Creighton and Vaughn
If you don’t recognize them, the two men are giants of Middle Tennessee Council history. On the left is Wilbur Creighton, Sr. Creighton formed the first Scout troop under the Nashville Council in 1920 and continued in that work for 30 years before becoming Council President in 1951. Under his leadership the Council launched a capital campaign for Rock Island Boxwell, the first land for “new” Boxwell was purchased, and the Long Hunter Award was published. Creighton’s son, Wilbur, Jr., attended the Linton Boxwell as a Scout and went on to write the first Council history, _Boys Will Be Men_ in 1983, wherein he claimed his father “shocked Scouting” as Council President, though how was not exactly clear. Creighton passed in 1968.
The man on the right is William James “Billy Jim” Vaughn, Scoutmaster of Troop 1. Troop 1 was actually the very first troop formed in Middle Tennessee, predating the Council. The original Scoutmaster was William Haley, who passed the baton to Vaughn in 1935. Vaughn went on to lead Troop 1 for 74 years. He received some of the first Wood Badge beads awarded to a Middle Tennessee Scouter and was awarded the Silver Beaver in 1950. The bronze Scout statue in front of the Jet Potter Center was erected to honor Vaughn in 2002. Vaughn passed seven years later in 2009.
While there was no information with this particular photo, our best guess is that the photo was taken around 1950-1951. Creighton would have been Council President and Vaughn would have completed Wood Badge and been awarded the Silver Beaver.