Plymouth Boy Scout Troop 3481 Celebrates 50 Years
In Boy Scout Troop 3481’s 50-year history in Plymouth, there have been 75 Eagle Scouts. More than half of those have earned the prestigious rank under the guidance of Assistant Scoutmaster Mary Critelli-Leuer.
“They need somebody strong to get them through, to encourage them to keep going,” said Critelli-Leuer. “We’ve had some scouts that don’t make it. But we’ve had a lot.”
She began as a Cub Scout leader with her two sons more than 20 years ago and has been an assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scout troop for 25 years.
“I don’t know why. I don’t know. It’s a good organization,” she said when asked why she is still involved long after her boys aged out. “The boys develop a lot of skills.”
Plymouth Boy Scout Troop 3481 is celebrating 50 years with an event on June 17.
One of the more recent Eagle Scouts to age out of the troop is Wayzata High School senior Amitej Babra.
“I think it’s important because it teaches us about maturity and about a lot of different values like leadership, practicing leadership, practicing community service–just being more involved in our community as a whole,” said Babra, who will study computer science next year at University of Wisconsin in Madison. “Through school, (scouting) gave me values that I’m able to talk to people better, better at presenting, just more confident. Able to carry myself.”
Now, the troop is planning a family reunion of sorts to celebrate its 50th anniversary, with a luncheon at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church on Saturday, June 17, at 11:30 a.m.
“Just a big get-together, just for everybody to see everybody,” said Critelli-Leuer. She has invited the four living former scoutmasters to attend. The fifth scoutmaster was her husband, who passed away in 2017.
She said the memories the scouts make on trips to summer camp and other excursions help add to the bond the troop has formed with the Plymouth community over all these decades.
“They know us. (The community knows) that our boys do a good job,” she said. “I think they realize Troop 3481 is a good troop and they depend on us, and when they need something done, they come and see us.”
