Wood Badge History

Early Wood Badge Courses

From 1948 until the early 1970's, Wood Badge was a skills-based course designed specifically for those involved in troops and posts. All of the courses were offered on a regional basis and were by invitation only. Detailed records of local Scouters who attended these courses is scarce. If you have any information about anyone who attended Wood Badge from this area during this time, please send it to John Willemain.The following list is certainly not complete but does list a number of local Scouters who took Wood Badge.

Early Wood Badge Participants

Leadership Development Wood Badge

In the early 1970s, it was decided to redesign Wood Badge and make it into a leadership development course (with some Scouting skills still included). At that time, it was also decided that local councils would be allowed to offer courses of their own. In prepartion for bringing Wood Badge to our area, a number of Scouters from the Pioneer Valley Council worked on the staff of or attended NE-I-11. This course was held at the New England Training Center in 1974 and was directed by Harris Tanner. In the spring of the following year, 1975, the first course offered by the Pioneer Council. NE-I-21 was held at the Horace A. Moses Scout Reservation and was directed by Harris Tanner. This began a long tradition of courses being held in western Massachusetts. Since that time, there have been 23 courses offered between the Pioneer Valley, Great Trails and Western Massachusetts councils.

In some cases, especially courses that were hosted by the Great Trails Council, our information is incomplete. If you can help fill in the missing pieces, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact John Willemain with any information.

Leadership Development Wood Badge Course Rosters

In the table below, you will find a listing of the leadership development Wood Badge courses that have been hosted in western Massachusetts (as well as the 1974 course noted above) through 1999. Click on the link to each course and you will find the information about that course: host council, location, year, dates, staff roster, participant roster and course and staff pictures, where available.

Course Year   Course Year
NE-I-11 1974   NE-I-21 1975
NE-I-36 1976   NE-I-51 1977
NE-I-69 1979   NE-I-79 1980
NE-I-95A 1982   NE-I-95B 1982
NE-I-107 1984   NE-I-134 1987
NE-I-149 1990   NE-II-64 1991
NE-I-162 1993   NE-II-67 1994
NE-I-182 1996   NE-I-197 1998

 

Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge

A separate course for Cub Scout Trainers was developed in the 1980s and was offered only on a regional basis. The course was very different from the standard Wood Badge, focusing on train-the-trainer concepts for Cub Leaders rather than the leadership skills. A number of Cub Scouters from the area attended courses offered between 1989 and 1999 (when this version was discountinued in favor of all Scouters attending Wood Badge for the 21st Century). The following list includes those who attended Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge.

Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge Participants

Wood Badge for the 21st Century

With the turn of the century, Wood Badge underwent another update, this time to realign the leadership skills being taught to reflect the current skills that were prevalent in the business world. The other major change was to eliminate the separate Cub Wood Badge course with all Scouters now attending this single Wood Badge course. Eventually, the "for the 21st Century" was dropped from the title so the course is once again known as Wood Badge.

Wood Badge for the 21st Century Rosters

In the table below you will find a listing of all the Wood Badge courses since the turn of the century. Click on the link to each course and you will find the information about that course: host council, location, year, dates, staff roster, participant roster and course and staff pictures, where available.

Course Year   Course Year
NE-I-214 2002   NE-I-218 2002
NE-I-232 2004   NE-I-253 2008
N2-234-11-1 2011   N2-234-14 2014
N2-234-16 2016   N2-234-19 2019

 

Course Directors

L to R: Jim Law, Jeff Glaze, Richard Krueger, Linda Chartier, Jack Leone, Jim Burke, Harris Tanner, John Willemain, Jeff Sedgewick, Terry Pearsons

L to R: Tom Bardon, Bob Kidd, Bob Walz, John Willemain, Jim Burke, Jack Leone, Jim Law, Jeff Glaze, Terry Pearsons, Ray McGarrigle

Position Name Telephone
VP for Program Joshua Hall Email