A Brief History of Troop 399
First founded in September of 1967, Troop 399 was started by a committee of just five adults: Charles Brunner, Ernest Bayes, Edward Pick, Euland Bickham and Robert Muldowney. The troop had no official sponsors other than the default 'Group of Citizens' title given by the official BSA charter. However, in May of 1968, Troop 399's first charter year, the first Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster and Committee Chairperson were named. Muldowney was named Assistant, Pick the first Chairperson and Mr. John Krpata was named the first Scoutmaster of Troop 399 North Babylon. Although originally very small, Boy Scouting was of high demand in North Babylon at the time for within 2 years, the scout enrollment of Troop 399 had reached 30. Troop 399's first weekly meeting site became Thursday nights at Parliament Place Elementary, where most of the troop's scouts attended school. At the turn of the decade, Mr. Franz Luettger was named the Troop's second scoutmaster and Mr. Sylvester Harris the assistant.
However, in the early seventies, Troop 399 suffered a break in the charter tenure. Following Harris' leave in 1972, the Troop struggled to find consistent leadership under Luettger. At an enrollment of 32 scouts and 8 adults in 1970, by 1972, the number had decreased to just 13 scouts and 5 adults. In late 1973, the troop folded. This presented an issue because North Babylon was supporting two Cub Scout Packs (399 and 112) but had no Boy Scout troop in the town at the time. Many of the Arrow of the Light recipients would find Boy Scouting homes in West Islip, Babylon and West Babylon troops. However, Mr. John Fitzgerald, an NYC policeman and Cubmaster of Pack 399 received an offer from Edward Pick, the first Committee Chairperson of the defunct Troop 399. Pick was interested in, for the sake of the large number of Webelos receiving their Arrow of Light from Pack 399, in re-chartering Troop 399. Fitzgerald thought about the tremendous challenge that stood before him, took inputs of interest from the Webelos of his pack and came to a decision to re-charter Troop 399 North Babylon. Unfortunately, Mr. Fitzgerald had only once spoken to Mr. Pick since that evening and Pick never experienced a meeting in the 'new troop.'
Fitzgerald went to work in the summer of '75. He was given sponsorship for the troop by the North Babylon Lions Club and a meeting place at Parkside Elementary School, now known as Marion G. Vedder Elementary along the original Deer Park Avenue. Fitzgerald assembled 10 scouts and 3 other adults to form the original roster of the new Troop 399. The first, unofficial Assistant Scoutmaster in the new Troop 399 was Charles Sanfilipo. Fitzgerald named his first, official Assistant Scoutmaster in 1980, Mr. Tony Eastwood. Looking back on his memories and experiences on the start of the new Troop 399, Fitzgerald had a lot to say:
"I remember that once we had a meeting time and place, no one really knew exactly what to do! We were just a group of former den dads and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Our scouts weren't familiar with what the program was all about so we played basketball on Thursday nights in the gym of the Parkside school."
Troop 399's first camping experience came at Baiting Hollow Scout Reservation for summer camp in July 1976. But just a summer later, Fitzgerald and his committee began a troop tradition that still lasts today: summer camp at Yawgoog. Fitzgerald led 14 boys and 4 adults to Camp Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, Rhode Island in July of 1977. Camping at campsite Wetuomuck in Camp Medicine Bow, the troop was overwhelmed. Fitzgerald recalls:
"...I had to tell those rowdy boys that they weren't allowed to drink coffee and that each day they had to go set tables and waiter meals in the dining hall...they didn't take to that too kindly. It showed in the way our site looked. We passed just one or two site inspections that week. And worse of all, they had that big board in the dining hall where they'd hang up tags when you won events and did things right. Lets just say it wasn't too fun to look at for those first couple years." When asked about competing in the Camp's prestigious Troop of the Week race, Fitzgerald responded, "Never, oh, not even in our wildest dreams."
