BSA Troop 90 Riverside

At this point, the Re-charter period changes once again, this time moving to January.

Mr. Tyson passed away in 1998. His wife Charlene (Ina) shared many stories. They were a very active family in the Troop. Mr. Tyson was also very active as Advisor in the Order of the Arrow.

At that time the Troop members were "hard-core" Camp Emerson campers. The Tysons organized many troop outings and district outings at Camp Emerson. The Tyson's two sons, Terry and Jimmie, both attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Much of their Scouting life was on display at Mr. Tyson's funeral. In fact, a Troop 90 patch and an OA flap were placed in his pocket.

The Buchanans were still living in Riverside, owning and operating Keepsake Photo on Van Buren. Their son Dan made the rank of Eagle and became an attorney in Riverside.

Mr. Lovell was appointed Scoutmaster after about a year of being involved with his son, Tim. Bob and Dianne have two sons, Tim and Michael, both of whom became Eagles. After retiring, Bob and Dianne travelled around the country following their genealogy. Bob has since passed away.

There were 15 boys in the Troop, which was still meeting at Hawthorne Elementary School. There was not much in the way of adult involvement then, but that was before Chuck Snyder got involved. Both new fathers got adult Scout training and they started HIKING! The Troop grew and more adults got involved. They changed the Committee Meetings to Parents Meetings so that more parents would get involved with the Troop.

Mr. Lovell instigated the move from Hawthorne Elementary to the Woodcrest Community Center. The Troop continued to grow, as Pack 90, which the Lovells started in March 1979, began to graduate Webelos Scouts.

Annual trips were: Hidden Springs invitation for new boys (included was a "snipe" hunt); cleaning, clearing and lighting Mt. Rubidoux's trails at Easter; Colorado River canoe trips (dads and boys on the river, all families in camp). Summer camps were at Owls Point (Camp Helendade) or Simonds Flats (Camp Emerson). The Troop was still very supportive of Camp Emerson and always attended all the "Work Weekends."

Mr. Lovell served again for a short period. He quickly started guiding Mr. Wright into adult training and leadership roles. A good move as you can see he was our next Scoutmaster!

As the boys in the Troop were getting older, Mr. Lovell and Mr. Brian Takenaga started focusing on hiking even more. In the following years, they started the High Adventure Team program. The Troop started hiking in the High Sierras as a group event, putting on their own summer camp for many years. They earned many trail awards in "High Adventure."

Mr. Takenaga and Mr. Lovell organized an 82-mile hike across the Sierras for three adults and 5 boys (all made Eagle!). They hiked this in 11 days. This was Mr. Lovell's grand finale.

Mr. Wright had great parent support and many of the Troop's adults were also supporting Scouting at the District level. The Troop's annual planning committee planned several events from Mr. Wright's suggestions of water outings.

The Troop completed a 50-miler canoe trip down the Colorado River. They went whitewater rafting on the South Fork of the American River and started sailing in the Argus out of Newport.

The High Adventure Team was hiking all over the High Sierras, and with all these special outings, the Troop continued its monthly outings to hike Mt. Powell, Mormon Batallion Trail, Dry Lake - San Gorgonio, Tahquitz and attend summer camp at Camp Emerson.

The Troop received the District's Top Troop Award and Mr. Wright received National Scoutmaster Award of Merit for having such a high percentage of boys attaining Eagle in a year.

After Mr. Wright's son, Scott, reached Eagle, Mr. Wright was more involved with Order of the Arrow. He served as Chapter Advisor of Mt. Rubidoux for several years.

Mr. Hohl, remembering his Scouting years from an Orange County Troop, wanted to expand the summer camp view for the boys, so the next few years found the boys at Camp Cherry Valley (Catalina Island) for two years, Camp Kern, Lost Valley and of course, Camp Emerson.

The Troop made several trips on the Argus sailing ship; the Venture Crew hiked Mt. Whitney with Mr. Strickland and Mr. Ammeraal as leaders. A small group attended Philmont Scout Ranch in 1997 and was involved in the rescue efforts when their Amtrak train derailed in Arizona. Another three boys attended the National Jamboree in Virginia.

Still demonstrating exceptional parent support and district involvement, Troop 90 again won the "Top Troop" in the District and several adults were awarded District Awards of Merit.

Under the leadership of Mr. Stong and Mr. Bradley, the Troop continued to grow. With a roster averaging 50 or so Scouts and nearly as many registered adults, time came for a new meeting location. Pathway Christian Church on Victoria Avenue agreed to let us use their facilities. It was also at this time the Troop started meeting before and after campouts at the Woodcrest Del Taco.

Typical outings included Hole-in-the-Wall, Calico Ghost Town, Joshua Tree, Cabrillo Beach, Death Valley, Dark Canyon, Edwards AFB, Camp Pendelton, Cedar Springs and Lost Valley. The Troop fielded a couple of expeditions to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

Our annual fund raiser of selling popcorn allowed the Troop to purchase and equip a Troop trailer that accompanies us on most of our car camping trips. 2004 saw the last of the "Gift Wrap Booth" at the mall - a Christmas event that had the Troop and Pack helping our sponsoring organization raise funds.

During Mr. Burks tunure as Scoutmaster the Troop increased in size to over 50 scouts. Some of this was due in part to the Troop taking over Webelos Woods for the District, but a large part was due to the very active schedule of camping and activities that Scoutmaster Burk encouraged.

Another major accomplishment was the visits to the other High Adventure bases, Northern Tier and the Florida Sea Base. Three different crews went to Florida experiencing sailing, scuba and the out island adventure and two crews went canoeing at the boundry waters in Minnisota. These visits enabled a number of scouts to earn the coveted Triple Crown of High Adventure. The trips were so well recieved that plans are being put in place to return.

The Troop continues to thrive with annual registrations averaging 50+ Scouts and a similar number of adults - further proof that involvement by adults is good for the youth!

Annual expeditions to the various High Adventure bases continue as well as summer camp visits to Camp Whitsett, Lost Valley, Three Falls and more, as well as backpacking and hiking in a number of locations.

Afton Canyon, Webelos Woods, Mt. San Jacinto, Hidden Springs, Whitewater, Joshua Tree, the USS Midway and Camp Tahquitz were also outings on the Troop's busy calendar. The Troop has also visited The Summit, the newest High Adventure base in West Virgina.

The Troop has settled into our current home at East Hills Community Church and have completed a number of Eagle projects for our host.