial and error of hands-on leadership. Consequently, Troop 50 has always been a boy-run troop. As a boy advances through the Scouting ranks, he gets the chance to practice leadership at each level. During this time, a Troop 50 Scout learns to step up and take responsibility for his own advancement, because it will not be arranged and done for him. By the time he leaves Troop 50, he will have had many opportunities to run meetings and campouts, teach other boys, organize menus, gear and itineraries, and make decisions for the troop. Through this progression, a boy becomes a more confident leader and a better man. Under Hugh’s leadership, Troop 50 has developed an active and ambitious schedule of camping and other activities based on the decisions of the boys elected to the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC). Committed to camping every month, Troop 50’s calendar includes such highlights as the Family Camp at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch, a Father-Son Fishing Camp in May, a week-long Summer Camp at Worth Ranch, backpacking at Lake Texoma, tower climbing and rappelling at Sid Richardson, a Canoe Trek and Fish Fry on the Brazos and glider flights with the Texas Soaring Association. Other annual events include 4 Courts of Honor, 2 Life Long Leadership courses taught by Hugh and the popular Troop 50 Chili Supper. In 1979, Hugh Card and Dick Brown worked together to erect a ham radio station at Sid Richardson for the international “Jamboree on the Air”. Scouts from all over the area were given the opportunity to talk to Scouts from all over the world on that day. In 1994, Hugh was instrumental in organizing the Diamond Jubilee Jamboree at a radar range he had helped his company build near Meridian, Texas. Understanding the value of wilderness camping to boys, Hugh led eleven treks to Philmont Scout Ranch, the first in 1975 and the last in 1989. Hugh earned his Walking Wood Badge beads at Philmont in 1990. His commitment to Philmont renewed a longstanding Troop 50 tradition of sending crews there at least every other year. During Hugh’s tenure as Scoutmaster, Troop 50 has sent over 25 crews giving more than 200 boys the chance to hike 100 miles across the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. Troop 50 crews are already in training for this coming summer. Now approaching his 30th anniversary as Scoutmaster of Troop 50, Hugh has helped hundreds of boys to develop stronger character, improved citizenship and greater respect for their faith, their country and themselves. He has also proudly watched 45 of his Scouts reach the rank of Eagle, some of whom are fathers with boys in Troop 50 today. Throughout more than four decades in Scouting, Hugh has sustained a keen and constant devotion to training tomorrow’s leaders, one Scout at a time. March 1, 2007 Longhorn Council, BSA 850 Cannon Drive Hurst, TX 76054 Attention: Linda Presley Re: Nomination of Hugh Card for the Silver Beaver Award Dear Longhorn Council: Please accept this nomination of Hugh Card for the Silver Beaver Award. I am an Eagle Scout from Troop 3 in Corpus Christi, Texas. When my son and I began looking for a scout troop in late 2004, I told my wife that I wanted to find a troop like the one I grew up in: boy-run, committed to teaching traditional Scout values and ready to go camping! Fortunately, we found Troop 50 and knew that first night that it was just the kind of troop we were looking for. Over the past two years, I have come to know that Troop 50 is what it is due the leadership and dedication of Hugh Card. My son is now a First Class Scout with 9 merit badges serving in his first elected post as a Patrol Leader. He has matured markedly in the past two years through his involvement in Troop 50, particularly in his personal confidence, ability to lead and willingness to serve others. Meanwhile, he and I have managed to have a blast backpacking on Lake Texoma, learning to shoot a rifle, cooking dinner in a dutch oven, canoeing down the Brazos, attending summer and winter camps, going fishing and jumping off cliffs. But his favorite campout (so far) was his second backpacking trek at Texoma when it poured rain the entire weekend. He came home covered in mud, smiling broadly and proud of what he had survived. Of course, that’s just the beginning; after all, he hasn’t been to Philmont -- yet. I mention these episodes because they are the kind of quintessential character- forging experiences that the Boy Scouts of America is all about, and they are precisely the kind of character-forging experiences that Hugh Card has dedicated his life to providing to hundreds of young boys. He believes deeply that these shared experiences shape a boy into a better man and a better citizen. Hugh Card is an extraordinary man. Yes, he is curmudgeonly and, no, he is not afraid to speak his mind. He does not permit half-hearted efforts or brook disrespect. But he does spend the time -- week after week for over 40 years -- teaching, guiding and inspiring the boys in his care to understand and embody the Scout Oath and Law, one boy at a time. He recently said to me, “I’m not impressed by people who spend money, but I am impressed by people who spend time.” In so doing, Hugh reminds me of my old Scoutmaster, the late, revered Hank Deschner, a second father to me and one of the finest men I have ever known. Hugh Card is that rare individual who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr. Deschner. And he doesn’t do it alone. Hugh also teaches, guides and inspires the Scout fathers, so that we, too, become better men, better fathers and better Scouters. The Old Buzzards of Troop 50 remind me so much of the grand Old Crabs of Troop 3. It is thus a privilege for me to be a part of this tradition. The men of Troop 50 both honor and reflect Hugh’s commitment to the principles set forth in the Scout Oath and Law, and that doesn’t happen by accident. What is Scouting about? Is it about commissioners and council meetings and fund- raising? Is it about serving on committees and giving banquets? Yes, those things are important and need to be done. But all of that means nothing, unless it is conducted in service to the central mission of the Boys Scouts of America: Taking a boy on a grand adventure where he can learn to live and breathe the true meaning of the Scout Oath and Law! And that’s what Hugh Card is all about. Yours in Scouting, Brent R. Somers |
| Hugh C. Card Jr ~ Scoutmaster 1978 - 2008 |
