Troop 45,  Mineola,  NY

Serving the youth of our community since 1921

85 Years of Excellence

The history of what is today Troop 45 pre-dates even the June 1, 1921 original charter date. Troop 1 of Mineola, which was the predecessor of Troop 45, was first registered in April 1915. Reverend Brooks of the Mineola Presbyterian Church was the Scoutmaster and George Hauder was the Assistant Scoutmaster. Through the next 4 years the Troop camped at places such as Bar Beach and Bayville but as America went to war, male leadership became harder to come by. When registration time came in 1919 there was no Scoutmaster, so Troop 1 became defunct.        

On June 9, 1921, the first charter for Troop 45 was issued. Sponsored by the Civic League of Mineola, Joseph Nohowec was the first Troop 45 Scoutmaster. During the next 14 years there were 4 Scoutmasters and in 1929 the Troop produced their first Eagle Scouts. Many of the Scouts involved with the Troop during these years grew to become well known adults in Nassau, getting involved in many areas of civic life in the county.         

In 1935 John Svoboda became Scoutmaster; a position he would hold, excluding the WWII years of 43-45, till 1973. In 1937, Mr. Svoboda and two Scouts attended the first National Jamboree in Washington, D.C.. For the first 25 years of its existence, diverse groups ranging from the Mineola Scout Committee to the Mineola Council sponsored Troop 45.        

In 1946 the Troop celebrated its 25th anniversary and also became part of the First Presbyterian Church Family for it was in that year that the church became Troop 45’s Sponsoring Organization.  Today, our relationship with the First Presbyterian Church could not be stronger as we continue with our joint efforts to bring Scouting to our community.        

In 1973, Frank Pewarski, who had started as a Scout in Troop 45, became its 11th Scoutmaster. This is a position that Frank would hold until his 1996 retirement. That year, a big Troop 45 75th anniversary party was held at Wilson Park. Many of the Scouts and Scouters who had been a part of the Troop over the years joined with the new Troop members to celebrate its rich history. This was also a special day as the Troop honored Frank Pewarski for over 40 years of service as a Scout and a Scouter in Troop 45. After Frank Pewarski’s retirement, Bill Lorusso and Frank D’Elia took over the job of Scoutmaster and then in September, 1998 Steve Grosskopf took the position.  A long time Scouter and member of Troop 45 as well as a former Shelter Rock District Chairman and a Silver Beaver recipient, Steve continues to maintain the high standards of Troop 45.

 

In February of 2001, the Troop held a huge 80^th Anniversary Dinner at the Knights of Columbus Hall.  Hundreds of former Troop 45 Scouts came from near and far to help celebrate this momentous occasion with the current members of the Troop.  It was a wonderful time for the alumni of the Troop to see that their Troop was still providing a high quality program to our village and for the current members to get an idea of just how important Troop 45 was to our alumni    

Over the years of Troop 45’s history, 100 plus Eagles have come from our ranks. As less that 2% of Scouts attain the rank of Eagle, having this number from Troop 45 is indeed something special. But even more important are the thousands of boys from the Mineola and the surrounding areas who have become better adults because of their years in Troop 45. Those boys, who have gone on to become policemen, lawyers, judges, doctors, teachers, and just about every other occupation, are truly the legacy of Troop 45’s history.