Boy scouting teaches lessons

Local exec lived through Rita in '05

A Boy Scout is supposed to be prepared. But nothing could have prepared local Scout executive Legare Clement for what he experienced after Hurricane Rita ripped apart communities on the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Clement, 45, the new executive of Boy Scouting for the Coastal Carolina Council, said he learned valuable lessons while leading Scouts whose families were housed in FEMA trailer parks.

"It showed me that everybody wants Scouting," Clement said of his experiences in Lake Charles, La.

"Kids still want what Scouts have to offer. Boys want to get out in the woods and camp, swim, fish and hike," said Clement, who hopes to increase Scouting units, activities and memberships in the Lowcountry.

Scouting is needed more than ever, Clement said. "Scouting rounds a kid out" and prepares youths to be "participating citizens," respectful of others and nature and the rule of law, he said.

A native of James Island, Clement moved at age 8 to downtown Charleston, where he attended schools and church and became a Boy Scout. He became an Eagle Scout with Troop 50, sponsored by St. Philip's Episcopal Church.

Clement's wife, the former Carol Varner, is from the Lebanon community in Berkeley County. Like her husband, she's a College of Charleston graduate. They didn't really know each other in college but met through a mutual friend after graduation.

A boyhood friend got Clement into the Scouts. "He invited me to go on a Boy Scouts campout. After I did that a couple of times, they told me I had to join," he said with a laugh.

Clement had a life-changing experience after Hurricane Hugo. He was selling real estate before the storm struck Charleston in 1989. The market was depressed after the storm, and a chance meeting with an old acquaintance took Clement back into Scouting.

Clement was asked to assist in leading Troop 50, but soon discovered the acquaintance, a contractor, had way too much work to do after Hugo to give time to the Scouts.

"Lo and behold, I found myself the scoutmaster at Troop 50," Clement said.

Clement discovered all over again he loved Scouting. He decided to pursue a career in Scouting and sought a paid position at the district level. He was hired and assigned to a council based in Goldsboro, N.C. After three years, he returned to the Lowcountry as a district and finance director for Charleston and West Ashley. In 1999, he took the field director's position in the Middle Tennessee Council and in 2004 moved to the Scout executive position in Louisiana.

In his four years in Lake Charles, four hurricanes hit the area. The worst was Rita in 2005, "which basically wiped out the whole area and made 20,000 homes unlivable," he said.

After the storm, Clement started Scouting programs in FEMA trailer parks, which had 2,000 people each crammed into communities with no ball fields or recreation facilities. The Scouts would meet in tents or at outdoor tables.

"We dealt with street gangs trying to take over," he added.

"It showed me what a great family experience Scouting is," Clement said. "Folks from all over the country sent uniforms, tents, sleeping bags, camping equipment, lanterns and stoves: all of the things we needed to get Scout troops up and running. It was a rewarding experience to work with the families and kids who had everything and were starting over."

This past October, Clement was summoned back to the Lowcountry as Scout executive, a "great opportunity" and for him a dream come true.

"When we left Charleston, we thought it would be eight to 10 years before the opportunity would come to come back. We decided to give it a go and bounce around and see and enjoy other parts of the country. It was nine years," he added.

Reach Edward C. Fennell at efennell@postandcourier.com or 937-5560.

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