The late Leslie “Les” Fletcher made a positive impact on the lives of dozens of Boy Scouts, serving decades as a scout master in Indianola.
His influence is still felt, over six years after his passing in January 2018, and one of his “Eagles,” John Rodgers Brashier, was the recipient this past Tuesday night of the inaugural 2024 Leslie Fletcher Good Scout award.
The award capped off a fundraising event at the Indianola Country Club that raised $30,000 for scout efforts in the area.
“My scout master, Les Fletcher, must have had the patience of Job,” Brashier said during his remarks after receiving the award. “Every camping trip we took was either the hottest, the coldest or the wettest weekend of the year, and we loved every minute of it.”
Fletcher led 130 Scouts to becoming Eagle Scouts, including many who were in attendance on Tuesday.
“He never set out for his record of 130 Eagles,” said Fletcher’s widow, Adelaide Fletcher. “Les was just Les. He never had an agenda. He was just an authentic Scout…He did whatever he thought needed to be done, and more importantly, I think he would do it all over today.”
Brashier serves as the managing partner of Eureka Partnership and vice president of Consolidated Catfish Producers.
He is also currently chairman of the board of directors for Planters Bank & Trust and serves on the B.B. King Museum board of directors.
He is past president of Indianola First Methodist Church, Indianola Rotary Club, Indianola Academy board of directors and the Indianola Country Club.
Brashier received his Eagle Scout ranking on January 6, 1978.
He would later graduate from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s in business administration.
“Everything we did with Les was great,” Brashier said. “It was organized chaos for sure. Scouting encourages physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development of young people to be responsible members of their community. Scouting builds character, teaches life skills.”
Brashier said that scouting helps to develop friendships and leadership skills.
“Good people lead you in good directions,” he said.
Many of the friendships he developed during his scouting days were apparent in the room this past Tuesday.
It was an event that honored two great Scouts, Leslie “Les” Fletcher and John Rodgers Brashier.
Anyone who would like to contribute to or make a donation to the Boy Scouts, make checks payable to Chickasaw Council and mail to Shelia Waldrup at P.O. Box 87, Indianola, MS, 38751.
