Mark Schlette Earned his “Communication Badge”

Mark Schlette, a scout with Scouts BSA Troop 72, attended a recent Parsippany-Troy Hills Council meeting to earn his “Communication Badge.” Mark is a junior at Parsippany Hills High School.

To earn a communication badge, the scout can select from a list of requirements. The scout can attend a public meeting (city council, school board, debate) where several points of view are given on a single issue.

Practice active listening skills and take careful notes of each point of view. Then the scout had to prepare an objective report that included all points of view expressed and share this with their counselor.

Communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. The field of communication promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication.

This badge is one of the many badges the scout must earn before earning Eagle Rank.

Troop 72 was founded in 1954 and served the boys of the Parsippany Area until March 12, 2019.

This new feature of Parsippany Focus magazine will highlight photographic series entitled “The Passage of Time.” Longtime resident Stephen Pellegrino is our contributing editor of this feature. If you have any photos you want Mr. Pellegrino to consider, please send email them to news@parsippanyfocus.com.

This is a race car parked at the Troy Hills Speedway, which was located at the corner of Baldwin Road and Route 46, the present site of Smith Field Park. According to the website speedwayandroadwayhistory.com, Troy Hills Speedway was a 1/3 mile dirt oval track that opened in 1931 and closed in 1934. During its life no fatalities were recorded.

The surface at Troy Hills was coated with a mixture of mine dust and oil. This coating suppressed any dust clouds that were normally associated with dirt track speedways--possibly the reason why the track had such a high safety record. Troy Hills was one of the first east coast tracks to install electric lighting.

Today, visitors to the park will find no evidence that this racetrack ever existed. But players on the present ball fields are actually playing sports on land where vintage cars once whipped around the track at breakneck speeds!