The Boy Scouts of America have been active in Sandusky since shortly after the organization was founded in 1910. Pictured above is a group of Boy Scouts in Washington Park in Sandusky about 1916, with a young lady dressed in a patriotic costume. After the flood of 1924, several troops of Boy Scouts met at Grace Church in Sandusky, to report for duty to aid in the clean up effort in Sandusky. In 1936, Sandusky Boy Scouts co-operated with the American Red Cross to collect clothing and food for flood victims in Southern Ohio.
A Sandusky Boy Scout once made national news for his act of heroism. On January 30, 1926, Henry Sherman Potter, saved Omar E. Meyer, Jr. from drowning. Omar fell through the ice while skating on Sandusky Bay. Henry crawled on thin ice, and tossed his sweater to Omar, and pulled him to safety. For his heroic deed, Henry Sherman Potter was awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal for saving the boy's life.
In the summer of 1937, area Boy Scouts marched in a parade before they departed for the first National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America, which was held June 30 to July 7, in Washington D.C.
Another undated picture shows a large group of Boy
Scouts gathered in Sandusky.
Henry Potter is my father. He never spoke about this but the medal is in our family's possession. As an adult I joined the Carnegie Hero Society that acknowledged his heroism them and continues to do so for others today.I have a picture of him circa 1925 in full BS regalia. A black boy scout in 1925, Wow!
ReplyDeleteOmar was my grandfather. Thanks to your father, I and others were given the blessings of life.
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