Story of Edward M. Brown III
Edward M. Brown, III is a member of Historic St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church located at 639 E. Long St., Columbus, Ohio 43215 and a Boy Scout Troop (BSA) 262 chartered by St. Paul AME Church—this is his story.
On any given Saturday, you can find Troop 262 in the basement of St. Paul AME Church in Columbus, Ohio, where you will hear the noise and clatter of BSA Troop 262 led by their Scout Master James Bell. You will also find Edward (Eddie) M Brown, III. Eddie started as a Cub Scout in Pack 3262. Eddie was as bodacious and energetic as any Cub you would ever meet. Eddie tried everything—scouting, piano, ballroom dancing, golf, baseball; he even found time to be an acolyte in the church. However, unlike other Cubs, Eddie was not only interested in trying these activities. He wanted to master them. So, as he continued to develop, he went on to join Troop 262 at Saint Paul AME Church in Columbus, Ohio. Now Eddie had a head start, and unlike most African American youth joining Scouting, Eddie had a mentor that was his grandfather Edward M Brown. Eddie’s grandfather had been a Scout at St. Paul AME Church in the forties, and Eddie wanted to follow in his footsteps. He wanted to continue the legacy that his grandfather had set.
Troop 262 has had some of the most amazing scoutmasters and assistant scoutmasters. These leaders served as mentors and coaches and believed that their responsibility was to help each Scout build strong moral roots within their homes, church, and community. They believed that strong roots would allow a young tree (i.e., Scout ) to withstand the strongest of winds and survive drought when others fail by its ability to reach water deep within dry soil. In addition, these leaders believed that if scouts were armed with a solid faith foundation, the Scout Law, and Scout Oath, they could overcome any obstacle that may lay in their way.
As Eddie grew older, his interests grew stronger. He would not let the noise around him deter him from being the best he could be. So, on any given Saturday, Eddie was moving from space to space within the church from scouting to ballroom dancing, to golf lessons, to prepping for scuba diving, to practicing for a 300 foot repel down a cliff, while practicing as an acolyte and working with our youngest scouts. He was growing as a person every step of the way.
As Eddie prepared to enter his senior year in high school, he earned his Eagle Scout Award. Only 4% of all Scouts earn the Eagle Scout Award, and fewer than 1.5% of African American Scouts earn the award. Today, Eddie is an accomplished pianist, a ballroom dancer, and a scratch golfer. He has lettered in basketball and is a newly retired acolyte. Humbly, Eddie told his peers during his Court of Honor, “If you had told me, what I’m telling you, I would have never believed it! Until now!
While no one never knows what is going on in the basement of St. Paul AME Church with Troop 262 on any given Saturday, it will be worth getting up for!
Visit us on Facebook at AAMES Scouting Connection. To learn how to start a Girl Scout or Boy Scout Unit at your church, please contact Vivianne Frye-Perry at vfrye-perry@amescouts.org for Girl Scouts and Clarence Crayton at ccrayton@amescouts.org for Boy Scouts.
