by Joseph H. RADDER
Peter Kronenthral has captured the secret of staying young—surround yourself with
young people. For the past 80 years Peter has done just that through actively
participating in the Boy Scouts of America.
Peter, who’ll be 92 in November, earned Eagle Scout status and served as a scout
master for 38 years. He’s also earned the Silver Beaver, the highest award offered to
a civilian. He says that he’s probably had 800 scouts pass through his troops and he
still remembers his first scout to obtain Eagle Scout—Leonard Rochwager—who now
served as a US Ambassador in the South Pacific.
This man who has touched the lives of so many young people grew up in an orphanage in
New York City. It wasn’t until 1927 that Peter came to Buffalo with an uncle who
would teach him the trade of metal spinning. As a metal spinner, Peter was subcontracted
by Bel-Air to make special nose cones for fighter planes with cannons and some helicopter
parts. Working for these government aircraft made him exempt from the draft for World War
II. He retired from spinning in 1972.
Not one to sit still, Peter has also worked for a credit union, since 1935, and still does
every Monday. For the past 18 years Peter and his wife Sally have volunteered at Red Cross
Blood Drives. When his Temple had Bingo the two worked for about 10 years.
Every Thursday Peter gets together with seven of his friends to play poker. He surely
made the best of his hand.
Peter has two grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren, all in the Western New York area.
He and Sally just celebrated their 25th Anniversary in May in Florida where their 14
nieces and nephews from Nashville to California joined them for a giant celebration.
Joseph H. Radder is a freelance writer.