By Jack McGill

The Boy Scouts of America, The Heart of Virginia Council logo. Image credit: Boy Scouts of America.

In the beginning of 5th grade, my parents asked me if I wanted to become a Boy Scout. Some of my friends were doing it, and at the time, it seemed interesting to me, so I said yes. I went on to join Troop 444, which consisted of mostly kids attending Saint Christopher’s and Collegiate. Therefore, many of the Scoutmasters were parents of these kids. But not Mr. Coddington. Mr. Coddington, to all of us first-year Scouts, was incredibly intimidating. I look back on his joking threats to cut our tongues or kneecaps off, but I also look back on the important life lessons and morals that he has taught me through scouting. I would not have been able to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout without him.

Ian Michael Coddington was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1940 but would eventually move to Mexico and then move around to New Mexico, Arizona, and then stay in Oklahoma. Although living in Oklahoma, Coddington came to St. Chris in 1954 and was a boarding student there for three years, when they still accepted boarding students. He then moved to Richmond and completed school at St. Chris, graduating in 1960. During his time there, he participated in wrestling, track, and football. His most impactful activities came from growing up in the outdoors and learning the skills of hunting and fishing. He says this is simply due to the fact that “there was nothing special during his time.”

Coddington would go on to graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a bachelor’s degree in developmental psychology. During his time in college, Coddington worked for Tuckahoe YMCA at Camp Tuckahoe, (which no longer exists). Coddington found his interest for scouting from a friend, Bob Ramsey, from Camp Tuckahoe. Coddington had loved the outdoors since he was young, and the idea of hiking and camping the mountains deeply interested him. But prior to joining the Boy Scouts, Coddington served in the US Army. Two of his six years in the Army were served in Alaska.

At 5:36 p.m. on March 27, 1964, the largest earthquake of its time occurred in Alaska. Coddington was on the third floor of his US Army barracks at Fort Richardson Army Base outside of Anchorage when it struck. The earthquake measured at 9.2 on the Richter scale and could be felt on land over an area of 502,000 square miles. It caused the death of 131 people, but if it had been in a more densely populous state, it likely  would have caused many more. Property damage costs were incredibly high. The earthquake lasted three minutes and 54 seconds (the average earthquake lasts 10-30 seconds). Understandably, Coddington said, “It scared the bajeebies out of me.”

Moose Run Golf Course today. Photo courtesy of Moose Run Golf Course.

Coddington’s years in Alaska were full of adventure. One day he had a day off and decided to go golfing. The course was the northernmost green golf course in the US, as well as the only course in Alaska at the time, with the ironic name of Moose Run Golf Course. He was partially into his round when, all of a sudden, “a rampant young moose came charging towards me.” However, Coddington was quick on his feet and found the nearest tree, 20 yards away. He ran to it and climbed to a branch to rest. The moose ran off after fifteen minutes of bucking the tree. But as soon as he came down from the tree, the moose came back, charging towards him. This continued on for three hours until the moose finally gave up.

Left to right: Doug Lamb, Bill Chappell (’90), Coddington, and Thomas Pickney, on Baldy Mountain on the Philmont Scout Reservation in 1985. All three students became Eagle Scouts the following year. Photo courtesy of Ian Coddington.

After he came back from Alaska, Coddington went on to join Boy Scout Troop 444. The experience of backpacking through the mountains and camping drew Coddington to scouting. For many years, he would go camping in the summer with a small group from the troop at Philmont Scout Ranch. He’s loved scouting so much that it has kept him in the troop for over 55 years.

Although he was immensely imitating in my early scouting years, Coddington was my role model throughout my time in Scouts. Hearing the stories of what he has experienced and went through is what made me want to continue with the Boy Scouts. He was someone I could always count on to go to if I needed any help on a rank or badge. The stories he would read to us every hike we went on were the highlights of my scouting career, especially the Native American tale called “Little Man With Hair All Over.”

Philmont Scout Ranch. Photo credit: Billy Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons.

Coddington believes that “scouting gives you the out-of-doors experiences that allow you to make your own decisions.” He believes that scouting is a way to teach the youth these lessons and how to make their own judgements. Teaching these lessons, along with working with young people, is what has kept him in scouting decades, as well as being able to go hiking all around the state. He loves the outdoors and being able to spread his skills to the youth so that they could possibly love the outdoors as much as him.