Larry Bowie eases himself into a chair at an East Brainerd fast-food restaurant and immediately makes the table in front of him seem small.
Recently retired from his engineering job with TVA, Bowie is a towering figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waistline; at 69 he looks as if he could play tight end with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots right now.
While physically imposing, his demeanor is pleasant and friendly and, after just a few minutes, you get the sense that not only would you want him in a foxhole with you, but he'd figure out a way to avoid danger before it ever arrives.
Travis Lytle Jr. gets ready to climb wall at Scout Camp.Maybe it's exactly those qualities that have worked to his advantage in his role as a Scoutmaster for almost 36 years. Bowie, however, says the reason he has stayed on to work first with Cub and later Boy Scouts in the Woodmore and Dalewood areas -- long after his own son aged out of the program -- boils down one thing.
"It's about the kids," he says.
At both lunch and in leading Troop 43, Bowie is joined by Charlie Davidson, 68, also a TVA retiree. The pair have been a team since 1981, two years after Bowie's son, Adrian, joined Cub Pack 3043.
The two, who refer to each other as Mr. Davidson and Mr. Bowie, estimate they've worked with almost 800 boys over the years. During that time, they've mentored 33 who have earned their Eagle Scout badges. The first was Davidson's son, Corey, who started the remarkable string in 1991. A 34th, Travis Lytle Jr., a freshman at Middle Tennessee State University, was just approved to present his application for review and should be confirmed at the end of March.
Becoming an Eagle Scout is an involved process that can take several years. Scouts must earn anywhere from 20 to 25 merit badges, complete a community service project, display Scout spirit and prepare and complete an application and project workbook, among other things.
Eagle Scout Tim Eubanks, right, takes a try at skiing during a troop trip to the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area.Lytle says Bowie and Davidson have been there every step of the way, and not just for him.
"Mr. Bowie wants to make sure that all the boys know they are valuable and that they can do something in life," Lytle says. "He makes sure that we are not just sitting around, and that we are being courteous, being kind, being a better person overall. He reminds us that it is not going to be easy. It will be hard work, but we have fun.
"Mr. Davidson is very supportive of everyone. He is the go-to person when you have questions and need support in general. They work well together and they push us and make sure we don't give up."
Natalie McMasters, field director for the Cherokee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, says "the core of what we do" is reflected in the work of Davidson and Bowie with Troop 43.
"It's incredible to see what they do," she says. "They are two incredible men."
The Cherokee Council oversees Cub and Boy Scout troops representing about 5,000 youth in 11 area counties. McMasters says there were 69 Eagle Scouts awarded by the council in 2014, and the 33 Eagle Scouts Troop 43 has produced is impressive. But more notable is the work Davidson and Bowie have done with all of the young boys.
In addition to learning to tie knots, say the Pledge of Allegiance, start a fire and the hundreds of other things related to earning one of the Scouts' more than 180 merit badges, Bowie and Davidson schedule out-of-town adventures for the boys throughout the year.
Drew Haliburton, left, and Travis Lytle Jr. present the flag at Boy Scout Camp Skymont.They took an overnight caving trip to Cumberland Caverns last month and will spend a weekend at the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area in two weeks. They've taken two-day cruises to the Bahamas, visited Disneyland and the Grand Canyon and been to New York, Virginia Beach and St. Louis.
"One of the cool things about that troop is that they try to do things that those boys would never get to experience otherwise," McMasters says.
The trips are paid for by the Scouts and from the troop's sale of Indian River fruit. Not every Scout goes on every trip, but most do. In fact, a few come back after aging out at 18 for certain excursions, saying they want to give back to the troop and to relive the fun they had as a Scout.
Boy Scouts of America came under intense public scrutiny in recent years for its ban of homosexuals as troop leaders, although it agreed to allow gay youth to join as members. Davidson says some leaders left the organization locally as a result, but the biggest impact on participation in Troop 43 came when youth league football took off at Dalewood Middle School and Woodmore Elementary School, and more boys chose to play football than participate in Scouting.
"We tell the boys they can do both and we encourage them to," he says." As for the leaders who left, I just told them we have to be here for the boys. It's about those kids."
Even some of the fathers come back to Troop 43 years after their boys are no longer involved. Chuck Roseberry's son moved on a decade ago, but Roseberry has returned to help out with the troop, in part because of the example set by Davidson.
"Those guys do so much, and I wanted to give back as well," he says.
Joining up
Troop 43 is open to any boy age 11 to 18 in the area. It meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Monday night at Dalewood Middle School during the school year, unless school is cancelled because of weather. A few events are planned during the summer.
Davidson says the troop started with 13 boys at the beginning of this school year and expects to finish with 13.
"We just about always finish with the same number we started with," he says.
They don't have to do much to recruit new Scouts, either. Their reputations speak for themselves, so the kids and their parents sell the troop to others, and Cub Scout Pack 3034 serves as a healthy feeder as well.
"Stephanie Saxton is the Cubmaster and she's been there almost as long as Mr. Bowie and Mr. Davidson. The two troops do a lot of things together," McMasters says.
Drew Haliburton, left, and John Young prepare a meal on a gas burner for fellow troop members.Davidson says each troop meeting is conducted the same way. It's led off by a prayer, followed by a physical activity "to let them blow off some steam," then the boys work on earning their latest merit badge. Throughout the year, each boy is charged with taking a leadership role in an activity, and Davidson says these usually lead to the biggest reward for him personally.
"Seeing a kid come in all shy and not wanting to talk in the beginning and to go out being a leader, whether it's planning a menu or doing the shopping, is very special," he says. "We see that all the time."
But the end goal has always been the same throughout the years, he says.
"My philosophy is to have a well-rounded young man, spiritually, mentally, physically. We encourage to them to try new things."
Bowie says the merit badges and Eagle Scout application process are all designed to encourage the boys to set goals and learn how to accomplish them.
"We want them to have high expectations," he says. "Even if they don't achieve the goal, which most of them do, it's important to have high expectations."
Striving to earn the various merit badges also introduces new ideas to the Scouts, including possible future careers. Some boys, for example, have discovered a passion for food while earning a badge in cooking. There are also badges to be earned in engineering, first aid, fire safety, communication and computers.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.