Tulsa World: Scouting hero gets house restored

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS

Home > News > Article

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Scouting hero gets house restored
The longtime leader of Troop 26 is honored with a refurbished home.

Jeff Weaver (left) and Bill Shaffer look around the yard of Shaffer's newly renovated house Saturday. Shaffer is the Scoutmaster for Troop 26, and others who work with the troop renovated the house for him. Weaver, who received his Eagle Scout while in the troop under Shaffer, was instrumental in the renovation. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World

By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
Published: 11/22/2009 2:27 AM
Last Modified: 11/22/2009 6:05 AM

Bill Shaffer has been changing America one kid at a time since 1969.

Over the past several months, a group of people who love the longtime leader of Boy Scout Troop 26 have worked to repay his efforts by changing his boyhood home in the 1300 block of South Pittsburg Avenue for the better.

They made Shaffer promise to stay away from the residence while the massive project was under way.

On Saturday, during a day full of events to honor Shaffer's 40th anniversary with the troop, they revealed their labor of love during a noontime ceremony.

"He's a great man," said Jeff Weaver, who led the project that he said involved about 30 volunteers working a total of about 1,000 hours on weekends and occasional evenings over the past six months to restore the house, which had fallen into a state of disrepair since Shaffer's mother died several years ago.

Specifically, they stripped Sheetrock and flooring, replaced the roof, reclaimed the overgrown yard, painted, replaced the old concrete outside the house, installed new floors, shelves and cabinets, replaced old fixtures and appliances, tiled bathrooms and more.

Trained professionals were brought in for plumbing, electrical and other specialty work, but Weaver said most of the project — which he estimated would have cost between $30,000 and $35,000 at market value — was done by people whose lives Shaffer has touched over the past four decades in scouting.

Weaver, 49, is one of those Troop 26 alumni who wanted to give Shaffer something in return for all he has given them.

Weaver became an Eagle Scout in 1973 under Shaffer's tutelage. He owns his own business now and admires the way Shaffer has been able to impart the core values of scouting to young men and, in the process, teach them how to be leaders.

Among the thousands of Scouts whom Shaffer has led, about 625 of them have become Eagle Scouts.

"That would be like Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open for 40 years in a row," Weaver said.

Don Hull Sr. said that along the way Shaffer teaches Scouts about everything from history to American Indian culture to life lessons.

Hull and Weaver are among dozens of men who have served as assistant scoutmasters under Shaffer.

On Saturday, Shaffer credited the efforts of those men and deflected all the praise that came his way.

"We've built a system," Shaffer said. "You can't do it on your own."

Shaffer, 64, was in Troop 26 as a boy. He took it over as a young man, and he said he has no plans to leave.

"We're selling something good," Shaffer said of scouting.

Shaffer said he is not sure what he will do with the newly refurbished house. He did say selling it seems unlikely because of the sentimental attachment. He gazed into the backyard and pointed out a tree he and his grandfather planted many decades ago.

Now the house has yet another emotional bond. It stands as a symbol of the affection that many in the community feel for him.

"You've gotta love the guy," said 53-year-old Richard Spears, who had two sons in Shaffer's troop. "He is selfless."

David Harper 581-8359
david.harper@tulsaworld.com By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

8 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

	Report Comment Elusive, Owasso (11/22/2009 3:11:13 AM) What a heartwarming story of kindness and hard work for all that Mr. Shaffer gave to so many kids, his time, talent and moral support.
	Report Comment GoBlueGal, Broken Arrow (11/22/2009 11:09:04 AM) I know Bill through shared experiences in scouting. He is a great guy and has done a terrific job with the boys that have been in his troop. He has also shared his knowledge with other scout leaders in the many training workshops that scouting has for its leaders. Many of his assistant scout leaders were scouts under him originally and they have returned to scouting with their sons . God Bless Bill!
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/22/2009 11:14:44 AM) This man has done a wonderful job with scouting. He is not a hero. He is a man who has been doing what he likes and wanted to do. That's the mark of a good man, not a hero.
	Report Comment GoBlueGal, Broken Arrow (11/22/2009 2:42:40 PM) What is your definition of a hero? Is it one who saves lives? Bill has been a scoutmaster to thousands of boys for the more than 40 years that he has been scoutmaster, if you don't think he might have saved a couple of those boys' lives through his caring and example - you would be wrong.
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/22/2009 3:11:58 PM) The term Hero is thrown around to casually these days. Most of us do what is right and ethical in our lives. That is simply called living your life the best you can. I was a soldier once. I did what I was supposed to and I am not a hero. This man did what his calling was and he performed it excellently. He is a good man that has lived a good life, and I admire him. Well done Mr. Shaffer.
	Report Comment Seppo, Sydney, Australia (11/22/2009 4:53:49 PM) Few Clothes, Shaffer is a hero, by all account of modern society he is a better hero than most. According to the dictionary, the definaiton of a hero is someone that has these traits: 1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. 2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Some people call atheletes hero's, I know of very few that could actually be that. Some people call politicians heros, once again very few actually are. Some call rock stars and actors the heros in their life, but many of these so called heros have altercations with the law, illegal drug use, extra-marital affairs. This man has done a wonderful job in scouting you are correct. He has been a second father to literally thousands of Tulsans, yet he never knew his own father which was lost over Japan in WWII. He has given selflessly so that 500+ (have no idea what the count is now) Tulsan's have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout(a rarity to begin with). His brave deeds and noble qualities during the past 40 years have looked beyond race, religion, economics and physical impairment. Additionally, many mentally challenged Oklahomans have enjoyed a taste of scouting through the Oklahoma Special Camporee, hosted by troop 26 under Shaffer's guidance. In short people's lives have been bettered by this man, if you count the "trickle down" of that into how many people would be impacted, it would be in the tens of thousands. If that is not a hero, then what is? According to the definition of the dictionary, this man is a hero. He has performed noble qualities, and in the opinion of others(a great many in fact) has heroic qualities, Few Clothes, I respect what you written, but I disagree. You seem to believe in your own words that most of us do what is simply called living by doing the right and those ethical things in life. Just read today's paper, obviously not enough of us do that, and certainly not enough us do it enough to take on the responsibility to teach it thousands of others over forty years worth of time. With all due respect, this man IS a hero!
	Report Comment whitehawk, Tulsa (11/22/2009 9:27:15 PM) Thank You Bill and Jeff..Thank You Very Much...
	Report Comment dhull, Tulsa (11/22/2009 10:34:38 PM) Few Clothes, thank you for your service in defending our country and our freedoms. I don't doubt that you consider yourself less than a hero, and that is a mark of a humble man. But I also don't doubt that someone does consider you a hero, even if they haven't communicated it to you. That said, I will disagree with your statement that Bill is not a hero. He is absolutely a hero of mine. He has continually been an important part of my life since I was 10 years old. Along with my parents, he played an important role in making me that man I am today. Seppo, you are correct...Bill has influenced thousands of lives for the better. You can't deny that his mentorship has turned boys into exemplary men, many times when those boys' families could not or would not take responsibility for their own children. The term hero is thrown around all too often these days. Acknowledging that, I can say without hesitation that Bill is a hero.

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.