Hi ! I thought I'd tell you a little bit about me, so I'm glad you found this page.
Outside of Scouting, I am employed by the Library and Technology department at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA since March of 2003. I work at the help desk as well as internal support for the LTS department. Before that I was employed by Rodale, Inc. of Emmaus, PA as a Business Systems Analyst with duties including PC and Software troubleshooting and maintenance and finding innovative ways to use technology to improve business. It was a pretty cool job, since I got to work with Sales and Advertising staff for their magazine division which includes titles like: Bicycling, Backpacker, Scuba Diving, Mountain Bike (all things I like to do), as well as other titles like Men's Health, Prevention, Organic Gardening, and PETS: part of the family. I had been with Rodale since 1994. Previous to that I've worked for Entre Computer Center and Weidenhammer Systems consulting and installing PC's and Networks, with a small stint programming RPG II ( ack !!! ). As you can see, it was a natural progression to get into Computers Merit Badge counseling and operating the Pack/Troop/Crew web page.
On a personal note, I love the outdoors: hiking, backpacking, camping, canoeing, orienteering, scuba diving, and cycling and sailing. For a while (back in the 80's), I was Vice-Commodore with the Blue Marsh Sailing Association. I have completed my Basic Keelboat Certificate, and hope to get my Cruising Certificate soon. Between my jobs at Rodale and Lehigh, I traveled to Southeast Asia, and spent a month and a half sailing on the 50' yacht Khulula, from Phuket, Thailand to Langkawi, Malaysia, as well as visiting Bangkok and Singapore. My musical tastes run from Classical to Alternative ( without Rap, Country, and Opera in the mix). I used to play cornet. I am heavily into Genealogy, and am the historian for the Bitler family reunion (my mother's side), and maintain a genealogy web site of over 13,000 descendants of that family HERE. All of my family research on my father's Piper side is kept HERE. I like to design Scout patches & logos: our 50th anniversary patch set, t-shirts, OA flaps, etc. I am frequently online , looking for new and interesting Web designs and maintaining the Troop & Pack web page here at 529gibraltar.org, and also support and maintain the kittatinny5.org OA web site and and hard at work redesigning the hawk mountain council web site.
When I started with Rodale, I moved from Gibraltar (where I had lived my entire life until then) to Macungie, PA located just outside of Allentown. When I still lived in Gibraltar, I was very active in the community, serving for a few years on the then new Robeson Township Board of Parks and Recreation, and serving on Church Council and an Advisor to the Church Youth Group at St. John's Lutheran Church, our Troops Chartered Organization. Since I'm now close to 1 hour away from the Troop and home town, my activity level has dropped significantly, but I am still quite active with the Troop. I'm presently an Assistant Scoutmaster. My history in Scouting goes way back though. Everyone in my family was involved in Scouting in one way or the other. My mother was a Cub Den Leader, and my father served on both Cub Pack and Troop Committees, and also for a time as our Chartered Partner Representative. I have one older brother who was also in our Troop in Gibraltar. Here are the highlights of my years in Scouting:
1. Joined Cubs Pack 529, Gibraltar - March, 1970
2. Joined Scouts Troop 529, Gibraltar - March, 1973
3. Scout Rank Troop 529, Gibraltar - May 19, 1973
4. Tenderfoot Rank Troop 529, Gibraltar - August, 1973
5. Second Class Rank Troop 529, Gibraltar - September 5, 1975
6. Cub Scout Pow-Wow (as Den Chief) Hawk Mt Council - November 8, 1975
7. First Class Rank Troop 529, Gibraltar - August 19, 1976
8. C & O Canal Bike Trip (Youth Participant) Troop 529, Gibraltar - June, 1977
9. Star Rank Troop 529, Gibraltar - June 23, 1978
10. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Ordeal - April, 1978
11. Council Philmont Expedition (Youth Participant) Hawk Mountain Council - July, 1978
12. Life Rank - August 23, 1979
13. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Brotherhood - October 18, 1980
