The Three Amigos

I am the middle child of three.  I was raised by a very Catholic mother who used guilt and the belt to keep us in line.  I am not saying I had a horrible childhood; how could that be growing up in Redondo Beach, CA?  Boy Scouts and Explorer Scouts was my escape from my house and a way to get outdoors.  

My fables will be true stories, but some names will be changed to protect the poor leaders.  In this case, three great men and leaders (hence the name ‘The Three Amigos’ created a leader in me!  

Mr. Leon Kelly was my Scout Master; his wife, Mrs. Betty Kelly, was my Den Mother in Cub Scouts.  Back in the 1970’s, he was a servant leader.  He saw something in me.  My shyness or lack of confidence could be painful for him to watch.  Nevertheless, he created an environment that enabled me to talk in front of a group of people and become a Patrol Leader.  He did not judge but encouraged, protected, and inspired.  He was never recognized for his contribution; he would never want that, but his selflessness inspires me even today. His son was also in the Explorers, which meant Mr. Kelly was also involved in Explorers.

Mr. Colley and Mr. Holmgren were my advisors in Explorer Scouts.  I liked Mr. Colley, but I loved Mr. Holmgren.  Mr. Colley was a PacBell manager who never stressed about anything and always had fun.  He was in charge but was a leader that created the Vision.  I should write a book about all the fantastic things we did as Explorers.  

Mr. Holmgren was Mr. Colley’s right-hand person.  He did everything and anything you can imagine, from building kayaks to moving buildings.  He was a true gentle giant, 6’2’ tall, 250 pounds of all muscle, and never had a crossword for anyone.  Mr. Holmgren owned a boatyard in Manhattan Beach, CA.  He stored and moved boats for a living.  

This is just a quick story to describe Mr. Holmgren’s character.  One day, we worked for about 10 hours on building a guardrail at a Boy Scout camp.  It was hard, hot, difficult work!  I was 17, and Mr. Holmgren was ~55 years old.  He had been in my life for over three years by this time.  He worked harder than any of us kids but sat down about 8 hours into the effort.  I had never seen him do that before.  I asked him if he was okay, and he told me he was fine, but the continuous pain in his feet was getting the best of him.  

Come to find out, he was a bricklayer in his mid-twenties.  Some scaffolding collapsed, and he fell two stories and broke all the bones in his feet.  Since then, he suffered from continuous pain in his feet, and it got worse the longer he was on his feet.  The interesting thing about this story is that he never complained, and I had no idea about his condition!  

So, The Three Amigos saw something in me.  They made me step out of my comfort zone.  Yes, I said ‘Made Me.’   The Explorer troop needed a President, and they made it impossible for me to refuse.  Leading a group of teenagers (boys and girls) seemed impossible.  But, they provided the framework and support for me to succeed.  I learned about leading versus managing.  

The moral of the fable is to find the potential in people and support them by creating an environment for them to succeed.