Troop 400 Scouts and Brogden Middle School students and their parents gathered with members of the Bryan Culberson family to watch as Eddie Woodhouse, aid to Sen. Jesse Helms, presented a flag to the middle school in memory of the former Scout and flag bearer.
The Senator donated two U.S. flag that had once hung on Capitol Hill – one to the school’s flag-raising team and the other to Bryan’s mother, Nancy Culberson. In addition, Brogden sixth-grade Assistant Principal Dwayne Cooke dedicated a plaque from the sixth-grade teachers and the school’s PTA. The plaque was anchored in concrete next to Brogden’s flag pole.
"The plaque will have a prominent place here so that we and those who come after us may know what we felt for Bryan," Cooke said. "Bryan was deeply involved in the raising of our school’s flag. He impressed me with his duty to our school flag – a task that he took very seriously and lovingly. Whether playing on the recess field, or working in his many classrooms, Bryan was very energetic. He was well liked and loved by many of us."
Last year, Bryan was among several students in charge of raising Brogden’s flag each morning prior to class. Just two days before his tragic death, Bryan had expressed concerns to his sixth-grade principal about the poor condition of the school’s flag. Cooke suggested that Bryan write a letter to Sen. Helms asking if Brogden’s flag could be replaced. In his letter, Bryan told the Senator that "the school’s flag was old and that the thread that held the stars was unraveling."
"I’m deeply touched by it," said Bryan’s mother. "It’s nice to see the Helms office keeping in touch with the public and helping a kid they never knew."
Bryan was leader of Troop 400’s Fire Snake Patrol when he died last April in a tragic accident. So many people made donations in Bryan’s memory that his family established a scholarship to help future Troop 400 Boy Scouts with their college expenses.
written by Lisa Dye Janes