Faces of the Valley: Harrison's Bob Barrage dedicates decades to Scouting

Bob Barrage recalls bringing home a flier in third-grade — nearly six decades ago — seeking students interested in Cub Scouts.

“I told my mom I didn’t want to join and then I ended up going anyway,” said Barrage, who grew up in Harrison.

“About halfway through the meeting, something clicked. I’ve been there ever since.”

That was 1968.

Since then, Barrage, 64, spent nine years as a Scout, 17 years as an assistant Scoutmaster and 29 years as head of Troop 186.

He mentored more than 300 Scouts during that time — 93 of whom earned the highest possible rank of Eagle Scout.

“I’m grateful to be a part of it. It makes me who I am,” said Barrage, who is stepping down as leader but not sacrificing his participation altogether.

He will serve as assistant to new Scoutmaster Brian Poprik, who came up through the ranks under Barrage’s guidance.

The troop that began at the former Birdville Elementary School now meets at Blessed Sacrament Church along Montana Avenue. It is open to boys ages 11 to 18.

“My leadership style is a reflection of Bob’s style,” said Poprik of Brackenridge. “He is excellent at knowing when to step in and knowing when to let the kids run themselves.

“His ideal is to make sure they learn through doing, but to provide guidance and leadership when they need or ask for it.”

A perfect example of Barrage’s style came during a 2018 trip to summer camp.

Every year, leaders take the Scouts for a night on the outpost, moving on foot or by canoe to a primitive spot, he said.

“A bad storm popped up, and we could see it from the canoe coming up over treetops,” Barrage said. “The tents were flat on the ground, and it was the worst timing.”

What happened next was a testament to his teaching.

“Nobody panicked,” Barrage said. “They started to set up hammocks, and the boys took stock of the resources. They figured it out.

“Groups converged to put up tents that were half-pitched, and when the storm hit everyone had a place to go.”

Barrage said the group came out of that experience as better friends and better Scouts.

“Everyone got a good night’s sleep. And when we watched the sunrise over the lake the next morning, they felt the victory,” he said.

“It was a little sweeter of a day because they played the bigger game of good citizenship.”

Barrage, a 1978 Highlands alum, earned a degree in architecture from Penn State University.

As his career started to wind down about four years ago, he considered retiring from Scouts, but the timing was off as it was just before covid hit.

Barrage wanted to be sure his troop weathered the storm.

“One more instability would have been insulting, so I stayed,” he said.

“Last summer, when we got home from camp, I realized things are fine again and it was time to go.”

Through the years, a common theme for Barrage has been that Scouting is a family affair.

“My dad was Scoutmaster and several of my friends I met there,” he said. “I’m delighted that Brian is taking over as he’s been a part of my extended family for years.”

Poprik said Barrage will be a tough act to follow. Having joined the Scouts at age 10, Poprik watched for 30 years the ins and outs of Barrage’s leadership style.

“He treated us all with respect and let the boys run the unit,” Poprik said. “A lot of us never had experienced that kind of responsibility.

“He went along with what we asked, and he helped make it happen. I couldn’t ask for a better mentor.”

In coming months, the Alle-Kiski Heritage Museum in Tarentum is scheduled to open an exhibit highlighting Scouting in the Valley.

Barrage plans to share more than 300 items collected over the decades, including uniforms, camp equipment and patrol flags.

“I’ve been hoping all the stuff that we’ve been accumulating in closets would eventually be somewhere that people can see it,” he said.

Ultimately, Barrage hopes people see the true lessons learned from Scouts — that “everyone wins together or everyone loses (together).”

The skills of good leadership, he said, are better learned from hands-on experience than from books or blackboards.

“Scouting helps us through lessons outdoors to raise kids to be the kind of people who don’t let us go extinct,” Barrage said. “I always tell them, ‘Reputation is not more important than character.’ ”