Jim Potjunas was a great man, and I miss him terribly. There have been multiple times since the accident that I have thought that I could really use a Scoutmaster conference right about now.

I was practically born into Troop 101. In fact, there exist photos of my mother pregnant with me at family camp. My Uncle was in the troop, and so was my older brother, so I just always knew that I was going to be a Boy Scout in Troop 101. Because my older brother was in the troop, I attended almost every family camp, and I loved being there with the troop. I say most though, particularly because of one family camp. This family camp, I was all prepared to go camping with the troop yet again, but I then got chicken pox. I was devastated, because I could not go camping. It was bad enough that my parents decided to set up a tent in our living room for me to try to make it better.

When I was a young Cub Scout, I was trying to learn the Scout Law. I had already learned the Scout Oath, but was struggling to really grasp the Law, since at the time, it was just a string of 12 random words. Over the years, their meaning has been cemented in me. At a Family Camp, Jim sat down with me to help me learn it by breaking it down into groups of 3. I still remember this relatively small moment, because it always reminds of how he would give any time he could to anyone who needed it, regardless of how small the need would seem to be.

Over the years, I had more than a few Scoutmaster conferences, sometimes for leadership, sometimes because I was struggling with something, and sometimes just because Jim wanted to check on how I was and see how I was progressing in scouts. He always took that time for us. I always wondered how he managed to have the time for all of us. When I was the Senior Quartermaster, he asked me how I liked being a QM, and if I wanted to be the Senior Patrol Leader. At the time, I told him that I was happy as a QM. He basically ended up telling me that I would not know if I wanted to be SPL unless I tried it, and insisted that I ran. After that conference, I considered what he had told me, and came back to him with the decision that yes, I will run for SPL. To my surprise, I ended up winning the election with only about 7 months until I turned 18, and I still did not have my Eagle completed. Despite this, and with Jim’s encouragement and prodding, I finished my Eagle.

After I aged out of the troop and went to college, I began to stop camping as much as I had before, simply because I did not have the time. I wish I had made the time. But, the few trips I did manage to go on were fantastic, including the most recent Bike Trip in 2015, where I had the privilege of being put in a crew with Jim. On that trip, He and I talked quite a bit about food, a passion we both shared. In response to this, Jim shared with me his library of recipes. Even when I was no longer a scout in the troop, he still wanted to support me and help me however he could. I treasure those recipes to this day.

I am going to try every day to live by the Scout Oath, Law, Slogan, and Motto as I know Jim would want me too, and I hope to help pass on the lessons that he taught me and so many others.

The Photos
One of the photos features Jim talking to my Uncle Jeff Koncki
Another features my parents, and my mom is pregnant with me
Another is of me when I was incredibly young on what I think is Family Camp with a very large hat
And the last photo features my mom, sister and me while we were both still very young on a campout

I first met Jim when I was a first year camper at summer camp.  I was standing outside of the dining hall watching this little bird hopping up and down a pole. Being a city kid, I had never seen anything like that and was just staring at it when this staff member came up to me and told me all about that little bird.  I can't remember what it was now, but I was happy that someone had taken time to teach me something.  I went on as a scout to take mammals merit badge and pioneering merit badge with Jim on later summer camp stays.

In 1979 I went to Philmont with Jim as the adult leader of our crew.  Jim, who was in college at the time, along with another college student, Ron Thompson and another adult took several weeks of vacation time to lead us to Philmont. We actually drove to Philmont and stayed at various military facilities on the trip in. I say that we drove but while Ron and the other adult split time in the one van (crew number 629H2), Jim drove the entire trip with our crew (629H1). We stopped at the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, the Air Force Academy among other places.  That trip, I think, is where I really started to appreciate Jim as a leader.

While I am not a 101 Eagle, I am an Eagle Scout and part of the credit for that happening belongs to Jim.   I even had him as one of the speakers at my Eagle Court of Honor.

After I graduated from high school and went on to nursing school, I drifted away from Scouting for a couple of years until a friend of mine got me involved in a troop in Champion and later, in Bristolville.  When I started dating Lynne, her brother was in 101, and I reconnected with Jim.  It didn't take much for me to sign on with 101 and I have been there ever since. 

While I am not the person that I want to be, I am much closer to it because of the influence of Jim. I will miss him and some day in the future hope to see him again .