Norwood Explorer Posts Experience Remarkable Growth to Eight Active Chapters-October 22, 1975

Coed Explorer Posts Surge from Two to Eight Under Regional Leadership

Driven by real youth involvement and dedicated adult sponsorship, Norwood’s coed Explorer posts have experienced remarkable growth, expanding from just two chapters to eight over the course of a single year. According to Dolores Gatley, the first woman appointed executive director of Explorers for the northeast region by the Old Colony Council of Boy Scouts of America, the program’s success stems from teens designing their own interest-based programs with guidance from expert adult advisors.

At a time when many traditional youth activities struggled with participation, Norwood’s coed posts—fostering complete equality and respect between boys and girls—attracted surging membership through computerized career interest surveys conducted in local high schools. Gatley credited much of the local success to the encouragement of volunteers like George Usevich, selectman and administrative assistant in charge of student affairs at Norwood High School.

Diverse Special-Interest Posts Span Medicine, Aviation, Law Enforcement, and Mechanics

A comprehensive look at the eight active Norwood Explorer posts highlights the wide variety of teenage interests:

• Medical Post: Sponsored by Norwood Hospital and boasting roughly 60 members (mostly girls), the post offers laboratory observation, medical films, first aid training, and special excursions such as an upcoming trip to Massachusetts General Hospital. Post president and junior Gary Cohen noted that the program helps students evaluate career paths before making final decisions.
• Law Enforcement Post: Sponsored by the Norwood Police Department with juvenile officer Dom Fruci as advisor, this group of 35 members explores narcotic investigations, fingerprinting, and criminal procedures.
• Aviation Posts: Sponsored by Norwood Aviation Inc., one group led by George Bevilacqua helps members work toward pilot licenses, while a second group led by Jack Barnicle focuses on aviation history, facility tours, and aircraft observation.
• High Adventure & Mountaineering Posts: Sponsored by the Norwood Jaycees, this group engages in canoeing, year-round camping, and survival training, spawning an advanced mountaineering offshoot.
• Auto Mechanics Posts: The two newest chapters provide hands-on engine instruction in small groups, led by local service station operators Richard Duffy of Duffy’s Service Center and Brian McTeague of South Norwood Service Center. Demand far outstripped capacity, with Gatley noting that one mother called it the first activity her son showed genuine interest in.
• Photography Post: Sponsored by the Norwood Camera Club, this 10-member photography group is advised by Charles J. Lennon, a longtime photography enthusiast and resident caretaker of the historic Day House.

Looking ahead, regional organizers considered launching additional posts dedicated to ham radio communications and floral design/horticulture.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger