READING - Michael Beimesche misses the Scout workshops. Andrew Geers enjoyed marching in parades, and overnight outings. And Donald Riley laments that there are no more boat rides or dinners with his Scouting buddies.
The three men - all in their 30s or 40s and all mentally disabled - loved Scouting. But because their elderly leader had to resign for health reasons, and no one else has stepped forward, their troop, Boy Scout Troop 25, disbanded earlier this year.
George Wietmarschen, 82, remembers the 24 men who made up Troop 25, which he led for 19 years. He would love to see it revived. He recalled the painful day last spring when he told his Scouts he was stepping down.
''There was no one there to take over,'' he said. ''I had to make the announcement, and there were some people crying.'' Most of the Scouts' parents are in their retirement years, unable to take on the leadership responsibilities.
Mr. Wietmarschen started the troop in 1977 at the request of his son, Steven, 39, who has Down's Syndrome. Officials of the Boy Scouts of America and the Hamilton County Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD) share Mr. Wietmarschen's desire to see the troop continue.
They realize Scouting means a lot to these men.
A wooden birdhouse that Mr. Beimesche, 39, made in a Scout workshop hangs in a tree outside his family's Loveland home. He is proud of having the ability to create it, said his mother, Carol, 60.
''Michael's ... verbal skills are limited ... and there were so few outside things he could do,'' she said. ''This was something he looked forward to."
Shirley Riley's son Donald, 33, has Down's Syndrome, and was among those affected by the loss of the troop.
''He was so sad. He was hoping to see them keep it going. He talked about it daily - how much he missed it,'' said Mrs. Riley, 66, of North College Hill.
Rosemary Geers, of Amberley Village, said there was ''great concern for the social activities of these people'' by Mr. Wietmarschen. Her son, Andrew, 35, ''really misses that."
The troop was sponsored by MRDD's Breyer School. Its members came from all parts of Hamilton County. All have mental disabilities, and many, such as Steven Wietmarschen, have Down's Syndrome, a genetic disorder associated with mental retardation. The troop met in two groups - each one every other week at MRDD adult centers in Evendale and Colerain Township.
''We are going to renew our efforts to get this troop back together again,'' said Mark Logemann, director of field services for the local Scouts' Dan Beard Council. ''We will assist anyone who would want to be a leader and help train them."
Claude Rost Jr., community relations coordinator for MRDD, said the job ''is not a huge time commitment, but a regular time commitment each week.
''This was a valuable program for all of these people and it kept this group - with a common bond - together for all of these years."
Anyone interested in becoming adult leader of Troop 25 should call Claude Rost Jr., 794-3300, during weekday business hours.
Published Nov. 26, 1996.
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