J. F. Burshears
Encyclopedia
Swink, Colorado
Swink is a Statutory Town in Otero County, Colorado, United States. The population was 696 at the 2000 census. It was named after George W. Swink.-Demographics:...
–1987 La Junta, Colorado
La Junta, Colorado
The City of La Junta is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,568 at the U.S. Census 2000. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado east of Pueblo.-History:During...
) was the founder of the Koshare Indian Dancers
Koshare Indian Dancers
Koshare Indian Dancers are members of Boy Scout Troop 232 in the Rocky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America, located in La Junta, Colorado. They have been dedicated to maintaining Native American culture through dance since 1933...
and the troop's Scoutmaster for over half a century. His poem "The Scoutmaster's Prayer" has been an inspiration to thousands of Scouters throughout the world.
The Koshare Indians were formed as a senior project
Senior Project
Senior ProjectStudents, usually in their senior year of high school, choose a topic of interest to them and create a senior project that consists of the four P's:* Paper* Project* Portfolio* Presentation-How it works:...
while Burshears was a student at Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
. Burshears spearheaded the Koshare Indian Museum
Koshare Indian Museum
The Koshare Indian Museum is a registered site of the Colorado Historical Society in La Junta, Colorado. The building, located on the Otero Junior College campus, is a tri-level museum with an attached kiva that is built with the largest self-supporting log roof in the world...
, regarded as one of the finest collections of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
artifacts in the world, housed on the campus of Otero Junior College
Otero Junior College
Otero Junior College is a community college located in La Junta, Colorado, USA.Founded in 1941, Otero Junior College is located on an attractive 40-acre campus on the southern edge of La Junta, Colorado....
. The Koshare Indian museum hosts a unique Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
/Explorer program which trains the Scouts
Scouting in Colorado
Scouting in Colorado has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the rugged, mountainous environment in which they live.-Early history :Scouting got a brisk start in Colorado...
in both Indian dance and costumes. The Scouts give dance performances during the summer and also host many other Scout troop
Scout troop
The Scout troop is a unit of Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts that usually meet weekly. Girl Guides often use Unit or Company instead. The troop is the fundamental unit, which a Scout joins and via which he or she participates in Scouting activities, such as camping, backpacking, and...
s passing through the area.
"The Scoutmaster's Prayer" was written during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when Burshears had received word of one of his Scouts missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
. Burshears was scheduled to speak to the group the next day at their annual Christmas party
Christmas Party
"Christmas Party", alternately titled "Santa Claus is Coming to Scranton", is the tenth episode of the second season of The Office —the show's sixteenth episode overall. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Charles McDougall. It was first broadcast on December 6, 2005 on NBC.In this...
, but he was at a loss for words. By early morning he had completed "The Scoutmaster's Prayer" said to have been "a poem that has become a clear statement of his life's guiding theme". It has been printed in thousands of Koshare booklets and virtually every book or article written about him.