05/13/2026
Thank you Mike DeLoose and team for keeping the tradition of Scouting alive in the Troop 435 New Windsor area! Thank you Henry Wallace for a lifetime of dedication! Here's to new adventures in the next 75!
For 75 years, Troop 435 in New Windsor has helped shape generations of young men through leadership, service, friendship, and adventure.
The story of Troop 435 actually begins long before the troop officially received its charter in 1951. As early as the 1930s, Scout meetings were being held upstairs in the New Windsor Opera House on Thursday evenings. Community leaders including Rev. Morrison Means, Kenneth Peterson, and Rev. Walfred E. Nelson helped guide local youth during those early years, with Lutheran Brotherhood sponsoring the troop program at the time.
It was during this era that Henry Arthur Wallace first became involved in Scouting — beginning a lifelong commitment that would eventually span more than eight decades.
On June 28, 1943, Henry received a Cub Scout award during the same Court of Honor where New Windsor’s first Eagle Scout, Neil Johnson, earned Scouting’s highest rank. Soon afterward, World War II interrupted Scouting programs across the nation as many community leaders left to serve their country. In New Windsor, regular troop activities paused for nearly eight years.
Then in May of 1951, Troop 35 — later renamed Troop 435 — officially received a new charter and restarted the continuous Scouting tradition that remains active today.
What makes Troop 435 truly remarkable is the consistency of its leadership. In 75 years, the troop has had only four Scoutmasters.
Lynn Keim served as the troop’s first Scoutmaster. Jim McMullen followed in 1952-53, with Henry Wallace assisting both men as Assistant Scoutmaster. Then in 1954, Henry Arthur Wallace became Scoutmaster of Troop 435 and devoted decades of his life to mentoring and guiding the youth of New Windsor.
For generations of Scouts, Henry Wallace became the heart of Troop 435. Through weekly meetings, camping trips, hikes, Klondike Derbies, summer camp adventures, and countless community service projects, Henry helped young men learn leadership, responsibility, citizenship, and teamwork.
In 2015, Mike DeLoose became the fourth Scoutmaster in troop history while Henry continued serving the troop as Assistant Scoutmaster — continuing a commitment to Scouting that few communities anywhere can match.
Over the years, more than 300 young men have participated in Troop 435. The troop has produced 65 Eagle Scouts, with two more soon to be added, bringing the total to 67 Eagles in 75 years. Twenty-five Scouts have also earned the Pro Deo Et Patria (God and Church) Award.
Troop 435 has also built a proud tradition of service to the New Windsor community. For 75 years, Scouts have marched in Memorial Day services and decorated veterans’ graves in local cemeteries. In many cases, Scouting traditions have continued from one generation of families to the next. Arnold “Bub” Roquet participated in New Windsor’s early Scouting program in the 1930s. In 1952, Arnold and Lynn Keim played taps during Memorial Day ceremonies, and years later Arnold’s son Brad continued the tradition as a Scout himself.
Camping and outdoor adventure have always been central to the troop’s identity. Scouts from Troop 435 have camped at Roberts Timber, Hazel Dell Timber, Camp Mansur, Loud Thunder, Starved Rock, Galena, Boundary Waters, Philmont, and many more locations over the decades. From canoe trips and swimming outings to camporees and first aid competitions, generations of Scouts have built lifelong memories together.
The troop has also earned hundreds of ribbons and trophies through Klondike Derbies, Camporees, and camping competitions dating back to the 1950s. Troop 435 earned its first documented blue ribbon for camping skills in 1955 at Camp Na Seus K*k at Loud Thunder and has continued that tradition of excellence ever since.
Through every decade, one constant has remained — a commitment to helping young people grow into leaders and good citizens.
Congratulations to Troop 435 on 75 incredible years of Scouting in New Windsor, Illinois. Thank you to the leaders, families, volunteers, churches, veterans organizations, and especially Henry Wallace and Mike DeLoose for continuing a tradition that has positively impacted generations of youth and strengthened the entire community.
Happy 75th Anniversary, Troop 435!
