Clyde Alexander, Spears Alexander and Philip Lewis Webb, Father, Son and Son-in-Law, Honored, 1951

“Father, Son and Son-In-Law Receive Silver Beaver Award,” from the Statesville Landmark, March 1, 1951. This article has nice photos of Clyde Alexander, Spears Alexander, and Philip Lewis Webb.

For the first time in the history of Scouting, so far as is known here, a father, a son, and a son-in-law hold simultaneously the Silver Beaver Award, highest honor to be conferred upon scoutmasters. The three represent an aggregate of more than 75 years of active scout work.

Clyde Alexander, the ‘daddy’ of Boy Scouting in Statesville and in this general section of the country, organized the first registered Boy Scout troop this town ever had and, by unanimous request of members of the troop, he was their scoutmaster. For five years he was the only Scoutmaster in Iredell county and for nearly 25 years he served in that capacity.

On Tuesday, January 14, 1936, he was presented the Silver Beaver Award by the Piedmont Council Boy Scouts of America at the annual dinner meeting of the Council held in Gastonia that year. A banquet in Statesville honored him at that time as “The Grand Old Man of Scouting.” Six of Mr. Alexander’s original troop were present at that banquet. They were Buford Guy, Elgie Hamlet, John Long, Gordon Wallace, John Cooper Fowler and Hugo Kimball.

It was in 1915 that the first Boy Scout troop was organized here and in the next year the troop rece4ived its credentials with Mr. Alexander as the scoutmaster. Since that time Mr. Alexander has been master of four different troops, has been chairman of the interracial committee and through his help a troop of colored Boy Scouts was organized in Statesville. He has been chairman of the scoutmaster committee, of merit badge examiners, of church relations and deputy commissioner and vice-president of this county in scout work. He has given training courses for scout masters and assistants and through affiliation with the Red Cross has taught first aid and life saving. He was the first one in the 11 counties which comprise the Piedmont Council to be recommended and selected for the high honor of Silver Beaver Award.

Clyde Spears Alexander

Clyde Spears Alexander, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Alexander, received the Silver Beaver Award this year, following 25 years of service in scouting. He became a Scout in 1925, when 12 years old. In 1929 he was an assistant patrol leader, in 1930 a patrol leader, in 1931 a senior patrol leader, 1931-33 a junior assistant scoutmaster, 1933-35 an assistant scoutmaster, 1935-47 a scoutmaster, 1948-49 to March 31, 1950 an assistant scoutmaster and is at present a senior advisor. His service has been in troop 2 of Statesville, troop 5 of Statesville, troop 5 of Statesville until 1941. Since then he has served with troop 1 and troop 7 of Spartanburg, S.C. He received his Eagle Scout award in 1933, Bronze Palm in 1947, Gold Palm in 1948, Silver Palm in 1950, Scoutmaster Key in 1947, Brotherhood Lodge or degree of the Order of Arrow in 1950, the Service Award for troop 7 in 1950 and the Silver Beaver in 1951.

Clyde Spears Alexander is express clerk with the Railway Express Agency in Spartanburg, S.C. He is a member of the Fellowship club of the A.R.P. church, a deacon in the church, a teacher of the Sunday School class of the seniors 11 to 14 years old. For one year he was president of the Scouters’ club. He has three sons, Clyde Spears Jr., now a Star Scout and Assistant Patrol leader of troop 7; Edward Click, a member of Cub pack in No. 7 Den; and a third son too young to enroll now but who will later be a Scout after the custom of his family.

Philip Lewis Webb

Philip Lewis Webb, son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Alexander, received the Silver Beaver Award at the annual banquet of the Pee Dee Area Council on December 4, 1950. He holds the Eagle Scout Badge, Scoutmaster Key, was a Scoutmaster for five years and at present is advisory of the Explorer Scouts of Troop 12 of Hartsville, S.C. He was one of the Scoutmasters attending the Boy Scout National Jamboree in 1950.

Mr. Webb is assistant superintendent of the International Mineral and Chemical Corporation of Hartsville, S.C. He is a veteran of five years’ service in World War II, is treasurer of the Hartsville Exchange club, member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the First Presbyterian church of Hartsville. He is a member of the Hartsville Masonic Lodge and of the Darlington County Shrine Club. His wife is the former Miss Sarah Alexander. They have two daughters.