This article was reprinted from the CT Post web site. See the complete article including pictures in the Sunday, March 21st edition of the CT Post.

FELICIA HUNTER, Correspondent
Sunday, March 21, 2004 -

DERBY — Rod Kneen is frozen in time, smack dab in the middle of a row of young men peering from inside the glass display case on Derby Public Library’s main floor.

On the other side of the glass, the real-life Kneen looks back, marveling at the decades-old photograph of himself with fellow Boy Scouts.

“I started out as a Cub Scout in 1932,” said Kneen, a former Derby resident who now lives in Shelton. Kneen worked hard at Scouting and eventually attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest Boy Scout achievement level. Back then, it was a “big deal,” he said.

It still is for current members of Boy Scout Troop 3, who are celebrating the troop’s 90th anniversary this year. Events include a major fund-raiser and a gala luncheon, both in April. The library will display Troop 3 memorabilia through March 26.

Established in 1914, Troop 3 is part of the Housatonic Council, the Valley contingent of the Boy Scouts of America.

“We’re the oldest troop in the Valley and among the 10 oldest in Connecticut,” said former Scoutmaster Randy Ritter, now chairman of a Troop 3 support committee of parents and other volunteers. The current scoutmaster is Ansonia resident Jim Frovarp.

“That’s one of the secrets of our success, having so many dedicated adults,” said Ritter. They’ve helped preserve the troop’s history over the years by contributing to the 150 scrapbooks that span 80 years, he said.

One of those scrapbooks, from 1936, is in the library display. Other exhibit items include old handbooks, badges, uniforms, trophies, postcards and a People magazine article about a celebration on the Derby Green a decade ago that honored the late Scoutmaster Edmund D. Strang.

People covered the event because Troop 3’s most famous alumnus, award-winning actor Brian Dennehy, made the trip back to the city for the event.

Dennehy made it clear that he, like everyone else, was on hand to pay tribute to Strang, Derby’s preeminent Boy Scout.

Strang is considered the backbone of Derby’s Scouting program.

Born in 1910 — the year Boy Scouts of America was incorporated — he joined the Derby Boy Scout Troop in 1922.

He earned 42 merit badges and became an Eagle Scout in 1927; he then founded Cub Pack 3 for boys too young to join the troop.

For well over 60 years, Strang was a role model for local boys, serving as both Cub master and Scoutmaster.

In 1961, he co-founded the Housatonic Scout Reservation campsite. It was subsequently renamed the Edmund D. Strang Reservation and is located in Goshen.

Before Strang died in 1995, he had been recognized with numerous awards and honors for his contributions to Scouting and the community.

“He was highly involved in Scouting, and I guess he was all his life,” said Kneen.

Kneen said he became a Scout because of Strang, who was his Sunday school teacher at Derby United Methodist Church.

One of Kneen’s fondest memories is going to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, where troop members stood at the entrance, clickers in hand, and counted fair visitors.

“We camped out at the fair, but they made us work to earn our keep,” Kneen recalled with a smile.

Bob Bednarcik remembers a special “jamboree,” a campout held every four years that attracts Scouts from across the nation.

The 1953 jamboree was held in Irvine, Calif. After an “amazing,” five-day scenic train ride, Bednarcik and other Troop 3 members met several movie stars who visited the camp, he recalled.

Roy Rogers brought his wife, Dale Evans, and his horse, Trigger, and Mitzi Gaynor gave out kisses.

“We met Danny Thomas, Celeste Holm, Debbie Reynolds — I shook hands with them and got autographs,” said Bednarcik, an Oxford resident. “I was thrilled to meet all of them.”

Scouting also took Bednarcik to areas such as Canada and Washington, D.C.

“We garnered a lot of knowledge and visited a lot of places. We got experiences we wouldn’t have if we hadn’t been in Scouting,” he said.

Bridgeport resident Lou Babycos, who donated three Scout uniforms — including one with a pair of knickers — to Derby Troop 3, credited Scouting with teaching outdoor and interpersonal skills that helped him advance in the military.

“If it wasn’t for Scouting, I would never have risen to be a sergeant major in the Army,” said Babycos, whose old Bridgeport troop has disbanded.

Babycos praised the Derby Scouting program.

“You should be very proud,” he told Ritter and other Scouts gathered at the library for a recent video presentation on the history of Derby Scouting.

“You don’t find this in too many cities any longer. They just don’t have the time or the interest,” said Babycos.

Today there are about 75 boys in Troop 3, which accepts members from all lower Valley towns.

Meetings take place Wednesday evenings at United Methodist Church, 17 Fifth St.

Activities include community service projects, fulfilling merit badge requirements, participating in a lighthearted annual musical program known as the “gang” show, and an exchange program with Scouts from England and Ireland.

Chris Townsend, 12, of Shelton, said he likes the challenge of Scouting.

“I think the most challenging merit badge was rifle,” said Chris, who had to get five shots into a space the size of a quarter to earn the badge.

His dad, Tom Townsend, an assistant leader, said Scouting has helped Chris learn about and develop an appreciation for the outdoors.

“Plus, he’s learning about the community and being civic-minded,” added Townsend.

Over the troop’s 90-year history, 233 members have become Eagle Scouts. The most recent were Ryan Bailey, 16, of Derby; Nick DiGiovanni, 18, of Oxford; and Gillian Carlson, 18, of Shelton.

“I always have fun,” said Carlson about why he enjoys Scouting. “I’m always finding something new to do, always learning things I can use in everyday life.”

The library display of Troop 3 memorabilia is open to the public during library hours.

A community-wide outdoor tag sale and antiques appraisal benefiting the council Jamboree Troop will take place April 24th at Shelton’s Riverwalk.

The 90th anniversary celebration will be held April 25 at noon at the Inn at Villa Bianca, Seymour. Admission to the luncheon is $25, or $15 for children and free to Scouts in uniform.