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published on 02/05/2006 Local Men and Women Serve in Scouting Leadership By Signal Mountain is proud that local resident Craig Haney was recently appointed Fire Marshall for the Chattanooga Fire Dept. Many may not know that Craig has also served as Cubmaster of Pack 3116 since 2003. Craig has been an arson investigator for the Fire Department until his recent elevation. He is certified as a fireman, paramedic and police officer. Craig’s wife Kelly also serves the pack as Den Leader. She is an EMT and works with Abbott, training staff in the use of medical equipment. Their son, Randy is a Webelos Scout with Pack 3116. When I found out about Craig’s appointment, it made me realize the kind of men and women serving the Scouting program on Signal Mountain. The leaders of the various units have provided me with some information I wanted to share about these fine individuals. This is only a sampling and not meant to be comprehensive, but is representative of the quality of leadership available to our local scouts. Serving with Craig as his Asst. Cubmaster is Drew Hammett. Drew is a computer programmer with Krystal. Other Den Leaders include Carlton Freidebel who works for TVA, Tom Carter who is retired from the military and leads two dens and Micki Hall. Micki is one of many women active in Scouting having served as both a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader. Troop 60 at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church is lead by Scoutmaster John Glass. John is retired from the US Air Force and currently works for Westinghouse as a Nuclear Consultant to TVA. During his Air Force service he worked with Scout troops in Panama, Labrador and San Antonio, Texas. He serves as an elder at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church where he served as a Cubmaster from 1 and has been Scoutmaster since 1982. He has two sons who are Eagle Scouts. John Glass is ably assisted by many fine men. I’d like to mention just a few. Troop 60’s Committee Chair is Sandy McMillan. Sandy is a retired Navy Seal, the elite Navy special force unit. He is a manager at Starkey Printing. Assistant Scoutmasters include Jon Kinard who is the son of missionaries and grew up in South America. He speaks fluent Spanish. He has served as a manager to the Voith-Seimens Company, previously in South America and now in the United States. John Klein has long served the Scout program, previously as Cubmaster to Pack 3035 (now Pack 3116). In addition to his work with Troop 60, he serves the local district as Advancement Chair and serves on Eagle Scout Boards of Review. Tony Parrish is a coal buyer for TVA. He is retired from the Air National Guard. He has two sons who are Eagle Scouts and was selected Father of the Year several years ago. Travis Hutchinson is an Eagle Scout from Troop 60 who now serves as Asst. Scoutmaster. He was a nationally ranked Cross-Country Biker as a youth and is now a stockbroker. Mayor Bill Leonard is well known to Signal Mountain residents. For the last 8 years, Mayor Leonard has served as Troop Committee Chairman for Troop 116, chartered to Signal Crest UMC. He has been very active at the Council level in Scouting, serving as Vice President for Programs. For his service to the Scouting program, he was awarded the Silver Beaver award, one of the highest leader awards in Scouting. Mayor Leonard is also an Eagle Scout. After college, he served in the US Navy and is on the Board of Directors of the Navy League. He worked in the carpet industry and was Vice-President of Horizon Industries. He is currently a partner in a consulting business. He is also a proud Tarheel. Scoutmaster for Troop 116 is John Veatch. John was a scout as a boy. He also served in the US Army as a chemical specialist, and then worked for Alco Chemicals as a chemist. Asst. Scoutmaster Don Close works closely with new scouts to the troop, training them in the basic skills of Scouting and guiding them from Tenderfoot to First Class Scout. He is from Chattanooga and was also a Boy Scout. He served with Troop 60 as an Asst. Scoutmaster in the past. He is currently is a manager with Lee Smith Trucking. He also serves as the Chairman of the Signal Mountain Recreation Board. Over 8 years ago, Bill Leonard, John Veatch and Don Close revived Troop 116, which was practically defunct, and led it to its current active status. Other Assistant Scoutmasters with Troop 116 include Todd Wells who is an English teacher at GPS. Todd was formerly director of the Outdoor Program at Baylor and is active outdoor activities at GPS. He is an Eagle Scout and an avid rock climber, trail runner, skier, sea kayaker and just about any other outdoor activity you can think of. He concentrates on the outdoors activities of the troop. Dr. Doug Kennard is a Professor of Bible, Theology and Philosophy at Bryan College. He is also a published author and ordained minister. He grew up in southern California and is an Eagle Scout. He was also a Ranger at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He has been in Scouting for 25 years including stints at Scoutmaster in Ohio and Illinois. Pete Garland is a pilot with Delta Airlines. He grew up in Hixson and Red Bank and was a Boy Scout. After majoring in history, he joined the Air Force as a pilot flying C-130s. He has participated in Desert Shield and operations in the Balkans and Central America. He recently completed a deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an avid outdoorsman enjoying hunting, fishing and hiking and is a former horseman. Steve Seymour grew up in Virginia. He teaches Technology Education at SMMS where he is also a wrestling and track coach and TSA advisor. Dr. Bob Wood is from Nebraska. He is an Eagle Scout. He is also a pediatrician and former Chief of Pediatrics at TC Thompson. Brian Wright is a native of Signal Mountain. He received his Eagle as a member of Troop 116. He is a CPA and a Deacon at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church. Paul Hendricks is a native of Florida where he earned his Eagle and served as a Scout leader at several troops during college. He served as Cubmaster of Pack 3116 for 3 years. He is also on the PTA board at SMMS. He is a musician and plays with the contemporary service band at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church when time permits. He is currently an emergency physician at Memorial Hospital. Troop 176, chartered to St. Augustine Catholic Church is led by Bob Wagner. Bob has devoted his life to Scouting. He is an Eagle Scout with three silver palms. He has been Scoutmaster of Troop 176 for 36 years and Asst. Scoutmaster for 5 years before that. Bob has earned many leadership and religious awards in Scouting including the Silver Beaver award. He is a native of Signal Mountain and graduated from Notre Dame High School and the University of Chattanooga. His business background is in real estate, serving in Property Management and as a Broker and Consultant. Asst. Scoutmasters at Troop 176 include John Lines, Jr. who has been Assistant Scoutmaster for 38 years. He is a Cave and Cliff Safety Instructor and Whitewater Instructor for Adult Leader Course, Cherokee Area Council. He graduated from University of Kentucky with a BS in Horticulture and is a flower grower and raises limas. He is a founding member of Walden's Ridge Emergency Service. Ed Seay has been Assistant Scoutmaster for 19 years. He is a Whitewater Canoe Instructor, Firearms Expert, Ham Radio Operator, certified scuba diver and Licensed Private Pilot. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He is a TVA Senior Turbine Engineer. Scott Jenkinson is an Eagle Scout with two palms. He is an Advanced Whitewater Instructor in Canoe and kayak and Angle Rope, Climbing and Repelling Instructor/Trainer. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a BA in English and a Masters Degree in English Secondary Education and is a High School English Teacher. He was a former Guide for Nantahala Outdoor Center and is a wilderness EMT. It is this quality of leadership that makes Scouting on Signal Mountain such an excellent experience. I plan to cover the leadership of Troop 35 at Signal Mountain LDS Church and Venture Crew 2116 in a future article.

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