14. Assistant Scoutmaster - April 1980/Present Troop 529 - Frontier Dist - Hawk Mt Council
15. Show-N-Do (H.M.S.R.) - Participant Hawk Mt Council - September 26, 1981
16. Boy Scout Leader Training (H.M.S.R.) - Participant Hawk Mt Council - March 29, 1981
17. Boy Scout Leader Training (H.M.S.R.) - Participant Hawk Mt Council - August 14, 1985
18. Outdoor Webelos Leader Staff Hawk Mt Council - September 27, 1987
19. Cub Scout Leader Training - Participant Frontier Dist - Hawk Mt Council - November 21, 1987
20. Merit Badge Counselor Computers - 1988/Present
21. Train-the-Trainer - Participant Hawk Mt Council - February 20, 1988
22. Den Chief Training Staff - Frontier Dist - 1988
23. Cub Scout Pow-Wow Staff - Webelos - Hawk Mt Council - April 9, 1988
24. J.L.O.W Staff - Advancement Frontier Dist - April 16, 1988 - (St. Benedicts, Boyertown)
25. Cub Leader Basic Training - Trainer Frontier Dist - 1988/1989 - (St. James, Oley)
26. District Award of Merit Frontier District - Hawk Mt Council - May 6, 1988
27. Outdoor Webelos Leader Staff (H.M.S.R.) Hawk Mt Council - October 2, 1988
28. J.L.O.W. Staff Frontier District - February 25, 1989
29. Cub Scout Pow-Wow Staff Frontier District - 1989 - Games (Oley H.S.)
30. Council Philmont Expedition Crew Advisor Hawk Mt Council - 1989
31. Council Philmont Committee Hawk Mt Council - 1989/90
32. Fall Camporee Staff Frontier Dist - 1989 - French Creek S.P.
33. Klondike Derby Staff Frontier Dist - 1989 - Birdsboro Rod & Gun Club
34. Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner Frontier Dist - 1990/1997
35. Cub Scout Pow-Wow Staff - 1990 - Midway (Hamburg Elem.)
36. Scouter Training Award Hawk Mt Council - March 15, 1990
37. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 75th Anniversary National Conference, Bloomington, IN August 12-16, 1990
38. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 75th Anniversary Award (Adult) - August 12, 1990
39. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Ceremonies Advisor - October, 1990/August, 1992
40. Bachelor of Commissioner Science University of Commissioner Science Hawk Mt Council - September 16, 1990
41. Junior Leader Training - Instructor Troop 529/Troop 595 - June, 1991 - French Creek S.P.
42. 1st Council Seabase Expedition Organizer/Crew Advisor Hawk Mountain Council - July 27-Aug 5, 1991
43. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Lodge Officer Training - September 6-7, 1991
44. Train-the-Trainer - Participant Hawk Mountain Council - September 28, 1991
45. Scoutmaster Fundamentals Staff - Patrol Guide Hawk Mountain Council - October 5,12-13
46. Cub Scout Pow-Wow - Participant Hawk Mountain Council - October 26, 1991
47. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 NE-4A Section Conclave - Camp Brulé - June 12-14, 1992
48. Selected 2nd Asst SM - 1993 Council Jamboree Troop 1 Hawk Mountain Council - June, 1992
49. C & O Canal Bike Trip Organizer/Participant Troop 529, Gibraltar - June, 1992
50. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Snipe Clan Advisor - August 1992/September 1993
51. Cub Committee Chairman - Cub Pack 529 Hawk Mountain Council - September 1992/March 1997
52. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 National Conference, Knoxville, TN August 8-13, 1992
53. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Vigil - September 20, 1992
54. Woodbadge Practical Training - NE-IV-62 Goose Pond Scout Reservation - September 27, 1992
55. Hawk Mountain Council Camporee - Station Judge Hawk Mountain Council - October 2-4, 1992
56. Cub Scout Pow Wow - Participant Hawk Mountain Council - October 24, 1992
57. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 NE Region National Leadership Seminar Participant Camp Alpine, NJ - November 20-22, 1992
58. Klondike Derby Staff - Frontier District St. Andrews U.M. Church, Boyertown - 1993
59. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Brotherhood Committee Advisor - September 1993/September 1995
60. Show-N-Do Planning Committee and Presenter Hawk Mountain Council - October 24, 1993
61. Silver Beaver Award Hawk Mountain Council - November 6, 1993
62. Woodbadge Ticket Completed - NE-IV-62 Hawk Mountain Council - September 26, 1994
63. Selected to serve as BSA Staff by National Office 18th World Jamboree - 1995 Droten, Netherlands
( Regretfully, due to a job change at that time, I was not able to attend )
64. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 NE-4A Section Conclave Staff - Publications - Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation - May 29-31, 1998
65. Order of the Arrow - Kittatinny Lodge 5 Publications Committee Advisor - May 1998/Present
66. Bahamas Seabase Expedition Organizer/Crew Advisor - Troop 529 - July 2-9, 1998
67. NE-IV-129 Woodbadge Staff - Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation - ASM/Historian - Sept/Oct 2001
68. SCUBA Adventure Expedition Organizer/Crew Advisor - Troop 624 Orwigsburg, PA - August 7-14, 2002
Last Update: 05/11/07 - Thanks for visiting !!