Wayne Courreges
Wayne is retired and lives in Austin, Texas where he has enjoyed Scouting as a volunteer for over 30 years. He is currently serving as the Capitol Area Council’s NSA Division Commissioner as his primary Scouting duty. His secondary duty is serving as a member of the Armadillo District Advancement Committee, where he enjoys chairing Eagle Board of Reviews.
Wayne served as Course Director to revive Capitol Area Council’s Winter Junior Leader Training Conference at Camp Tom Wooten, Lost Pines Scout Reservation near Bastrop, Texas in 1998 after it had died for several years and he served as the Course Director for one of the two Capitol Area Council’s “Two-Troop” Junior Leader Training Conferences that ran concurrent at Green Dickson Scout Reservation near Gonzales, Texas in 2004. He served as Course Director of the National Youth Leadership Training Course – Week 2 in 2013 and the Winter NYLT Course 2014.
Wayne attended Wood Badge SR-213, which is an advanced adult leader training course, where he was first in his course to receive his beads. He served on staff for 7 Wood Badge Courses and 18 JLT/NYLT Courses. He has served as the Capitol Area Council Advancement Chairman, Capitol Area Council Chief Camp Master, where he wrote the Capitol Area Council Camp Master Manual. He served as the Longhorn District Chairman, Armadillo District Commissioner and numerous other council, district and unit positions. Wayne has had the honor of serving on staff at Philmont Scout Ranch and has served on several Texas Powder Horn Courses. He served as the 2015 Texas Powder Horn Course Director and is now the Capitol Area Council Texas Powder Horn Coordinator. He is a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow Tonkawa Lodge 99, Austin, Texas. He has been a member of the OA since his Ordeal Ceremony as a youth in the Circle Ten Council, Dallas, Texas.
Wayne has received the following recognitions from the Boy Scouts of America – Wood Badge Beads, Silver Beaver Award, District Award of Merit, Sea Badge Award, Praxis Award, Powder Horn Award, Distinguished Commissioner Award, Arrowhead Award, Doctorate of Commissioner Science Degree, William D. Boyce Award, Vale la Pena Award and numerous other BSA leader awards.
Wayne is active in the Patrick Henry Chapter Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution as president and serves as a member of the Color Guard. He is an active member of American Legion Travis Post 76 where he serves in the “Spirit of 76” Honor Guard and is the First Vice-Commander. He is active in the Moses Austin Chapter Sons of the Republic of Texas as a past Chapter President and is currently serving as Chaplain. He serves as Quartermaster for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Williamson County Grays Camp 502 in Georgetown, Texas and actively participates as a member of the Former Texas Rangers Association honoring former Texas Rangers gravesites. He is a member of the San Antonio Living History Association, San Antonio, Texas and is honored as an Admiral in the Texas Navy by Governor Rick Perry of the great State of Texas. He is currently the E. W. Moore Squadron Commander. He is an active member of several other national organizations, including The Society of the War of 1812 as the State Secretary Treasurer, The Descendants of Mexican War Veterans and is the Paymaster General for Texas in the Society of George Washington’s Army at Valley Forge.
He served proudly as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War after graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington and retired from Roadway Express Inc. after 25 years of service with numerous sales awards.
Wayne is happily married to his loving wife Margo of many years, who supports his many activities and passions. He is blessed with five children, three of which are Eagle Scouts, nine grandchildren to date and he enjoys his rocking chair from time to time reading a good book!
Robert Rankin was born in the colony of Virginia in 1753. Less than a month after the Declaration of Independence was written, 23-year-old Rankin enlisted in the Continental Army. He fought in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown and Stony Point, and was held as a prisoner of war during the siege of Charleston. His service included Valley Forge after the battle of Brandywine. Lt. Robert Rankin served seven years, from 1776 until 1783, with honor and valor.
In 1784, at the age of 31, Rankin and his family moved west across the Appalachian Mountains into Virginia’s Bourbon County, where Robert Rankin was elected and served as a colonel in the Kentucky Militia. In 1792, Mason County sent Robert Rankin and Daniel Boone to the Danville Convention to help draft the first constitution of Kentucky. In that same year, Kentucky joined the Union, and Rankin served as an elector of the Kentucky Senate.
At the age of 49, Colonel Robert Rankin and his family moved south west to Kentucky’s southern border, where they lived nine years. The lure of the frontier enticed the Rankin family to the Mississippi Territory in 1811. They arrived in time for four of their sons to fight in the War of 1812.
Ever on the move, Robert Rankin and his wife reached Texasin1832. The Mexican government required colonists to “prove their Christianity, morality and good habits” before they could receive a land grant. So Robert Rankin, who had fought in the Revolutionary War and assisted in establishing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, received a certificate of character in 1834 and a land grant for ranching and farming.
“Colonel” Rankin was known as a just and diplomatic man who maintained good relations with the Indians. In the spring of 1836, during a critical time in the Texas War of Independence, Sam Houston called upon him to encourage Indian neutrality as Houston led the crucial Texian retreat from Santa Anna. Rankin’s effort was successful allowing Houston and the Texian Army safe passage culminating in the Battle of San Jacinto and the rest is Texas history.