Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993 TAG: 9301070410
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SCOUTMASTER HELPED EAGLES SOAR
James Deaton gets teary-eyed talking about his boys - all 52 of them.The 64-year-old scoutmaster has helped 52 young men attain Scouting's highest rank of Eagle and has led many others during 38 years in Scouting. He's one of the most successful scoutmasters in the area, with numerous awards - including the Silver Beaver and Vigil of the Order of the Arrow, to his credit, say officials with the Blue Ridge Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Vigil award is the highest honor given a person pursuing the Order of the Arrow.
About 75 former Scouts recently honored Deaton, who still leads Troop 209 at Northview United Methodist Church, at a surprise celebration. He was reunited with some men he hadn't seen in 30 years. They came from Maine, Illinois and North Carolina. One former Scout came from Nashville on behalf of a brother who was one of Deaton's Eagles.
They sang a song Deaton had written for them to the tune of "Green Beret" - a song of troop pride tracing the development of a Scout from Tenderfoot to Eagle.
"When they came out singing that song - it went all over me," said Deaton.
"Their time in Scouting must have meant something to them. It sure meant something to me."
James Deaton is a man with strong beliefs and a sense of discipline. "When I speak, I want them to move," he said. But, he said, he loves the boys and respects them. "You have to be willing to change, and this is hard for me. I resist change."
Donnie Noel, one of Deaton's Eagles, recalls a camping trip near Catawba when he and six other Scouts left camp for a country store. They were drinking soft drinks, eating cookies and playing pinball when Deaton found them.
"He came in and shouted `get packed' so loudly that it rattled the pictures on the wall and shook the shelves. The fella behind the counter said, `I never heard anyone bellow like that.' "
And several Scouts found themselves back at home by nightfall.
Another time, Deaton found some Senior Scouts on a railroad trestle. They rode home in the back of his truck in a downpour.
But Noel said Scouts who had Deaton for a leader respected and loved him.
"He never asked us to do anything he wouldn't do. He's a credit to what Scouting is supposed to be about."
Donna Kittelson of the Blue Ridge Mountain Council said 52 Eagles is an extraordinary number for one scoutmaster. She said the coveted rank of Eagle is not easy to achieve.
Noel said Deaton is serious about rank. "He's not one to say, `here's the paper, sign it.' "
Noel said Deaton took Scouts on overnight camping trips in 4 feet of snow and on other outings that taught them about survival.
"We worked hard, and we took it seriously. We had a ball," said Noel.
Deaton became a scoutmaster before he had children of his own. He first assisted a troop leader, taking over when he left.
"From the beginning, I knew I had something to give, and I enjoyed working with young people."
Deaton, grandfather of five, has been consistently involved in Scouting for 38 years, serving as commissioner for a time so he could work at home during his teen-age son's illness. His son, James, died of a brain tumor in 1977 at 17, after a seven-year illness.
Their last father and son outing was a 100-mile canoe trip on the Shenandoah River.
But Deaton said he missed the interaction with the kids that being a scoutmaster gave him, so he returned to leading Scouts soon after his son's death. Deaton and his wife, Hazel, also have three daughters.
Deaton's troops have always been popular, with 25-80 boys at a time.
"I'm a believer in learning by example," he said.
So when Deaton, himself a former Boy Scout, first led a troop, he decided to "start over" as a Tenderfoot and work his way up to Eagle along with the boys.
In 1961, when he presented his first Eagle Scouts, he, too, acquired the rank. Today it is no longer possible for people over age 18 to become Eagle Scouts.
Noel said Deaton has a particular knack for keeping boys in Scouting through the teen years when many leave for sports or other interests.
"It's a credit to him. He draws a lot of Scouts to his troop and he keeps them," Noel said.
Deaton tells the would-be scoutmaster, "You need to be dedicated, open-minded, and you need to listen. I like to show them that I am strong. I have my beliefs but I love them, too."
He said during his time as a Scout leader, he has sacrificed time with his family, but he believes it's a privilege to work with the boys and he knows he's doing the right thing.
"All my success is owed to my God. He gave me the character to work with kids," he said.
Deaton, who retired from C&P Telephone after 35 years, said he will stay in Scouting "as long as the good Lord lets me."