WABC Troop 242

HOUSTON’S FIRST BLACK Eagle Scout Clarence Miller (top center) pictured with members and scout master of the WABC Troop 242 in July 1967.

HOUSTON – In 1965, Reverend Bill Lawson of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church (WABC) and his wife, Audrey, started Boy Scout Troop 242 as a valuable structure that offered a path for young men to achieve milestones in their communities.

The WABC Troop 242 has been one of the leading troops in the Sam Houston Area Houston Council. By producing 10 Silver Beaver Awardees, which is the highest award giving to an adult volunteer by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Troop 242 leads the nation in producing African-American Eagle Scouts.

The first-ever WABC Avenue Eagle Scout was Clarence Miller, who obtained the honor in 1967 at the age of 15. His family was amongst the first members of the now historic church in Third Ward, Houston.

Since its charter in May of 1968, Wheeler Avenue Troop 242 continues to break Eagle Scout records. In recent years, participation in scouting has regularly declined with the number of Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts falling below 8 percent between 2012 and 2017.

Only 4 percent of Boy Scouts achieve Eagle Scout ranking. However, the WABC troop has had more than 170 Eagle Scouts in its history. This is one of the largest groups of African-American scouts to achieve this recognition at one time.

The structure of the Scouts is beneficial to many young men. Many young scouts earn the opportunity to learn about the outdoors, gain leadership and teamwork skills, while also reaching personal milestones along the way.

To reach Eagle Scout ranking, the scouts must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges.

Since its inception, WABC Troop 242 has diversified, as troops should have when Rev. Lawson wanted to join as a young boy. Non-Black scouts have been submitted to join the Third Ward troop.

The historic African-American troop continues to flourish in Third Ward. The Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Scouts meeting Tuesdays at 7:00 pm and the Cub Scouts meet Saturdays at 10:00 am.

The story of WABC Troop 242 has become the inspiration for filmmaker, Tyrone Dixon. Dixon is a professor at Texas Southern University, where he has employed students to participate in his short film, “Scouts,” set to debut this year. “Scouts” will be a coming-of-age film about a delinquent who joins the troop to escape juvenile detention and ends up becoming a valued team player.