THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 18, 1995 TAG: 9505180237
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FRANKLIN LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
When Thomas G. ``Tom'' Jones IV returned to Franklin in 1978, after living in Raleigh, N.C., for 3 1/2 years, he learned that his former Boy Scout troop was about to fold.
A mother said that her son was about to earn his Eagle rank, but that the troop had lost its leadership.
``Troop 17 was founded in 1913, and I couldn't bear the thought of that troop not existing,'' he recalled. ``I decided to take it over. I had had lots of opportunities presented to me through the Scouting program.''
Jones worked with the boys to build membership. He planned weekend camping trips and limited his vacations to taking the Scouts to summer camp.
In five years, 25 boys had joined the troop. Today, 40 to 50 boys attend weekly Scout meetings. Seventeen members of the troop, some as young as 15, have earned their Eagle Award.
``Meetings are not enough,'' he said. ``We taught camping skills, cooking and backpacking. We camp six to seven weekends throughout the year. That keeps boys in Scouting. If you watch troops having difficulty, they are not camping regularly.''
Due to his dedication as Scoutmaster and Council member, Jones received the Silver Beaver Award - highest recognition of service for an adult Scouter - at the recent Boy Scouts of America Colonial Virginia Council banquet.
Soft-spoken and modest, Jones, 44, credits his success to others. ``This is not the Tom Jones Show,'' he said, smiling. ``I couldn't do it without my assistants.
``People ask me why I want to do this. Somebody made it available to me, and it's been a lot of fun.
``I want to make the opportunity available to kids. You can go back and be 11 or 12 again. I love camping and being in the outdoors. There are no phones, and you can get away from everything.''
He said, ``Overall, Scouting is the best balanced youth program in the country. It's a vehicle to develop self-reliance, leadership, and the ability for boys to work together. It's also a religious program, upheld by the Supreme Court.
``Scouts are not a bunch of `goody-two-shoes' . . . it's pretty tough,'' Jones continued. This summer, 32 boys are going to summer camp, and a crew is going white-water rafting and for a weeklong backpacking trip in the Blue Ridge.
Jones, a native of Richmond, moved to Franklin at age 6. After participating in Cub Scouts, he joined Boy Scouts at 11, earned an Eagle Award, and continued to assist the troop during the summer months throughout his college years.
He has been involved in Scouting for almost 33 years, except for a brief period when his job demanded more of his time.
Jones graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. After receiving a master's degree in civil engineering at the University of Virginia, he moved to Raleigh, where he worked for a consulting firm. He also volunteered to help with a Scout troop there.
In 1978, Jones went to work at Union Camp Corp., spending nine years in the Mill Engineering Group and five years in Maintenance Engineering and Maintenance Planning. Today, he is assistant manager of the Fiber Recycling Plant.
He and his wife, Betsy, have a daughter, Brownrigg, 16, and a 12-year-old son, Thomas, who joined Troop No. 17 last year.
Jones is chairman of the Planning Commission for the City of Franklin and has served on the Board of Directors of Southampton Memorial Hospital.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis and building furniture. MEMO: Boy Scout Troop No. 17 meets from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m., Mondays, at the
``Scout Shack'' on Fontaine Street. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Thomas G. Jones IV is Scoutmaster of Troop 17, which has 40 to 50
boys attending weekly meetings.
by CNB