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Welcome, Alumni, to the Troop 9 Westerly - Pawcatuck Website!
This is a site for all out there whose lives have been enriched by our years in Troop 9
Whether you were with us during the days when we were "Troop 9 Westerly" or joined us after the name changed to "Troop 9 Pawcatuck," we all have shared memories and experiences in scouting together.
Troop 9 Alumni News
The Charles D. Keegan Cabin: Much work has been done on the cabin in the past few years, thanks to your generous support and the volunteer labor of our troop leaders. We've replaced all the roofs, shored up the sagging kitchen addition, added storage and counter space in the cooking area, repainted the outside of the cabin, repaired entries and locks, and repaired the handicap ramp. In recent years we've re-sided the entire cabin with wood siding that was donated to us by Camp Yawgoog and it looks great!
However, there's still plenty left on the "to-do list." We hope to make improvements in the kitchen, do work on the windows, install storage space and improve the interior. Did you know we've been maintaining the cabin since 1954? That's almost 70 years of continuous service! If you were there in the 1950 -1960s, we'd love to hear your memories of those early years.
Drop In For A Visit: Drop in for a visit with your old troop some time and share a few stories from "the ol' days." We meet on Wednesday evening (6:30-8:00 pm) at St. Michael Church on Liberty Street. Or come see us on one of our campouts. Ask us for a Troop Calendar and we can email you one.
Can You Help With Boards of Review?: We're looking for troop alumni to help out with our Eagle Scout Boards of Review. If you're interested, drop us a note and we'll pass the word on to the Advancement Committee.
Camp Yawgoog Memorial Bricks for Troop 9 Leaders: In recognition of the 100th Anniversary of Camp Yawgoog in 2016, walkways were established in the Donald North Court - Bucklin Building area. Granite "bricks" were sold to memorialize troops, leaders or other persons. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and troop families, we were able to have two memorial bricks installed in the walkway on Donald North Court.
The wording on our bricks:
Brick #1: Troop 9 Westerly - Pawcatuck * "Since 1920" * Honoring our Leaders
Brick #2: Charles D. Keegan, Sr. * Troop 9 Westerly * Scoutmaster 33 Years
Come Visit Us at Summer Camp: We'll be at camp in early July in Medicine Bow, as always. We'll be Wetuomuck campsite next to the Sandy Beach parking lot and next to Cautantowit where we used to camp in "the old days." Stop in to visit, and maybe even take a walk up Curtis Tract Road to check out the Keegan Cabin. And you can also check out the Memorial Bricks at The Bucklin dedicated to Charlie Keegan and our other leaders.
Honoring Eagle Scout Billy LaBrecque's Death in Vietnam: July 2016 was the 50th anniversary of the death of William "Billy" LaBrecque (Eagle Scout #9 - 1961). A Corporal in the US Marine Corps, he gave his life for our country in Vietnam. Billy is the only Troop 9 Eagle Scout to have died in combat in the nearly 100 years of our troop history.
Eagle Scouts Help Troop 9: A couple of our Eagle Scout alumni have been helping us out on a regular basis in recent years. Lou DeBartolo (Eagle Scout #10 - 1961) of Powhatan, Virginia, worked with his local Lions Club to support scouting in his old scout troop. Through his efforts, James River Lions Club of Richmond, Virginia, has sent sizable donations to support Troop 9 Keegan Cabin every year. John Sutcliffe (Eagle #34 - 1974) worked with his local YMCA to acquire a donation of used cabinets for the Keegan Cabin, which we have installed recently in the kitchen and main room areas.
Thank you, Lou and John, for your continuing support.
Read the Troop 9 Alumni Newsletter here:
Alumni & Friends Newsletter September-October 2025
Alumni & Friends Newsletter May - June 2025
Alumni & Friends Newsletter March - April 2025
Alumni & Friends Newsletter January - February 2025
Alumni & Friends Newsletter November - December 2024
Alumni & Friends Newsletter September-October 2024
Alumni & Friends Newsletter May-August 2024
Alumni & Friends Newsletter March-April 2024
Do you remember:
troop meetings at the church or the fire house or the Middle School
weekends at the Keegan Cabin at Yawgoog
summers at Cautantowit and Wetuomuck campsites in Medicine Bow
bus trips to the YMCA pool in Norwich in the winter
Ad Altare Dei classes and presentations at St. Patrick Cathedral
camporees, slumgullions and beanhole bakes
digging the hole for the latrine at the troop cabin
Block Island and Cape Cod bike trips
ski and snowshoe trips to New Hampshire
"Blaine Brothers" and "Crazy Mike" stories that kept us awake at night
Wincheck Indians and Order of the Arrow
preparing St. John Bosco Chapel for the summer
the "Yellow Troop" and the "Blue Troop"
great inter-patrol cook offs
Klondike Derbys at Aquapaug and Yawgoog
Saturday night shows at the Williams Amphitheater
Sunday Dress Parades ... "Pass in Review!"
