Our History
Malcolm Nordstrom (then Mayor of Double Oak, Texas), Phil Jacobson, Roger Denison and Dale Fowler started Troop 262 in 1985. At that time Dale and Roger’s wives were teachers at Flower Mound Elementary School and they were instrumental in gaining the support of the schools principal, Connie Gall who allowed the Troop to meet in that facility. The First Committee chairman was Tom Podlucky .

The first Scoutmaster of Troop 262 was Malcolm Nordstrom who was followed by Phil Jacobson in 1987 and then by Dale Fowler in 1989. In 1991 Steve Boyd took over as Scoutmaster and was followed by Bruce Ives who led Troop 262 until 1997. There were many extraordinary people involved in those years. They include Judy and Otto Sedronsky, Paul Peters, Ron Tipton,  Mike Conway and so many others.

The Troop grew rapidly in the 1990’s due to a strong focus on fun first, advancement second. Keeping the older boys involved was the key to the growth. The Troops history does not show early Eagle Scouts at age 13 or 14 and only 2 boys from Troop 262 achieved that rank before their 16th birthday. The extraordinary 58 Troop 262 Scouts to date that have earned Eagle Rank truly earned it by honestly developing their character and leadership skills as outlined in the requirements set forth by BSA within a successfully structured program.  ‘Fun first’ is what motivated them to develop those skills and desire to achieve this impressive goal. ‘Fun first’ still drives the current adult leadership as well which keeps the Troops program vibrant and strong.

Troop 262 always tries to focus on retaining Sr. High boys and during the period between 1994 to 1996, Troop 262 had members of the front lines of both Marcus’ and Lewisville’s football teams involved in scouting (Backpacking in Philmont was easy with them). Since 1995, Troop 262 consistently fielded 2 or more High Adventure Treks to Philmont in New Mexico, the Colorado Rockies or to Seabase, in Florida. Providing high adventure options to keep these older boys engaged in Scouting is a standard part of Troop 262’s Trail to Eagle program.

The Troop’s equipment for camping was originally gathered and stored in an old shed that was part of Double Oak’s Town Hall.  Monthly camping trips began and ended there with hours of loading and unloading of the one flatbed trailer. Trying then to decide what to take and what not to take, finding out 2 hours later when setting up camp that the wrong thing was taken resulted in a large number of extra trips back and forth. The two covered trailers were purchased as a result of that problem and due to the fact that when the new Double Oak Town Hall was constructed, the storage space was eliminated. When the time came to move the equipment into the new trailers, a donation was made from the additional items on hand to an inner-city Pack that actually provided enough equipment for a full second year Webelos den to camp with. All Troop 262 Camping gear is now stored with-in these two trailers and is ready to go with minimal notice.

In 1997 Bill Woody accepted the position as Scoutmaster for a short time and was then replaced by Stan Wood in 1999. Stan served in the Scoutmaster role until 2004 when Rick Johnson took over the leadership role for one year with Scoutmaster David Bullock then following him. On May 5, 2008 Paul Hergert assumed the responsibilities of ScoutMaster from David Bullock. Paul has been an adult leader in the troop for a number of years. Troop 262 looks forward to the new leadership and direction Paul will bring to the troop.

More Troop 262 History to come…. Hopefully YOU will be a part of it!!!

Where & When We Meet
Boy Scout Troop 262 meets Monday nights from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Downing Middle School, located at 5555 Bridlewood Blvd. Flower Mound, TX 75028.

Weekly meetings are held while school is in session. If school is out for a particular Monday, there will be no meeting that evening.

For more information on meetings, please check out our Event Calendar.

About Scouting
Scouting is a values-based program with its own code of conduct. The Scout Oath and Law help instill the values of good conduct, respect for others, and honesty. Scouts learn skills that will last a lifetime, including basic outdoor skills, first aid, citizenship skills, leadership skills, and how to get along with others. For almost a century, Scouting has instilled in young men the values and knowledge that they will need to become leaders in their communities and country.

Our Aim
It is the aim of Troop 262 to build character, citizenship and leadership in the young men of our community. We strive to help young boys to grow into responsible young men by providing them with opportunities to advance, grow, mature, and lead. We use an outdoor activity based program to enable the boys to have fun and to keep them interested.

Our Organization
Our troop is run on the patrol method of 8-12 boys per patrol.

To facilitate advancement with our Scouts we have organized our youth advancement in three programs:

Trail to First Class - This is a program designed for first year Scouts who are working on fundamental scouting skills including camping, cooking, first aid, map & compass, and knots.

First to Life - The First to Life program was designed to guide Scouts through the maze of merit badges and leadership requirements beyond First Class.

Trail to Eagle - This program works with our Life Scouts to assist them with the paperwork and approval processes needed to complete their advancement to the rank of Eagle Scout.

Activities
Troop 262 provides a monthly outdoor camping experience throughout the year. See this year's campouts by visiting the Event Calendar section.

Funding
We collect Troop dues of $65 once a year. These are paid when you first enter the troop or at the first of the year. These dues help maintain the troop equipment, trailer and other expenses that Troop 262 has. In addition, each campout that a Troop member attends will have a nominal fee to cover the cost of the campsite (if any) and food.

Our primary fundraiser is the traditional Boy Scout Popcorn Sale event.

Equipment
Troop 262 provides the tent and cooking equipment. The scout needs to furnish his own personal items, sleeping bag and mess kit. The scout will also need to obtain a scout book. These can be purchases at a Scout Shop.

Youth leadership
Troop 262 has lead over 57 boys to the rank of Eagle Scout in the 20 years since we were chartered. This is a result of our focus on advancement and leadership. Leadership training is offered several times a year by the troop, the Longhorn Council, and Circle Ten Council. In our troop every boy has the opportunity to lead.

Adult leadership
Troop 262 has a large number of dedicated adult leaders. We currently have over 40 registered and trained adults in our troop. As with all large troops we are always looking for parents interested in donating their time to our youth.

Contact information
Contact any of the adults listed below.

Mr. Paul Hergert , Scoutmaster - (817)491-0854

Mr. Gary Toretti, Committee Chairman - (972)355-6703