As he approaches 30 years as a scoutmaster for Troop 93 in Johnson County, a Shawnee resident continues to help guide young people.
The scoutmaster for Boy Scouts’ Troop 93 in Shawnee since 1996, Myrl Wear has helping guide Boy Scouts from adolescence to adulthood, including watching more than 260 scouts, including his sons and grandson, become Eagle Scouts.
It’s been an unexpected run for the southern Kansas native, who originally joined the Scouts to help his sons navigate the group when they were young.
Now, he spends time inspiring others, through camping experiences at places like the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, Missouri, or roughing it in the winter weather at the annual Trappers Rendevous retreat in Harvey County, Kansas.
“Most scoutmasters do this for two or three years,” he said. “I just had so much fun that I kept on doing this.”
Wear has a deep love for the outdoors
Growing up in rural Kansas near Wichita, Wear said his father instilled in him a love for all things outdoors, from fishing to hunting to camping.
“It was rare for me to be indoors. I was always outside doing something,” he said.
Moving from Ohio back to Kansas in the ’90s, Wear said his then-young sons showed an interest in joining the Cub Scouts. While he never thought of that as an option for himself, he joined to help, first starting out as an Advancement Chair, then moving up as an assistant scoutmaster, Cubmaster and, eventually, Scoutmaster.
As a Scoutmaster, Wear said his role is to provide guidance for the leaders, but also give them enough freedom for them to figure out certain problems.
“I’ll talk to them and say ‘Maybe let’s focus on this merit badge that you have to complete, rather than the fun one that’s kind of optional,'” he said laughing.
Wear is an award winning scoutmaster
In his time as a scoutmaster, Wear has won numerous awards, including:
- Silver Beaver Award — the highest recognition an adult volunteer leader in the Scouts can receive, meant to highlight outstanding and noteworthy service.
- The Heart of America Council’s Paul D. Arend Distinguished Scoutmaster Award
- Three-time Outstanding Scoutmaster Award
- James E. West Fellow Award, awarded to recognize a leader’s dedication to the Scouts
While all of these awards are considered honors by Wear, he is quick to credit the other volunteer leaders in the troop that make it a success.
“They all make this work. Without them, I couldn’t possibly get it done,” he said.
Helping others is the goal for Wear
Wear’s influence on others goes far and wide. In Troop 93, some of its current leaders were originally Boy Scouts that he helped guide. Others have gone on to other vocations, like becoming United States Marines or working in aeronautics.
When Wear thinks back to the struggles some of them had or the obstacles some of his scouts overcame, he said he feels both pride and emotion.
“Sometimes, it can get pretty emotional when you see them accomplish something they thought they couldn’t do. It’s like ‘I can’t do it. I can’t do it. Wait! I can do it,'” he said.
Throughout the years, Wear has attended weddings, reunions and funerals of people he either worked with or helped lead in the Scouts. Knowing that he helped them at some point in their lives is humbling, he said.
“‘Pride’ is the word that comes to mind when I talk to them,” he said. “I’m just so proud to have played a role in their lives.”
One parent, Jill Scaletty, watched her two sons get their Eagle Scouts honor under Wear’s supervision. They now serve as Junior Leaders.
“A fair number of kids continue to stay active in the troop because of Mr. Wear’s leadership,” she wrote in an email to the Johnson County Post.
Wear still wants to continue to inspire
Being a scoutmaster and going on numerous trips, Wear said he loves doing it, but it has taken a toll on his body.
“My knees hurt a lot more than they used to. I had to pull back on some activities,” he said.
Having recently retired as a senior environmental engineer at Burns & McDonnell, an architecture and engineering firm, he said the Scouts remain a big focus in his life.
“I look forward to that one hour a week that we spend together. It means everything to me,” he said.
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