A Century of Excelence
On June 9, 1921, the first charter for Troop 45 was issued. Sponsored by the Civic League of Mineola, Joseph Nohowec was the first Troop 45 Scoutmaster. During the next 14 years there were 4 Scoutmasters and in 1929 the Troop produced their first Eagle Scouts. Many of the Scouts involved with the Troop during these years grew to become well known adults in Nassau, getting involved in many areas of civic life in the county.
In 1935 John Svoboda became Scoutmaster; a position he would hold, excluding the WWII years of 43-45, till 1973. In 1937, Mr. Svoboda and two Scouts attended the first National Jamboree in Washington, D.C.. For the first 25 years of its existence, Troop 45 was sponsored by diverse groups ranging from the Mineola Scout Committee to the Mineola Council.
In 1946 the Troop celebrated its 25th anniversary and also became part of the First Presbyterian Church Family for it was in that year that the church became Troop 45’s Sponsoring Organization. That is a relationship that has lasted and we are proud today to still be a part of the First Presbyterian Church’s youth outreach.
In 1973, Frank Pewarski, who had started as a Scout in Troop 45, became its Scoutmaster. This is a position that Frank would hold until his 1996 retirement. That year, a big Troop 45 75th anniversary party was held at Wilson Park. Many of the Scouts and Scouters who had been a part of the Troop over the years joined with the new Troop members to celebrate its rich history. This was also a special day as the Troop honored Frank Pewarski for over 40 years of service as a Scout and a Scouter in Troop 45.
After Frank Pewarski’s retirement, Bill Lorusso and Frank D’Elia took over the job of Scoutmaster and then in September, 1998 Steve Grosskopf (Mr. G) took the position. A long time Scouter and member of Troop 45 as well as a Silver Beaver recipient, Steve had recently concluded a successful 3 year run as Shelter Rock District Chairman before becoming our Scoutmaster.
The troop has held a number of milestone dinners, the past two being the 90th Anniversary in 2011 and 100th Anniversary in 2021. Over 250 members of our Troop Family participated including over a hundred former Troop 45 Scouts and leaders who came from near and far to help celebrate this momentous occasion with the Troop Family. It was a wonderful time for our alumni to see that their Troop is still providing a high quality program to our village and for the current members to get an idea of just how important Troop 45 is to our alumni. This was also a historical day as the Troop was able to recognize Steve Grosskopf "Mr. G" for 25 years of service to Troop 45 as scoutmaster. He was also bestowed the honor of honorary Eagle Scout for having mentored over 100 scouts who obtained the rank under his leadership.
In August of 2022, troop 45 alumni Glenn Peters became the 11th man to serve as scoutmaster of troop 45. Glenn previously served as Senior Patrol Leader from 2010-2013. In addition Glenn served as Lodge Chief of Buckskin Lodge of the Order of The Arrow from 2013-2015. Glenn is a vigil honor member of the order of the arrow and has earned the Summit award rank in Venturing. He is the first Eagle Scout from the troop to serve in the position.
Over the years of Troop 45’s history, 200+ Eagles (as of summer 2022) have come from our ranks. As less that 4% of Scouts attain the rank of Eagle, having this number from Troop 45 is indeed something special. But even more important are the thousands of boys from the Mineola and the surrounding areas who have become better adults because of their years in Troop 45. Those boys, who have gone on to become policemen, lawyers, judges, mayors, village trustees, doctors, teachers, and just about every other occupation, are truly the legacy of Troop 45’s history.