1960-70

National
The 1960s opened and closed with Scouting firsts. In 1960, John F. Kennedy became the first former Scout to be elected president of the United States. Nine years later, Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, fulfilling the martyred president’s dream of exploring space.

More than 56,000 Scouts came together at the 1960 National Scout Jamboree to celebrate Scouting’s golden jubilee. Many would soon struggle to apply Scouting’s unchanging values in rapidly changing times. Some would live out the Scout Law’s tenth point—“A Scout is brave”—by fighting for their country in Vietnam. Others, like Cleveland Sellers, would live it out by fighting for civil rights at home. Caught up in the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre, Sellers would spend seven months in prison and receive his long-delayed Eagle Scout badge in 2007.

The BSA responded to changing times in 1965 by creating the Inner City–Rural Program to expand Scouting beyond the suburbs. Scouting officials created storefront Scout cen- ters, paid inner-city Scout leaders, and worked aggressively to bring Scouting to public housing projects—sometimes competing directly with gang leaders to win recruits.

The decade ended as it had begun—with a National Scout Jamboree. Without a doubt, the highlight of the closing arena show was a simple radio message from Neil Arm- strong: “Hello to all my fellow Scouts at Farragut State Park in Idaho having a National Jamboree there this week; Apollo 11 would like to send them best wishes.”

Locally
The capital improvements to CFE continued as the 1960s dawned. The Bradenton Kiwanis Club upgraded the old target range to a rifle range and in 1963 Eckale Yakanen OA Lodge added a covered shed to the firing line. (Note: The Calusa Lodge OA had been dissolved in 1955 and Eckale Yakanen OA Lodge had been established in 1962,)

Bradenton Rotary Club constructed a new 225 capacity mess hall in 1961 while the Selby Foundation built and equipped the kitchen. Manatee County dug Wilson Pond and Horseshoe Lake in 1964 in return for the fill that was used on the construction of Upper Manatee River Road where it abutted Camp Flying Eagle.

John Kellogg was hired in 1960 as a full time employed CFE Ranger. He replaced Cliff Williams who had lived on the property as caretaker since 1944. In 1961 Frank Bileth replaced Kellogg.

In 1963 Mr. and Mrs. Jennings again made a land donation to Camp Flying Eagle when they made provisions in their will for the gift of forty acres in the bend of the Manatee River to the north of the camp. They gave the camp immediate use of the property.

Construction of the Road Kill Cafe in 1968 ended the upgrading of CFE facilities, The decade ended with the former Royal Palm Council area separated from Sunny Land Council to form Southwest Florida Council in 1968. Sunny Land Council returned to its original geographic area – Manatee and Sarasota counties.