However, over time, the leaders became trained, got a feel for the program and started a more organized advancement program in the unit. In 1981, Fitzgerald and Eastwood swapped positions. Eastwood, the fourth Scoutmaster of Troop 399 served until 1983 before returning to become an Assitant Scoutmaster and eventually a committee member. In Eastwood's term as Scoutmaster, he saw seven scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout: Joseph Staniszewski, James Marshall, Kevin McKinnon, Steven Persyn, Brian Barthel, Donald McAuliff and his own son, Scott. Fitzgerald, while a current merit badge counselor for the troop last had an official position in 1984 when he stepped down from his role as Assistant Scoutmaster.
In 1984, Troop 399 introduced four new Assistant Scoutmasters: Alfred Cortina, Barnard Ferguson, Robert Petto, Gregory Presto and James Reilly. When Eastwood stepped down in 1984, Cortina was named the fifth Scoutmaster of Troop 399. Otto Peters, the troop's sixth Scoutmaster served for two years before Petto was named to the position in fall 1986. Petto led the troop into the 90s, overseeing four more scouts reach Eagle: William Staniszewski, his own son Louis and each of ASM Ferguson''s boys: Stephen and Scott. For most of his term, Petto led the troop with Ferguson as his assistant. During this period of time, Petto and his committee were maintaining an average of 26 scouts and 9 adults registered with the troop. When Petto stepped down in 1992, Ferguson was named as the eighth Scoutmaster in troop history. Thomas Gallub was his assistant. Although only four scouts (David Sorensen, Josh Frumberg, Jason DiVito, Gary Gretarsson) achieved the rank of Eagle during Ferguson and Gallub's administration, the troop's committee also began to grow rapidly. The 90s saw the committee debuts of John DiVito, Lawrence Frumberg, Randall Ziegler, Phillip Leun, Keith Stahl and Joseph Arena. Virginia Gretarsson was named committee chairperson in 1996, becoming Troop 399's first female uniformed leader.
Following Ferguson's leave in summer 2001, former Pack 175 Cubmaster and Troop 399 Assistant Scoutmaster Randy Ziegler was named the ninth Scoutmaster of Troop 399. Lawrence Frumberg, one of only three Troop 399 fathers to see two of his sons reach the rank of Eagle was named Ziegler's assistant. This change of leadership is viewed as a turn-a-round for Troop 399 in regards to numbers. Participation in district camping increased and the troop's enrollment of registered scouts and adults skyrocketed. Troop 399 reached an all-time high in scout enrollment in spring 2004 with 47 scouts. Through the end of Mr. Ziegler's term as Scoutmaster, Troop 399 had produced 31 Eagle Scouts. Fourteen of those thirty-one scouts achieved the rank during Ziegler's term. James Davolio and former Cubmaster of Pack 112, Joseph Fatuzzo were each named as additional Assistant Scoutmasters in 2004.
Ziegler and the troop committee saw the production of numerous eagle scouts, a revival in troop spirit and a new movement for adult and youth leadership over the most recent decade. This culminated in 2007 when Troop 399 won the prestigious summer camp Troop of the Week title, five scouts reached the rank of Eagle in one twelve-month span, the troop set a single-year charter record for community service hours and when Ziegler became the first scoutmaster of Troop 399 to win the National Scoutmaster Award of Merit. But at the December 2008 Annual Holiday Party, Ziegler announced his stepping down from the position. Ziegler was showered with gifts and praise on a spectacular night commemorating an unbelievable tenure as Scoutmaster. Ziegler entrusted the position to Joseph Fatuzzo, who currently is serving as scoutmaster. With Fatuzzo being named the tenth Scoutmaster of Troop 399, Anthony Covelli Sr. and Brian Hinphy each were added as Assistant Scoutmasters in Winter 2009.
Troop 399 has seen numerous scouts and adult volunteers come and go throughout the year. Seeing 36 scouts achieve the rank of Eagle and 11 adults becoming Scoutmaster. For over 40 years, Boy Scouting has been a tremendous factor in the North Babylon community. And coming this April 2010, the troop will celebrating its 35th consecutive year of operation.