by Keith Monroe
Rotary has been an energetic backer of the Boy Scout movement all over the country, as it has been since 1910, when it helped pull together the committee, raise the funds and find the leaders to make scouting a civic force in many cities. In Santa Monica, a few, months after the Rotary Club was chartered in 1922, one of its first projects was to set up a Scout office in two rooms of the dank old city hall at the corner of Fourth and Santa Monica Blvds.
A year later, as Scouting kept growing, Rotarians were among those who laid bricks to construct a four‑room headquarters for the Scouts. This too was soon outgrown. Bigger offices were arranged in Lincoln Park, which served until the local organization merged into the Western Los Angeles County Council.
Once a year the Rotary Club of Santa Monica holds its luncheon meeting at Camp Josepho, the Council's weekend camp in Rustic Canyon. It was given in 1941 by Anatol Josepho, an immigrant from Siberia who made a fortune by inventing self‑photographic booths. He was a friend of a scout executive, F.F. "Bob" Hill, who became the Rotary Club's president in 1946.
For many weekends, Rotarians and other Santa Monica residents worked at the camp to build a big lodge‑auditorium, workshop, ranger's house and swimming pool. The scout executive at that time was Schiller Colberg, who became the Club president in 1975.
Bill Hunt, longtime scoutmaster of Troop 1 and Club president in 1984, persuaded 36 club members to donate $1000 for a handsome new swimming pool and changing house, which ended up costing $650,000.
Seven scout troops meet in our community The largest is Troop 2 with 87 members.