Gladstone Park Chamber honors Boy Scout Troop 969 for its accomplishments 

by BRIAN NADIG

Boy Scout Troop 969 has been honored for its 92 years of service on Chicago’s Northwest Side. 

The troop formally disbanded on Dec. 31 due to a decline in its membership.

“(The troop) was a tremendous asset to our community,” Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce president Dan Ciolino of Wintrust Bank said at the chamber’s Jan. 21 installation and awards banquet at the The Lido, 5404 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Ciolino said that the troop rebuilt the benches at Chopin Plaza, a traffic island at Milwaukee and Elston avenues where an annual Christmas tree lighting occurs. The troop also cleaned the island multiple times.

Ciolino said that the chamber plans to add commemorative plaques on the benches thanking the troop, which also participated in 9-11 ceremonies at the annual Throwback Music Fest. 

Ciolino presented Scoutmaster Mick Aleksic with a recognition award honoring him and the troop’s community involvement. Aleksic worked with the troop for more than 20 years.

The troop was founded in 1932, and its first member to earn Eagle Scout status, the highest rank for a Boy Scout, occurred in 1944.

For decades the troop was associated with the Saint Tarcissus Parish, which in 2020 consolidated with the Saint Cornelius and Saint Thecla parishes to become the Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish, whose church is located at 6020 W. Ardmore Ave.

The values the troop instilled in its members hopefully will continue to have a positive impact on the lives of its alumni and their communities, Aleksic said. “We will do our best to carry on,” he said. 

Aleksic was not a Boy Scout himself but got involved in scouting after his son Nikola expressed interest in scouting. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2009 following his community project, which involved fencing enhancements at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Road.
The parish Web site states that the troop was intended for those age 11 to 18 and provided the following description of the troop’s functions:

“Not only are scouts exposed to scouting basics such as camping, first aid, physical fitness and leadership, but the troop also tries to bring a ‘hands-on’ experience to its meetings by trying and doing different things.

“This is all tied to scouting’s advancement program, in which merit badge’s provide the scouts with a taste of life’s many subjects and occupations, such as journalism, electronics and computers. This brings a challenge to try new activities which could result in a fresh interest or hobby, and possibly start someone on the path to a career.”

Several other troops continue to operate in the area, including Jefferson Park, Norwood Park and Edison Park.

The Boy Scouts of America announced last year that the organization was changing its name to Scouting America as it moves to attract more female members.

Editor’s note: Nadig Newspapers’ publisher Brian Nadig serves as secretary of the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce.

(Pictured with Mick Aleksic is chamber president Dan Ciolino)

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