Scoutmaster honors late son by guiding others
Thomsen helps special needs, inner-city Scouts achieve goals
Scouting provided a trove of memories for Myron Thomsen and his two sons, John and Don, who both attained the rank of Eagle Scout. When John died a decade ago after battling cancer of the bile ducts, Thomsen didn’t fall away from the scouting community.
He dove deeper into it.
“It gave me a purpose to keep going,” Thomsen said. “I’ve been having so much fun, I just haven’t quit yet.”
The outpouring of support within scouting circles touched him as he coped with the loss. Sticking with it has allowed him to watch countless boys mature into morally sound men and to carry on his late son’s legacy. The Boy Scout of the Year award at the annual district-wide dinner is named in John’s memory.
A member at Immaculate Conception Parish in Milwaukee, Thomsen works with Scouts of all ages. For starters, he’s the scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop for those with special needs. Troop 37 has existed for more than a half-century, and Thomsen stepped in to fill a leadership void several years ago.
While special needs students today are welcomed into mainstream scouting groups, Thomsen said the unique nature of his troop allows the members to participate well into adulthood rather than “aging out.” That helps them maintain friendships.
David Pleskatcheck was involved when the troop got its charter in 1960, became an Eagle Scout in 1980 and today remains an active Scout. Now 66, he appreciates Thomsen’s guidance.
“I get a chance to do most badges,” said Pleskatcheck, who has conquered 73 of the roughly 120 merit badges offered.
Thomsen also works with mainstream Cub Scouts, including after-school activities for inner-city students at several schools who aren’t typically exposed to scouting. He said they’re often awestruck by what they see on camping trips.
“God created a vast world for us to live in,” he said. “We’re not just stuck with the little neighborhood we grew up in.”
Terry Radtke, whose family belongs to St. Veronica Parish in Milwaukee, has a son in Pack 145 based out of Clement Avenue School. He has watched 8-year-old Richard benefit from Thomsen’s imagination. Safety concerns make it impossible to build an actual fire, so the scoutmaster trades kindling and tinder for pretzels and coconut flakes in an “edible fire.”
The passion Thomsen and his wife, Ethelinda, put into their community efforts has left an impression on Radtke.
“They seem very tireless in what they do,” he said. “They’re a great team.”
Thomsen also heads the human concerns committee at Immaculate Conception, which among other things participates in an interfaith program to feed the homeless on Friday nights. And visitors to local church festivals may have tried their luck at some of his carnival games. Thomsen built about 20 such games he lends out for various events.
It all fits snugly on a faith foundation that drives him to help those who need it the most.
Article by Mike Moore
Photo courtesy of Myron Thomsen (pictured on cover: Thomsen works with a member of Boy Scout Troop 37)