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Celebrating 50 years

Celebrating 50 years
Current members of the San Marcos Boy Scout Troop #112 look on from the check-in table as visitors arrive at the 50th anniversary celebration held Nov. 16 at Freeman Ranch. Photo by Michael Flores

Scout Troop 112 commemorates five decades in service

San Marcos’ own Boy Scout Troop 112 celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Freeman Ranch. Nearly 130 Troop alumni and current scouts and leaders were in attendance at the celebration, which featured dinner, a flag ceremony, Eagle roll call, distinguished alumni awards and the closing Scout Vespers.

According to the current Scoutmaster, M. Clay Green, Troop 112 was founded in 1974 and originally was chartered by Westover Baptist Church and the Optimist Club.

“The first Scoutmaster was Bennie Biles and first Assistant Scoutmaster was Terry Ellison,” Green said. “Two of his sons attended the 50th anniversary celebration.”

In 1977, the San Marcos Lions Club became the troop’s sponsored organization. Since 2008, the troop has been conducting its meetings at First United Methodist Church.

“The church provides us meeting places and a room to store all of our gear,” Green said.

Since beginning in 1975, the troop has had 69 Eagle Scouts. “Our first Eagle Scout Bill Hethcock (1985) was in attendance at the 50th,” Green said. “Our most recent Eagle Scouts — Nathanael Green, 2024, and Cristian Lopez, 2024 — were also in attendance. Total, we had 23 of the 69 Eagle Scouts present at the 50th celebration. There have been 11 Scoutmasters of T112 since 1974 and 7 of the 11 were in attendance at the 50th.”

The first photo of Scout Troop 112, taken in 1975. Photo from the San Marcos Public Library archives

At the celebration, the troop honored two Distinguished Alumni: Jack Mutschlechner and Paul Peña (posthumously).

“Jack Mutschlechner is a retired firefighter with the City of San Marcos and has been involved in T112 since the early 1990s and has served as Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, and on countless Boards of Review,” Green said. “Jack continues to volunteer for Boards of Review and even on Saturday during the 50th celebration, I saw Jack visiting with the new scouts and learning about their experiences. Jack has attended over 20 summer camps since 1993! Jack embodies everything it means to be a servant leader and T112 is grateful for his support of our scouts for over 30 years.”

Paul Peña was an active member of the troop during the 1990s and became an Eagle Scout in February 2000. “Paul attended numerous campouts, high adventure treks including Philmont trek and created a frisbee golf course at San Marcos Baptist Academy for his Eagle Scout project. In all of my conversations with Scouts and Adult Leaders from the 1990s, all commented on how much Paul was loved by his fellow scouts and how he embodied the Scout Law and Oath in his life.

“Paul graduated from West Point in 2004 and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in U.S. Army. Capt. Peña was killed in Afghanistan on January 19, 2010. T112 presented the Distinguished Alumnus award to Paul posthumously and I am grateful that Paul's mom, Cecilia Peña was present to receive the award.”

Since its inception in 1974, Troop 112 has provided opportunities for leadership, service and adventure to hundreds of boys.

“We camp monthly throughout the year and our outdoor activities vary from backpacking, canoeing, hiking, caving, mountain biking and more,” Green said. “We camp locally monthly in Central Texas but also take out-of-state trips for spring break and summer including as far away as wilderness canoeing in Canada, backpacking in New Mexico and Colorado and even sailing and snorkeling in the Bahamas and Florida. In 2025, we are returning to Ontario, Canada, for 10 days of wilderness canoeing.”

Troop 112 is an active part of the San Marcos community, participating in numerous service projects including:

• 69 Eagle Projects that have supported many organizations and people within our community to include Southside Community Center, numerous churches, the San Marcos Greenbelt, SMCISD schools, Hays-Caldwell Women's Center, and more.

• Participate annually in Veterans Day Parade, some years conducting a Flag Ceremony for City of San Marcos Memorial Day Ceremony, as well as Wreaths Across America.

• Partner with the Lions Club to deliver food to families in need during the Christmas season.

• Honor veterans by placing flags on all veterans’ graves in the greater San Marcos cemeteries including San Marcos, Blanco, San Pedro, Guadalupe, Memory Lawn and Reedville Cemeteries every Memorial Day and have been since the 1970s.

The current members of Scout Troop 112, ready for their celebratory camp out. Photo by Clay Green
Twenty-three of the 69 Eagle Scouts of Troop 112 were present at the 50-year anniversary. Photo by John Cradit
Jack Mutschlechner was honored as one of two Distinguished Alumni. Photo by Annalisa Mutschlechner

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