Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Beyond Our Troop
January 24, 2006
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

I use email a lot and I have several different email addresses. I usually use my work email address, but I also have the address lpolyak@troop325.com, which I sometimes use for troop related things.

Last week, I decided I needed to buy a special software package for something that I was doing at work. I heard of a guy in New Jersey who I could buy it from. I knew that the price was $1000 and I had heard from other people that it was never discounted. So I wrote him an email saying that I understood he had it for sale, the price was $1000 and how could I go about ordering it? But I mistakenly sent the email from lpolyak@troop325.com. I got a response back that said "Are you a boy scout?". I said "Well, yes, I'm a scoutmaster" and told him a bit about our troop. He responded with a long rambling email telling me all about his scoutings days, how he remembered it fondly, and all the things he learned. We exchanged a few more emails and I finally asked again about the software I needed. He said that he couldn't just give it to me, but that for a fellow scout, he would sell it to me for $500, or half price.

Finally scouting has paid off, I thought, and I bought it. But that got me thinking. As scouts, our experiences go beyond this room and beyond this troop. We are all members of a larger community and perhaps you'll be able to swap scouting stories with other people you meet during your life. As scouts, we are held to higher standards. People recognize that. It was great to have a common bond with someone across the country whom I had never met. Saving $500 wasn't bad either!

Thanks for listening.