Adam Ryerson Named New Scoutmaster for Troop 443

By Susan Shinn Turner

Adam Ryerson is the new Scoutmaster for St. John’s Scout Troop 443.

Ryerson is retired from the Air Force, where he spent four years on active duty and 16 years in the Guard. He’s now Fire Marshal for the City of Concord.

Ryerson started with Troop 443 as a parent in the Lion Den with his son, Landen, now 12.

“As a parent, you move up with your boys,” says Ryerson, who progressed through Lion, Bear, Webelos and Arrow of Light levels before reaching the Troop with Landen in 2020.

When David Sides recently retired as Scoutmaster, he was asked to step into his new position.

Troop 443 now has 40 Scouts and nine assistant Scoutmasters on the roll. There are also a dozen other adults in leadership positions with the group.

The Cub Scouts take a break during the summer, but the troop meets year-round.

At 96 years old, the St. John’s troop is the oldest continually chartered troop in Rowan County and the first Lutheran troop in the state of North Carolina.

“We started right after Scouting began,” Ryerson says. “We’re a very old, very established, very prestigious group.”

Since 1929, there have been a total of 163 Scouts earn their Eagle awards through St. John’s.

“We do produce a lot Eagles,” Ryerson says. “Most of our boys who come through stay until the Eagle. We try to finish the Eagle before high school, because they get so busy with school, sports, and word.”

Ryerson says he hopes Landen will attain the Eagle award.

The majority of the boys and girls come through the St. John’s Cub Scout Pack 443, led by Dave Roof, although Ryerson adds that “we get a lot of boys from Sacred Heart’s pack since they don’t have their own Scout troop.”

Church membership is not a requirement to belong to the troop.

As a fire marshal, education is a component of Ryerson’s job.

“I enjoy educating younger people and showing them things they can carry on as an adult,” he says. “I went through Scouting, although I didn’t get my Eagle, and I regret it. But it’s made a big impact on my life as a firefighter.”

Like everything else, the troop has been affected by Covid. Ryerson says he doesn’t plan to make any major changes until he sees how the troop operates normally.

Ryerson and his family are members of St. John’s. He is married to Crystal, and they also have a daughter, Emma, 20, a junior at Lees-McRae College. He is the son of Cathy and Walt Ryerson, who has been a leader with Troop 443 for over 20 years.

Welcome aboard, Adam!