Scouting's whittler
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The real Pied Piper wears a Boy Scout uniform and carries a whittling knife.
Skeptical? Try spending a few minutes alone with Bill Burch at a Scout function while he's whittling. It's impossible. Youngsters, teens and middle-aged folks alike are inevitably drawn (Piper-like) to the great-grandfather with the angel-white mustache. This diverse tableau hovers about Brother Burch, conversing with the man or simply listening to one of his time-earned stories of Scouting or gospel living. They often sit at his side like acolytes, whittling on something themselves.
But their eyes always return to Brother Burch's 83-year-old hands. They watch as the whittling knife in his right hand shifts and sways while his left steadies a fist-sized block of aspen. Indeed, Brother Burch's charisma is on display whenever boys and men — scions of today's high-speed, wireless age — fall mesmerized at the sight of an elderly man patiently executing the ancient trade of carving wood with sharpened steel.
The word whittle has become a pejorative. Fools whittle away time and opportunities. But Brother Burch whittles with purpose. For decades he has whittled for Scouts and their leaders. "I whittle from 8:00 in the morning until midnight," Brother Burch said. He's only half-joking.
His specialty these days are bolo ties, those two-corded neckties favored by cowboys and Texas oil barons. There are literally tens of thousands of Bill Burch bolo tie owners. His carved tie clasp characters are easy to spot — hilarious wooden mugs suited for cartoons. There's the soldier and the pirate. The Viking and the grinning Scoutmaster. Santa Claus and the sailor. Another favors, well, Brother Burch. Each time Brother Burch finishes a bolo tie it's recorded and numbered on the back of its wooden clasp. He recently finished number 44,000.
A World War II veteran — "I was invited by Uncle Sam to go on an all-expense paid cruise of the South Pacific" — Brother Burch was a Scoutmaster long before whittling became his avocation. In fact, he was camping with a Scout troop in Washington in the early 1960s when he carved his first Scout-themed face.
"I came across a piece of driftwood, looked at it, and thought, 'This could make a great neckerchief slide,"' said Brother Burch. He pulled out a knife and began to whittle.
Soon Brother Burch — who now lives in Orem, Utah — was carving neckerchief slides to reward local Scouts for earning merit badges and advancement awards. When he participated in district and national Scouting activities his neckerchief slides followed. Whenever Brother Burch participated in national and international Jamborees he would hand out as many of his carvings as possible. Payment would come in the form of a young man's promise to live the Scout Oath and Law.
He hopes such commitments have inspired people to serve others.
"As we help others, we are fulfilling our life's need — that's what we're here for," said Brother Burch, who is often accompanied on his Scout duties by his wife, Betty Burch.
In time, Brother Burch shifted from neckerchief slides to bolo ties. Besides hanging his ties around the necks of legions of Scouts, the lifelong member has also placed his humours creations with plenty of famous folk. President Ronald Reagan owned a "Burch bolo." Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was once spoted on the news sporting one of Brother Burch's cowboy clasps adorned with a hot pink, feathered 10-gallon hat. Meanwhile, current White House resident George W. Bush is counted among Burch bolo tie owners that once included President Ezra Taft Benson. Brother Burch even carved a bolo tie for President Gordon B. Hinckley from the same walnut tree used to fabricate the Conference Center podium.
Despite his unexpected whittling renown, Brother Burch still considers himself a Scouter first. Each bolo tie he gives to a young Scout or leader still carries with it the promise of future service. His bolo tie tradition is further ensured in the form of a young apprentice: fellow LDS Scout leader and bolo tie carver, Gary Dollar. Brother Dollar has whittled more than 4,000 bolo ties himself since learning the trade from his mentor and friend.
Young Men General President Charles W. Dahlquist said the majesty of Brother Burch's efforts "lies not in his hands," — but in his heart.
"As he carves, I have watched him surrounded by youth of all ages to learn the timeless values this great youth leader has to teach them," Brother Dahlquist wrote in an e-mail to the Church News. "To the youth who come to watch him whittle, he is a straight talker — committing them to live Scouting values, to honor their priesthood and to commit to serve a full-time mission."
E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com
