Troop 90 celebrates 100 years of Sequim scouting

Dinner open to community, scout supporters

Sequim’s oldest scout troop is celebrating its 100th anniversary in February.

Scout Troop 90, originally Troop 490 and 1490, will host a catered dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 in the Sequim Masonic Lodge, 700 S. Fifth Ave. Cost is $30. The event is open to past troop members, scout supporters and community members. To sign up, visit https://troop90.bpt.me/ or email to sequimboyscouts@gmail.com.

Organizers said they’ll have historical items available, a guest speaker, and a dessert silent auction to follow festivities.

Scoutmaster Rene Nadon said it’s rare to find scout troops this old as many either merged or disbanded through the years. The event coincides with Boy Scouts of America’s 115th anniversary in the United States and its official name change to Scouting America on Feb. 8.

According to scouting documents, Troop 490 was formed in 1925 by Rev. T.W. Bundy in a Sunday school class in the United Methodist Church with nine scouts.

It switched to Troop 1490 in the 1980s and then Troop 90 in the mid-2000s.

Angus Hay became the troop’s first Eagle Scout, scouting’s highest rank, in 1927 followed by his brother Gordon in 1930. The last scout to earn the Eagle rank was Fred Cameron.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Rick Godfrey points to himself in a photo with fellow Boy Scouts of America from Troop 490. In 1950, he was the youngest scout in the state to earn his eagle scout, the highest rank in scouting. The troop celebrates 100 years of scouting at a special dinner on Feb. 8 at the Sequim Masonic Lodge.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Rick Godfrey points to himself in a photo with fellow Boy Scouts of America from Troop 490. In 1950, he was the youngest scout in the state to earn his eagle scout, the highest rank in scouting. The troop celebrates 100 years of scouting at a special dinner on Feb. 8 at the Sequim Masonic Lodge.

Youngest Eagle

Sequim’s Rick Godfrey, 88, was 13 when he became an Eagle Scout. He was Washington’s youngest scout to achieve the rank in 1950 with Troop 490.

The rank is something Godfrey, a 2023 Sequim Irrigation Festival honored pioneer, is still proud of decades later with pictures, his 42 merit badges and troop banner prominently placed in his office.

“Tradition in scouting has gone a long, long time and started with my father and it’s carried on with me and my brothers and their kids and their kids,” Godfrey said.

They have five Eagle Scouts in his family, including a girl now, he said.

“Every one of those kids has a lot of drive,” Godfrey said.

Boy Scouts of America allowed girls to join in 2019. Troop 90 does not have a girl equivalent troop as Nadon said they don’t want to defer participants from the lone girl troop in the area, Sequim Troop 7498 at Sequim Elks Lodge.

Godfrey recalls his family’s house and backyard swimming pool on the corner of Second Avenue and Maple Street in Sequim becoming a hub for scouts.

“My father offered to train boy and girl scouts to swim,” he said.

Becoming a lifeguard was one of his major interests, Godfrey said, as he became a certified BSA Lifeguard, with the patch to prove it.

“It was pretty handy,” he said of having it with the pool in his backyard.

As an adult, he spent 22 years with the Honeywell Corporation managing factories, then became a group vice president for TRW (Thompson Ramo Wooldridge) Corporation, and lastly started with his brother David an independent consulting company, MRI (Manufacturing Resources, Inc.), to help companies improve earnings and profit margins.

“I was someone who loved his job and got lucky,” he said. “I never did a job I didn’t like.”

He attributes his tenacity and ability to manage people to scouting.

“It gave me a lot of the basics,” he said.

So far 93 scouts have earned Eagle Scout through Troop 90. Troop leaders have put each scout’s name on a board, including Godfrey’s. They plan to start a new board for the next 100 years, Nadon said.

Photo courtesy Troop 90
Scouts with Troop 90 gather for a photo at summer camp in 2024. On Feb. 8, troop leaders celebrate the group turning 100 the same day the organization tuns 115 in the United States.

Photo courtesy Troop 90 Scouts with Troop 90 gather for a photo at summer camp in 2024. On Feb. 8, troop leaders celebrate the group turning 100 the same day the organization tuns 115 in the United States.

Today

Currently the troop has 13 boys. It had as many as 41 just prior to COVID-19, Nadon said.

Warren Nichols, a star rank scout, said he started in Cub Scouts at age 8 at his mom’s suggestion to do more social things.

“It’s helped me to get to know other people … and definitely helped me open up,” he said.

Without scouting, Nichols said nature wouldn’t mean as much to him either.

He does plan to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, but said his biggest goal is “to do as many experiences as I can.”

Nadon said Troop 90 tries to ingrain itself in the community through events and service.

They’ve helped with every Rally in the Alley event co-hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County and the City of Sequim, and they’ve helped in various capacities with the Sequim Lavender Festival and Sequim Irrigation Festival.

Parent Mike Pinell said scouting has persevered through a lot in recent years but they “still have the same goals of prepping youth for life.”

Nadon said the Scout Oath and Scout Law are codes that people use throughout their life.

Assistant scoutmaster Ken Smith said scouting is one of the few programs to teach ethics and leadership to young people too.

Pinell said the leadership aspect pays into their lives even if they don’t become Eagle Scouts.

“You spend a week at camp with the kids and there’s not a single phone out and it’s a breath of fresh air,” he said. “It gives you a feeling that the youth are going to be OK.”

Scout leaders said they’re planning to also celebrate 100 years of scouting later in the year with a Sequim field day in June open to other troops, with more details to be announced.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ The first Eagle Scouts in Troop 90 (then 490) were Angus Hay in 1927 and his brother Gordon in 1930.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ The first Eagle Scouts in Troop 90 (then 490) were Angus Hay in 1927 and his brother Gordon in 1930.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ More than 90 scouts have earned Eagle Scout in Troop 90 (formerly 490 and 1490) in its 100 years of existence.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ More than 90 scouts have earned Eagle Scout in Troop 90 (formerly 490 and 1490) in its 100 years of existence.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Historical items will be on display celebrating Scout Troop 90 (formerly 490 and 1490) at its anniversary dinner on Feb. 8 at the Sequim Masonic Lodge.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Historical items will be on display celebrating Scout Troop 90 (formerly 490 and 1490) at its anniversary dinner on Feb. 8 at the Sequim Masonic Lodge.

Photo courtesy Troop 90/ Scouts with Troop 490, now known as Troop 90 in Sequim, pose for a photo in at the 1947 World Scout Jamboree in France.

Photo courtesy Troop 90/ Scouts with Troop 490, now known as Troop 90 in Sequim, pose for a photo in at the 1947 World Scout Jamboree in France.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Lifeguarding was one of Rick Godfrey’s favorite memories as a Boy Scout. He earned his BSA Lifeguarding certification and his house had a pool where many local scouts learned to swim.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Lifeguarding was one of Rick Godfrey’s favorite memories as a Boy Scout. He earned his BSA Lifeguarding certification and his house had a pool where many local scouts learned to swim.