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COUNTY'S OLDEST BOY SCOUT SPENT 4 DECADES IN ORGANIZATION
Anne Kallas
Ventura County Star
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/apr/27/countys-ol dest-boy-scout-spent-4-decades-in/
April 28 2010
CA
Ventura County's oldest Scout, as far as anyone knows, is 100-year-old
Rex Mugar, whose life has mirrored the organization he has been
so closely tied to, and whose Camarillo Springs home is full of
memorabilia from a lifetime of Scouting.
Mugar was born Sept. 19, 1909, in Boston to Virginia and Charles Mugar.
"My father and mother took us children on a vacation to California
in February. It was pretty cold in Massachusetts. I was 8 years old
and we took a long train ride in a Pullman car west to Los Angeles,
where there was short-sleeve weather and orange blossoms. The vacation
bug blew away my dad and he was very much interested in moving to
California," Mugar said.
His parents had immigrated to the United States from Armenia. Mugar
was one of five children. He has two sisters still living.
The family moved west, and after about a year of searching, Mugar's
father found a place in the San Joaquin Valley.
Growing up outside Modesto, Mugar took an interest in the Boy Scouts,
which was relatively new.
"There was a troop in town and I joined it. I enjoyed the relationship
with other young men and the leaders," Mugar said. He was an avid
Scout, earning his Eagle rank in 1925. After graduating from Modesto
High School, Mugar first went to Modesto Junior College and then to
UCLA, where he studied business administration, sociology and English.
He stayed in touch with friends from Boy Scouts, and at age 24 was
named Scout executive in charge of the Yosemite Area Council.
After eight years, be became a deputy regional Scout executive,
overseeing all of the Western United States.
Mugar served 40 years as a Boy Scouts executive and continued as a
volunteer after his retirement.
He married Margaret Mary Wells on Jan. 19, 1935, in Sacramento. The
couple remained happily married until her death Sept. 11, 2007. The
Mugars had four children; all enjoyed scouting.
Mugar said he was pleased he had been able to contribute to the growth
of the organization over the years.
"I believe in Boy Scout values. As everything else in life evolves,
so does the Boy Scouts movement, and it has kept pace with the present
day," he said. "I want to think it's done that only in the best way.
It's kept pace with the good things in life: family, friends, education
and service.
"Scouting is only part of the story. One part is to be reverent to
God and country. We don't tell them to choose a religious preference,
but it just must be under God."
Mugar moved to Ventura County 34 years ago after visiting friends and
finding a place near Camarillo Springs that suited him, his wife and
son. Mugar credits Scouting with keeping him sharp mentally even as
age-related issues have made walking almost impossible.
"My Scouting experience is part of the reason I have my marbles. If I
had not had this experience I don't think I could be as well mentally,"
he said.
He still misses his wife, who had Alzheimer's.
"Without that girl I never could have achieved what I did. Not because
she pushed me, but that she sustained me as a professional," he said.
Anne Kallas
Ventura County Star
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/apr/27/countys-ol dest-boy-scout-spent-4-decades-in/
April 28 2010
CA
Ventura County's oldest Scout, as far as anyone knows, is 100-year-old
Rex Mugar, whose life has mirrored the organization he has been
so closely tied to, and whose Camarillo Springs home is full of
memorabilia from a lifetime of Scouting.
Mugar was born Sept. 19, 1909, in Boston to Virginia and Charles Mugar.
"My father and mother took us children on a vacation to California
in February. It was pretty cold in Massachusetts. I was 8 years old
and we took a long train ride in a Pullman car west to Los Angeles,
where there was short-sleeve weather and orange blossoms. The vacation
bug blew away my dad and he was very much interested in moving to
California," Mugar said.
His parents had immigrated to the United States from Armenia. Mugar
was one of five children. He has two sisters still living.
The family moved west, and after about a year of searching, Mugar's
father found a place in the San Joaquin Valley.
Growing up outside Modesto, Mugar took an interest in the Boy Scouts,
which was relatively new.
"There was a troop in town and I joined it. I enjoyed the relationship
with other young men and the leaders," Mugar said. He was an avid
Scout, earning his Eagle rank in 1925. After graduating from Modesto
High School, Mugar first went to Modesto Junior College and then to
UCLA, where he studied business administration, sociology and English.
He stayed in touch with friends from Boy Scouts, and at age 24 was
named Scout executive in charge of the Yosemite Area Council.
After eight years, be became a deputy regional Scout executive,
overseeing all of the Western United States.
Mugar served 40 years as a Boy Scouts executive and continued as a
volunteer after his retirement.
He married Margaret Mary Wells on Jan. 19, 1935, in Sacramento. The
couple remained happily married until her death Sept. 11, 2007. The
Mugars had four children; all enjoyed scouting.
Mugar said he was pleased he had been able to contribute to the growth
of the organization over the years.
"I believe in Boy Scout values. As everything else in life evolves,
so does the Boy Scouts movement, and it has kept pace with the present
day," he said. "I want to think it's done that only in the best way.
It's kept pace with the good things in life: family, friends, education
and service.
"Scouting is only part of the story. One part is to be reverent to
God and country. We don't tell them to choose a religious preference,
but it just must be under God."
Mugar moved to Ventura County 34 years ago after visiting friends and
finding a place near Camarillo Springs that suited him, his wife and
son. Mugar credits Scouting with keeping him sharp mentally even as
age-related issues have made walking almost impossible.
"My Scouting experience is part of the reason I have my marbles. If I
had not had this experience I don't think I could be as well mentally,"
he said.
He still misses his wife, who had Alzheimer's.
"Without that girl I never could have achieved what I did. Not because
she pushed me, but that she sustained me as a professional," he said.