"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." Colette

Oct 29, 2013

Bruce Jenner's Secret Past

Q:  What do Bruce Jenner, Gerald Ford and Rich Little have in common?


A:  They were all, at one time, Boy Scouts.  I myself was a Brownie, and still have my Girl Scout Pin from the 60’s.  Maybe I sold you cookies.

Imagine my surprise, while sorting through Mom’s belongings, to discover this Good Scouts advertisement in an old 1970s Life magazine.  I figured it could be easily overlooked, and the social value far outweighs old paper, so I tore it out and had it laminated.  It belongs to some Boy Scout troop, somewhere.


“It’s such fun to be one of the troop-to hike and swim and camp out…Come on, fellows, and test your spunk!  Once a Scout, Always a Scout.”

I can’t possibly imagine those words in print today.  Henry Fonda heads the chart, and right next to him is none other than sports legend and current fodder, Bruce Jenner; actor Paul Winfield is at the other shoulder. To continue:


“Reveries of days on the trail may or may not have passed through the minds of the former scouts shown here when they agreed to pose for a forthcoming public-service ad for the Boy Scouts that asks adults to sponsor new troops.”

So, do they still do that anymore?  Mark Spitz; Howard K. Smith; James Stewart; take a peek at the rest.  It’s a wonderful testament to the Scouts.  More recently: Steven Spielberg; Richard Gere; George Strait. Maybe they do.

Jan 2019:  I've decided to sell the advertisement on my Etsy store.  I'm preparing another road trip and must once more unload the Conestoga before heading over the mountains.

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