Our History

 As a young man growing up in Kansas City, Kansas, William Lawson desired to join a Boy Scout troop as a part of his service initiative. In the 1930s, Boy Scouts of America had distinguished itself as an organization that helped the under-served masses during the Depression Era. Because he was Black and there were no Black Boy Scout troops in his hometown, he attempted to join a white troop. Regrettably, his application was rejected.

When the same young man became the pastor of the new Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church (WABC), located in the predominately African American Third Ward of Houston, Texas, the first youth auxiliary organization that he established was a Boy Scout troop. Rev. Lawson visited with several of his members, headed by C. Reger Hall, a local public housing activist, to petition the Sam Houston Area Council for registration of a Boy Scout troop. In May of 1965, Boy Scout Troop 242 was officially established.

Pluria Marshall, Houston's Director of Operation Breadbasket, was the first Troop Scoutmaster, but held this position for a short time only. His Assistant Scoutmaster, Gerald Hoskins, was named Scoutmaster until a new Scoutmaster could be found. Soon after, C. Reger Hall accepted the position as Scoutmaster with the intention of relinquishing it as soon a volunteer could be recruited. C. Reger Hall remained in the role of Scoutmaster of Troop 242 for 10 years. He proved to be a distinct asset to the program because of his dedication and previous experience with scouting in other agencies.

Pack 242 and Troop 242 became part of the largely Black Council segment, the W.L. Davis District. The district was
named after William Leonard Davis, a local African American school principal, who was appointed in 1934 to the Council's first committee to develop Black scouts. He and his fellow special committee members surveyed Black institutions for sponsorship, set up leadership training and worked hard for inclusion of Black scout troops in the Houston area.

WABC Troop 242 has been one of the leading troops in the Sam Houston Area Houston Council. WABC has produced ten Silver Beaver Awardees, which is the highest award given to adult volunteers by Boy Scouts of America. As a result of great leadership, WABC Troop 242 leads the nation in producing African American Eagle Scouts. But the Wheeler troop has not limited itself only to Black scouts. The group has diversified, as troops should have when Rev. Lawson wanted to join as a young lad. Non-Black scouts have been submitted previously as WABC Troop 242 Eagles, and this diverse participation continues on both scouting and leader level today.