coffee milk at the trading post
toy drives for Marines or the St. Francis Orphanage in Woonsocket
exploring the Freedom Trail in Boston
hiking Mt. Washington and the Vermont Long Trail
Troop 9 Quequatuck Indian Society
And do you remember...
the dedicated scoutmasters who gave so much to help shape our lives: Maurice McGuiness, Jim Hawkins, John Bianchi, Charlie Keegan, Edwin "Duck" Shortman, Johnny "JB" Ball, Paul and Pat Cryan, Ron Post, John Ebert, George Werrbach, Mike Whewell, Mark Robinson, and a multitude of other leaders who gave their time, effort, guidance and, most of all, their caring throughout the years? Well, folks, the troop that was so much a part of our youth is still around and thriving under the leadership of SM Susan Cullen and her committee.
The troop is still sponsored by St. Michael Parish, as it has been since 1920. It's Troop 9 "Pawcatuck" now, but it's still the same old gang.
This website is a "work in progress" so check back every so often to see what's been added. We may be able to include in the future some of the following:
Alumni News
Gallery of old photos and mementoes
Stories from the "old days," contributed by you guys
Slide show of Troop 9 over the years
Invitations to join the troop on a campout or the Keegan Cabin or a troop meeting
Lists of "Troop 9 Traditions"
Alumni "Where are they now," possibly with contact info so you can get in touch
Bios of our scoutmasters
Excerpts from the book on The History of Troop 9 that we plan to produce
Old news articles from "The Sun" or other papers
Ways that you can provide support for the troop and support the Keegan Cabin
The success of this Alumni website is partially dependent on your willingness to send us your memories, your stories, your old photos, your tributes to our leaders, and whatever else you're willing to share. So ... if you have any memories or stories or traditions or old photos you want to share, let us know.
Send an email message to Larry O'Keefe to keep in touch.
A Letter From Roger Sylvestre, Now it's your turn!
Roger sent this letter with his memories of Troop 9.
My name is Roger Sylvestre. In the very early 1960s I was a member of Troop 9 in Pawcatuck. We used to meet at the Firehouse at the bottom of the hill. (I can still remember the smell of the upstairs). At the time Charlie Keegan was our Scoutmaster.
My next to the youngest grandson just finished his first summer camp at Camp Webster in Ashford, CT. I went up to see his closing ceremony and I was brought back to my days at Camp Yawgoog.
I want you to understand the impact that you and Charlie and Troop 9 had on my life. I was pretty enthusiastic about scouting then. My parents didn't have much money and there were 8 kids in my family (no regrets). I wanted to go to summer camp so badly but there was no money to do that. I remember to this day the day you came to our house to offer what we now refer to as a campership that allowed me to go to camp. Camp Yawgoog was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
I remember being at Charlie's house up the hill from St Michael's with my footlocker and heading off to camp. I was so excited and scared, but it was a new adventure. I loved summer camp but probably never understood the value of a campership until I got older.
I recently went out to the Troop 9 website and reviewed the list of Eagle Scouts. I knew so many of the names. I remember the last time I talked to Billy LaBrecque at the waterfront at Yawgoog just before he was off to boot camp. He was the first person that I knew that was killed in action in Viet Nam.
I wanted you to know that I have carried on the tradition. I was involved for 15 years as Cubmaster and Asst. Scoutmaster with our local organizations. I went to Camp Sequassen in Winsted for two summers with our troop. Two of my sons made Life Scout and my youngest son made Eagle Scout. I have seen the positive impact of scouting on their lives to this day. My youngest son, on his last job phone interview, was asked to repeat the Scout Oath, which he rattled off instinctively. He got the job. It turned out that his new boss was an Eagle Scout as well.
The bottom line is that my sons, and now grandsons, are continuing the tradition. With one act of kindness, you have affected many lives in my family and I hope many more in generations to come.
I know that it is too late to thank Charlie for his dedication to scouting but it is not too late to thank you. I want you to know that what you do makes a difference. It is good stuff!. I'm heading out for golf with my Eagle Scout tomorrow. He has a 7 year old Cub Scout that did his first pinewood car with me this year. Hopefully another Eagle Scout in the making. Thank you for making a difference in my life, and so many others.
Okay, if you read this far then I repeat - Now it's your turn!
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