George Merrick had two very special abilities. He could dream in great detail of the perfect environment in which to live and he had a talent for making his dreams come true.

The city of Coral Gables is his legacy. He envisioned the Baltimore Hotel, a great university, Venetian Pool, a grand City Hall, magnificent country clubs and golf courses, 40 miles of waterways, parks and fountains, notable entranceways and majestic streets.

Within his well designed city, Merrick set aside a special piece of property on the Granada Golf Course -- a rustic outdoor environment in the midst of his modern suburb -- dedicated to empowering the youth of our community through scouting.

More than 86 years later, the boy scout troop that bears his name still meets at the George Merrick Scout Property on Granada Greenway every week, a testament to the legacy of his vision for his city and his commitment to a program of outdoor skills, youth leadership and self reliance.

Mission
The foundation members take responsibility for the continued maintenance and improvement of the historic scouting property donated by George Merrick, working with our scouting groups, sponsoring community service organization, the city and concerned citizens to achieve this goal.

Vision
To provide the youth of our community with an appropriate facility to learn outdoor skills and youth leadership in an attractive, rustic setting in the midst of our urban environment.

Mr. Merrick knew it was important for Coral Gables to have a first-class scouting program and he set the standard for community support with his donation of land and establishment of the foundation to maintain the property.

Today, the George Merrick Foundation carries on this mission by maintaining the historic scout property in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club of Coral Gables, The City of Coral Gables, civic leaders and concerned citizens, with a long term vision to enhance the property for the purposes of scouting while retaining the original rustic nature intended by Merrick.

Soon after Coral Gables' first Boy Scout troop was chartered in 1923, Mr. Merrick deeded land to his George Merrick Foundation Troop 7 Boy Scouts, and his architect, Phineas Paist, designed a special log cabin for the boys to be built in a wooded area on the Granada Greenway.

Since October 1922, George Merrick's Troop 7 of Coral Gables has distinguished itself by providing our youth with a robust combination of wholesome activities designed to build character and the tools to develop leadership skills.

Eight decades after starting in Albert Bartle’s garage, more than three thousand Coral Gables boys have benefitted from the lessons that scouting has to offer, and more than 170 dedicated young men have earned the ultimate rank — Eagle Scout. Troop 7 scouts have grown up to become governors, mayors, business leaders, decorated war heroes and outstanding citizens in a myriad of occupations. Each can trace the roots of his good character to lessons learned as a Troop 7 scout and many have returned to share their experiences with the younger boys as adult leaders.

Today's scouts enjoy the fruits of this fine tradition inspired by George Merrick and continued by the support of the Coral Gables Kiwanis Club, parents, troop alumni, civic leaders and concerned citizens of Coral Gables.

After more than 80 years of uninterrupted service, George Merrick's Troop 7 of Coral Gables is now honored as one of the country's oldest and most respected charters in the history of the Boy Scouts.

Our first scoutmaster was Mr. Albert H. Bartle, who set the standard for long term service to the troop. As scoutmaster for the first three years, then a committee member, Mr. Bartle served Troop 7 for 16 years until 1938. During his time with the troop, Mr. Bartle was instrumental in developing a strong scouting program for Coral Gables. Troop 7 soon gained a reputation as a top-notch organization. During his tenure, construction began on a log cabin from pines and poles ravaged by the 1926 hurricane.

Although it burned down in 1971, the log cabin remains an icon of Troop 7 history throughout the years.

Many community minded leaders served as scoutmaster for the troop over the years. In 1928, Mr. Le Roy Kimports lead the troop for seven years.

In 1944, one our most outstanding leaders, Rex Hawkins, joined the committee, then went on to become scoutmaster in 1950 and 1963. Rex continued to be an active member and scoutmaster to the boys until his death in 1975.

The old Troop 7 log cabin burned on March 30, 1971, leaving only the chimney. The new building (finished in 1976) was dedicated to Rex Hawkins, and he was awarded the Silver Beaver in recognition of his 31 years of outstanding service to Troop 7.

In 1954, Mr. Charles Cox lead the troop as scoutmaster until 1957, then as a committee member until 1961. Richard Averett was scoutmaster between 1958 and 1963. Mr. Harry Craft served as leader from 1964 to 1971. In 1966, Mr. Douglas Carlton joined as assistant scoutmaster, then as scoutmaster from 1971 until 1973. Mr. Carlton continued his involvement in scouts when he left Troop 7, which was only because he moved his business and family up to Broward County. He received the Silver Beaver Award for 40 years of scouting service prior to his passing away in 1994.

After being a member of the troop as a boy in ‘31 and ‘32, Joe Crownover returned to Coral Gables after 30 years in the Navy. He volunteered as assistant scoutmaster in 1967, then became scoutmaster for four years from 1974 until 1977. Since that time, Joe continued to tirelessly serve as assistant scoutmaster keeping impeccable Troop 7 advancement records until he passed away February 9, 2005, with more than 40 years as a member.

Mr. Thomas Dixon took over the reins in 1978, after serving as assistant scoutmaster since 1971. Tom remained scoutmaster until 1984, continuing to serve as assistant scoutmaster at present, with more than 31 years of service to the troop.

Fred Kimball joined Troop 7 as a scout in 1967, at age 11. Fred earned his Eagle rank in 1972, then served as assistant scoutmaster through 1986, before taking over as scoutmaster for the troop in 1987. Since that time Mr. Kimball has provided outstanding leadership to the boys. As a scout and as an adult leader, Fred offers an impressive record of more than 36 years of uninterrupted service to the troop.

A tireless Troop 7 supporter, Mr. Harry Buzhardt provided leadership and support on behalf of our charter sponsor, the Coral Gables Kiwanis Club (our charter sponsor for 60 years now). Harry earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1937 and was a tireless Troop 7 supporter for more than 25 years, rarely missing a weekly meeting. Harry passed away in 2001, but Robert Burr, David Albury, Steve Moorman, Ken Kessler and Robin Burr have taken the reigns and have already proven their ability to provide guidance and advice from their benevolent sponsors.

Many other community-minded individuals and companies have joined the ranks of Troop 7 supporters and volunteers over the years, and we look forward to working with these generous and talented citizens now and in the future.