The Gilmers Have Two Eagles

Our sons, Ronnie and Bill, both earned their Eagle Badges in Boy Scouting while in high school. They both spent their summers working at the District Scout Camp Dierks near Broken Bow, OK until they started to college. They are both great cooks and learned these skills on camping trips. I've never forget the day Ron was given his Eagle award at our church in Paris, TX. The boys and I went to Sunday school and Jim was coming later to church to take part in the ceremony. We kept waiting for Jim and finally decided he wasn't coming. Poor Jim! He was at home searching for his car keys and guess where they were! In my purse.... I had picked them up by mistake and didn't realize I had them. After that day, we always have a  spare set of keys at home. So that's why Jim isn't in this photo: Nell Gilmer, Ron Gilmer, Scoutmaster Lawrence Wade, Dr. Jim Semple and Ronnie, receiving his Eagle Scout Award in Paris, TX in 1970


I looked for a photo of Bill getting his Eagle award but this was a time when we made slides instead of photos and I would have to look through a lot of slides to find him getting his Eagle. For his Eagle project, Bill did some work at the church. I don't remember all the details of that project.


But do I ever remember Ron's project. When we moved to Paris in 1967, we were fascinated with living in the Southwest and all the history of the area. I learned that the founder of the Chisholm (Chisum) Trail was buried in Paris, Tx and started searching for his grave. I found it in an overgrown family cemetery at the edge of town. I suggested Ron get some help and clean this historic cemetery for his Eagle project. Again my photos are all on slides and I don't have one to post here. It's been over 35 years since he did this project. I wonder if you can find that cemetery now. There is a Texas historical marker at the cemetery with this inscription: " BURIAL SITE OF JOHN S. CHISUM (1824-1884) CATTLE BARON WHO MOVED HERDS FROM EAST TO WEST TEXAS AND INTO NEW MEXICO AND FOUNDED ONE OF THE GREATEST CATTLE SPREADS IN THE WEST."



Jim and I have both worked with boy scouts; I was a Den Mother and Jim was an Asst. Scoutmaster. Our son James was also in Boy Scouts when he was younger.