Boy Scout Troop 4 La Jolla capped its centennial year on the evening of Nov. 24 with an anniversary dinner held at La Jolla Presbyterian Church in the spacious Fellowship Hall. More than 200 guests attended the affair, connecting and reconnecting with friends, Scouts, Scout leaders and parents who have made the troop such a valuable part of the community since 1912.  

After a warm welcome from former Troop Committee Chairman Jim Rodisch and the flag ceremony performed by active senior members of the troop, there was an invocation by the Rev. Paul Cunningham and a “thank you” to the two sponsors of the troop, La Jolla Presbyterian Church and the La Jolla Kiwanis.  

As dinner was served BSA Council Board Members, past Troop 4 Scoutmasters, committee chairs and Eagle Scouts were honored with a recognition ceremony. The keynote speaker was Rear Adm. Len Hering Sr. (Ret), who addressed the role of Scouting in the nation and noted some of the famous men in numerous fields who began the road to manhood in Scouting and achieved the high rank of Eagle Scout. Among the many cited were baseball great Hank Aaron, astronaut Neil Armstrong, director and author Michael Moore, director Stephen Spielberg and Wal-Mart foun-der Sam Walton.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a nostalgic look back on local Scout history by way of a slide show, which featured pictures dating to the early 20th century. Many of the guests showed up in slides from as far back as the 1960s. One family, the Kronemyer clan, has been involved for three generations with the troop.

It was with humor, optimism and confidence that there were calls for looking ahead to the second century of Troop 4 La Jolla.