Thomas Stith, Sr.

After serving in World War I, Thomas Stith, Sr., worked for Rocky Mount schools for 20 years and 18 years for the US Post Office, but he is recognized for his dedication to the youth of the area as founder of Boy Scout Troop 161.

He was active in developing the baseball park for the Negro League. He also founded the Southeastern Business College in Durham. Mr. Stith taught Sunday School at the St. James Baptist church for 15 years.
He was inducted into Hall of Fame 2005.

Source: Twin County Museum Hall Of Fame. Rocky Mount, NC
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This story below about Mr. Thomas Stith was posted by Lisa Ward Meadows. March 20, 2029.

The story of Tom Stith, or "Chief", as he was known by his multitude of scouts, is a story of steadfastness and perseverance.

As told by R. D. Armstrong, a young Tom Stith, who was employed with the Atlantic Coast Line at the time, first became interested in the notion of scouting from his sister, Maggie Stith. Maggie was employed in the home of Mr. J. D. Blount on Hill Street, and his sons were active in the Rocky Mount scouting world.

Maggie would often tell of the Blount boys and their scouting adventures in the woods when she got home. Stith would later say, he knew nothing about "scouting" and thought the Blount boys might be up to mischief.

However, the more Chief heard the more intrigued he became with the notion of scouting. Once he learned of the character building principles he pledged himself to get involved.
Soon, Chief began to put the balls in motion to create the first scout troop in Rocky Mount for African American boys. But, before Stith's plans were fully realized he was called to service during World War I.

In 1918, when Stith returned from his service at the end of the war so did his determination to bring scouting to his community. At first Stith's hard work paid off and his Troop received a charter from the national office in New York.

However, not long after the charter was given it was rescinded pending an investigation. For the next 15 years, the troop operated on an unofficial basis, upon the advice of Mr. Stanley A. Harris, who was the Scouting National Field Officer at the time.

Even without the official charter Chief's troops during those 15 years thrived and continued to meet each Friday night... just without the official Scout uniforms. Not one to be denied and fueled by the spirit of scouting in his veins Stith kept pushing and attending official Scout meetings and training.

In 1932, when C. D. Benbow became the Scout Executive for the Tar River Council, Stith's troop was officially chartered and registered as Troop 161. St. James Baptist Church became the first sponsoring institution for Troop 161.

Stith's scouting program was wide and varied, it ranged from cutting logs to build their first cabin to writing letters to the N. C. Government to petition for a young man's life.

Thousands of young men in the Rocky Mount area grew-up calling Troop 161 theirs. Eventually, Stith became the Dean to African American Scout Masters for eastern North Carolina Council. Stith's love for his troop and its history was so great it is rumored he attempted to weather Hurricane Hazel in the scout cabin along the Tar River to assure it's safety.

It was only when the roof started to blow-off that he left for higher ground.

Stith, who spent his adult life employed by the U.S. Postal service, never stopped learning. He had leadership training at the Hampton Institute and Gammon University in Atlanta and held four certificates in the area of training.

Tom Stith died on Aug. 18, 1958, of heart failure. Not long before his death, Stith upon seeing his friend (and fellow scoutmaster) Vernon Sechrist mentioned he had weighed himself that morning and he was exactly 161 pounds, the same as his troop number.

Sechrist later recanted the interaction in his column "Relax“ in Tribute to Stith he went on to write,, "Tom Stith weighed far more than 161 pounds when measured in the light of his accomplishments. "

Longtime friend and admirer R.D. Armstrong had this to say about Stith, "Tom was called upon to perform many task and never once did he falter. In his life he wielded an influence for good that is impossible to measure."

It should come as no surprise that the crowd that gathered for Tom Stith's funeral was massive and many were clad in their Troop 161 uniforms.
Over 1,000 Rocky Mount citizens gathered on, May 31, 1960 when Rocky Mount Mayor Allan Mims officially dedicated The Tom Stith Park.