1919-1955

100 YEARS of

SCOUTING

in Kenilworth

Scout Handbook, 1945

Bob Townley, c. 1930

Joseph Sears School faculty portrait of Bob Townley. “[Bob] Townley was the driving force behind Troop 13 and provided an ethic of honest and community commitment that will forever be a part of me.” -Joe Jannotta, 1940-1943 Scout

Carl Kieth, c. 1920

Carl Kieth, Kenilworth’s first Scoutmaster, in his uniform.

The first troop of Boy Scouts in Kenilworth, 1919.

Early Camping Trip

Townley took a lot of photos throughout his tenure as scoutmaster. This photo shows Jim Urice and two others on one of the many camping trips in the late 1930s.

Kenilworth's Early Cub Scouts, c. 1938

A few Cub Scouts pull a wagon across Kenilworth. The Cub Scouts started in Kenilworth in 1932. Prior to the Cub Scouts, Townley and his associates organized the Junior Hikers to allow younger children to march in the memorial day parade.

Boy Scouts Original Uniform, c. 1920

One of Kenilworth’s first Boy Scouts posing in an original uniform with a hatchet on his belt.

Campsite, c. 1940

In the 1930s, Troop 13 used pieces of canvas draped over poles and a crossbar to make their tents. An experienced scout dug a trench around the edge of their tent to divert rain water around it and not through it.

Memorial Day Parade, early 1950s

Troop 13 marching through Kenilworth with the Troop’s flag. Bob Townley, the Grand Marshall of the parade, is pictured marching to the left alongside his troop. “Before becoming a Cub Scout at the age of 9, we had a program called Junior Kickers. I believe I marched in nine consecutive Memorial day Parades.” -William Watkins, 1938-1944 Scout.

Troop 13 circa 1940

Townley Era (1919-1955)

Kenilworth’s Boy Scouts legacy began in Feb 19, 1919 with Carl Keith as the first Scoutmaster. The earliest Scout meetings for Kenilworth’s Troop 13 were held once a week in a small open shelter of the golf course that used to be at the corner of Sheridan and Kenilworth Avenue.

Bob Townley, the third Scoutmaster, took over in 1922 shortly after being hired as the new athletic director at Joseph Sears School. Townley moved the Scout meetings to the Sears Gym and always ended the meetings with a game. Artie Bergman recalled the words of Townley, “When you send them home, the last thing you want them to remember is that they had fun”.

Townley became a respected mentor for all the boys and young men of Kenilworth for an entire generation, he used the Scouts program to teach them integrity and trustworthiness above all else and discouraged any cursing or booing in Kenilworth.

Townley Era Uniform

The first Scout uniform included brown jackets with a high collar. These jackets were worn with breeches, canvas leggings or long socks to protect the calves as well as the broad-brimmed campaign hats. The original uniform was shortly revised, replacing the jacket with a light shirt and its high collar with neckerchiefs; shorts were added as a new option.

Antelope Aware

Bob Townley was awarded the Silver Antelope in 1950 which recognized his outstanding service to youth within the Greater Midwest region.