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Fair Joseph Resch Jr. is the Herald's Person of the Year
Turning Boy Scouts into Eagles
Joseph Resch Jr. has been the scoutmaster of Troop 24 in Malverne for 30 years. Before that he was a cubmaster for five years. During his tenure and through his leadership, he has seen 47 boys become Eagle Scouts.
He has been a tireless volunteer for the Our Lady of Lourdes parish for decades. He will celebrate his 75th birthday next week, putting him well into senior citizenship — but only in numerical terms.
So what is Resch looking forward to next?
Camping outdoors in the dead of winter.
“Our troop is going camping in Putnam County,” he said. “I’m hoping there’s snow up there, so we’ll bring the sleds up and put the snowshoes on for a hike. My wife says, ‘What, are you crazy?’ but the kids are loving it. They have a great time.”
Because of his tireless dedication to his community, his innate ability to inspire and his indefatigable spirit, the Herald is proud to name Resch its 2014 Person of the Year.
“His work has positively influenced the lives of thousands of boys and their families, not only in Malverne, but across Nassau County,” said Russell Palmer, a Troop 24 leader.
Many of the boys influenced through the years by Resch are now men, like Michael Guiheen, one of the first to become an Eagle Scout under Resch’s leadership, almost 30 years ago. “I learned a lot about the Scouts and about leadership through Mr. Resch,” Guiheen said. “He was instrumental for me. Leadership is led by example, and it was through his examples that we learned about commitment to Scouting and responsibility to our community.”
When Guiheen earned his Eagle rank, Eagle Scouts were a relative rarity, not only in Malverne but in other troops as well. “Today we average between one to three Eagle Scouts a year,” Resch said.
One of the many ways in which he inspires the Scouts is by doing things “old school.” “Certain troops, when they go away, bring prepared food, eat in restaurants and stay at a motels,” Resch said. “My troop would never do that.” During the winter months, his troop may camp in cabins, but mostly they do lean-to and tent camping. They cook on charcoal and wood. They play non-electronic games — everything from marbles to poker.
