I started my oldest son in Boy Scouts last week and it has brought back a lot of memories. I was in Ole 97 around 83-85. Buddy stands as a giant in my memories of my youth. When I played the Ole 97 fighting song I was crying through half of it and singing through the rest. What a great time I had and what an impact was made on my life. You can be sure that I'll be using Buddy as a role model as I become one of the Asst. Scoutmasters for my son's troop. The things that I remember the most are Buddy's words at my Order of the Arrow trial, and the jar of ashes he kept from each campout. It is amazing to me the amount of Scouting lore I absorbed those few years my family lived in Memphis but I treasure all of those memories every day of my life.

Paul Ireland

When the troop went up north to the New York world's fair along the way we visited Appomattox court house where they held Robert E. Lee ater his surrender of the south.

Me and David Merrit (older scout then,me younger)walked inside the actual jail cell where Lee was housed and David pulled the door shut, therefore locking us in the cell that hadn't been locked since they had Lee in it!

Man Buddy really went off!They had to get a locksmith to get us out!

I was astonished to learn that 97 has a web site!I was a member in 1962 and i would like to share a memory with everyone.I was 12 years old when the troop went all up through the northern states a year after President Kennedy was assanated.We visted all of the sights and visited President kennedy's grave site.Soon after we visited the Liberty Bell and low and behold being wild as I was in those days I rang the Libery bell!!Lord Buddy almost had a heart attack!He threated to send me home and I was sang about in our "patsy orie a" song that night!Ha!I've told my children of that and they were amased I didn't get sent off to Sibera or somewhere.Anyway it's great to see a few have wriiten in with stories.I remember you well Jack Bishop and your brother's also.Frank perry "97"

I was a member of Ole 97 in 1966 - 1969. My father was also in the troop in the early 40s. I have many memories of Buddy. My father and I still talk about him from time to time like he was stlil around. I think it was more the example he set that will stay with me. It is ironic that you have pictures of your trip to Washington. That is the last trip I took with the troop in 1969 before I moved. I remember Swamp Fox. Does anyone remember the name of the other bus? I've tried but I can't remember.

Most of my memories revolve around camping trips when the bus broke down which was often. I remember going to Kia Kima one year when the temperature dropped below freezing. It was the same weekend that the astronauts were burned in a training exercise. That's the coldest I ever remember being. We were camping on the bare ground beneath old canvas army tents.

I remember going to summer camp. Buddy would always insist that we camp at the Outpost where we had to cook our own food. For any of you who had to eat my cooking let me apologize now.

If there is an alumni group I would like to know more about it.

I joined Ole 97 in 1960. It has such an effect on me that my life was changed forever. Buddy Irwin was my Scoutmaster. This was my first experience with the Boy Scouts. I learned how to live off the land. I got to go to Shiloh, Gettysburg and Vicksburg to learn about the Civil war. I had an alcoholic abusive father who didn't have time for anything but his drinking problem. I was raised by Ole 97. I learned that there are people that care about you and learned how to make the right choices. Now I am an old man but my days with Ole 97 and Buddy are still with me. I was blessed by being a member and being able to teach others what I had learned, To this day the Scout Oath and Law rule my life. I was awarded Eagle in 1963. That is the greatest achievement of my life. I was drafted in 1970 and scouting kept me safe, not my weapon.

Do you have any interesting stories from your days in the Troop, that you wouldn't mind sharing? Stories about Buddy or your friends in the Troop?

Why not post them here! (I'll get the ball rolling with one of my own.)

The year was 1994 (I think). It was a trip I DIDN'T go on! And that decision may very well have saved my life. Heh. Who knows, when God is in charge?

Anyway, the trip was to Cumberland Caverns, one of my favorite trips to go on with the guys. I have some pictures from one of our trips up there, and remember well the story of Jim Ball and his fall in the caverns, and his tragic decision to let go of the rope.

The caving experience, from what I understand, was very enjoyable to the troop, but what happened on the way back is what this story is about. Seems that on I-40 just West of Jackson, TN, a woman driving East lost a wheel from her car. The wheel went across the median at 70 mph and shot up in the air.

When it came down, it was aimed directly at the driver, Doug Mangum. With catlike reflexes Doug turned the bus slightly to the left into the median. (If Doug had panicked, the bus would have rolled on its side, several of the boys.) As it was, the tire and rim came through the windshield, slinging shattered glass back through the bus. The tire impacted with a metal fan that was attached to the windshield frame, to cool the driver. The fan was sheared off at its base, and broke into several large pieces, the largest being the fan blades. All pieces of the fan went flying through the bus among the kids, instruments of , every single one. But not one struck a single blow. The cage and motor were found in the rear of the bus among the gear. The fan blades were found imbedded blade first in the ONLY EMPTY SEAT in the rear of the bus, after having travelled the entire length of the bus.

The tire? It crashed into the stairwell wall (denting it significantly) and bounced down into the stairwell, bounced up to the roof, went back into the passenger area, and hit the gear rack and ended up in the only other empty seat on the bus, right by the stairwell, where I usually sat and played guitar for the guys.

When the bus rolled to a stop, Doug and the other leaders took stock of the boys and found that other than a few slight scratches (not even cuts!) on 2 boys' faces, there were no injuries at all! Really goes to show that there were more passengers on that bus than just the boys and leaders.

Guess we really are uptown now, guys! This is my first atempt at one of these so please be patient. I am testing to see how the entry/reply links etc. work. Meanwhile you can enter your own posts, and I'll see if I can get them posted on the website! Enjoy!