Dedicated to the preservation of and the recreation with IHC Vehicles

Southern Scouts was the brainchild of Bob Williamson.  Bob wrote a letter to Four Wheeler magazine about forming a  Scout club in the south.  Eason Lilley spotted the letter and immediately called Bob.  At the same time Chris Constant was trying to coordinate North Carolina contacts.  Bob, Eason, and Chris met in Lumberton, NC to develop a plan to get a club started.  Soon after this Chris moved to South Dakota.  Bob and Eason continued to try and get something going but to no avail. They were beginning to lose interest, until the spring of 1994 when Mike Skinner and Fred Rowland contacted Eason about Scouts.  Fred, Eason and family attended the Scout Nationals in Springfield OH that year.  At the Nationals they met Joe Gray, Harold and Jonathan Muller and talked about forming a club.  They were all in agreement that a club needed to be formed.  Eason prepared a mailing to all his Scout related contacts to that point.

Summer of 1994 a group of IH/Scout enthusiasts from three states were brought together in Williamston, NC with the idea of creating SOUTHERN SCOUTS to support the restoration and use of IH Scouts and light Trucks.  Around twenty people showed up at the Golden Corral in Williamston with a field of more than one dozen International Harvester vehicles.  The officers and directors were elected and by-laws drafted.  Eason Lilley was elected the first president of Southern Scouts.  Following that first meeting, a parade of Scouts drove from the Golden Corral to Eason’s farm for a photo session.

Summer of 2014 North Carolina Director Eason Lilley hosted a special summer gathering on June 21, 2014 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the founding of Southern Scouts.

Southern Scouts Founders Day

20th Anniversary Celebration

2088 Mill Inn Road

Williamston, NC

Members, family and friends met at Eason’s farm, 2088 Mill Inn Road, Williamston, NC,

where Southern Scouts charter members held the first club gathering in the summer of 1994, after parading their IH Scouts,

led by first president, Eason Lilley, from the Golden Corral lunch meeting in Williamston to Eason’s farm.

Socializing and reminiscing in 2014 kept tradition with 1994 as members once again paraded their IH Scouts,

this time from Eason’s farm to Deadwood for a Celebration Dinner, where more IH fellowship was enjoyed by all.

One of the Scouts displayed, a 1980 Scout Rallye, owned and restored by charter member Danny Glover,

was driven by Danny in the 1994 inaugural parade to Eason’s farm and on June 21, 2014 in the 20th Anniversary parade.

Southern Scouts continues to grow and has quarterly meetings around the South for show, parts swaps, and trail rides. In addition to the organized meetings, Southern Scouts works as a catalyst for helping Scout and IH owners meet and trade parts, knowledge, and ideas with other Scout and IH owners.         

The DIxie Regionals, held annually since 1997 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, is the premier Southern Scouts event, featuring show and shine competition, truck games, and a large vendor area where you can get the rare Binder part you’ve been forever looking for. Sarah and Kent Robinson were instrumental in spearheading the continued success of Dixie Regionals, with Sarah having served as director for numerous Dixie Regionals shows. Early Tellico events brought together tough Scouts from all over the South to meet the challenges offered by the Tellico ORV area near Murphy, NC and beginning in 2008 tough Scouts faced off road challenges at Gulches ORV Park near Laurens, SC.  Annual Outer Banks Weekend trips to Nags Head and the dunes of Oregon Inlet have become a part of our growing list of family oriented events. The Antique Truck Show in Greensboro has offered another annual venue for Southern Scouts gatherings. In 2009 Southern Scouts was invited by Eason Lilley and IH Collector’s Chapter #37 to join in participating in the ‘Got to be NC’ Agricultural Festival at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC by displaying our Scouts. Southern Scouts’ list of interesting happenings grew even more when the 2009 NC Products Dinner invited Joe Gray’s 74 IH one-ton pickup to be the honored guest! The 14th Annual Dixie Regionals-2010 welcomed Special Guests Donna Bloom and Betsy Blume, daughter and granddaughter of Ted Ornas, visionary creator of the Scout. The 2011 Dixie Regionals celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Scout, and, in recognition of their creative efforts in preserving The Scout Legacy of Ted Ornas, Southern Scouts bestowed Honorary Membership upon Donna Bloom and Betsy Blume.  2012 Dixie Regionals: 52 registered IH vehicles, one of the largest shows hosted in the past several years. 2012 proceeds from the Charity Auction split between club projects and for Alzheimer’s research, in honor of Ted and Ester Ornas. Thanks to a great team effort by Southern Scouts members and sponsors, the Charity Auction at 2013 Dixie Regionals was an outstanding success in the continued contribution to Alzheimer’s research and supporting club projects. 2014 Dixie Regionals kicked off the club’s celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Southern Scouts. The 2015 Dixie Regionals honored and remembered Dr Kent Robinson (May 23, 1963-February 20, 2015) as members paid tribute to his dedicated service as President and Vice-President of Southern Scouts and his leadership as Dixie Regionals Coordinator.

          

              The 2016 Dixie Regionals ‘Celebrating 20 Years’ honored Southern Scouts members for their 20 years of dedication to the preservation of IH vehicles and encouragement of excellence in restoration through an annual IH event. A highlight of the Charity Auction was The 20th Anniversary Quilt, crafted by Donna Torrisi of Apex NC, displaying Dixie Regionals Show Shirts 1997-2016 which featured each year’s Best of Show. A new Southern Scouts/Dixie Regionals logo was designed/created in digital formats by Charles R. Glover from renderings sketched by Susan Glover.

           

             

              2017 marked the 21st year of Southern Scouts annual premier event - The 2017 Dixie Regionals.  A unique highlight of this year’s event was the introduction of newly designed class trophies, created by Joe Gray and Eason Lilley. A timely highlight was John Glancy’s tour stop: The International Scout Encyclopedia North American Tour 2016-2017.

              The 2018 Dixie Regionals was dedicated to the memory of Betsy Blume (1964-2017), an Honorary Member of Southern Scouts. Members paid tribute to her kind and generous spirit, her love of all things IH, her dedication to preserving The Scout Legacy of her grandfather, Ted Ornas.

2019 - The 25th Anniversary of the Founding of Southern Scouts

                                                                              

                   The 2019 Dixie Regionals - the 23rd year of the annual premier event.                                             

                  

Join Southern Scouts and you will join a spirited group of IH enthusiasts continuing to make history with innovative ideas for preserving all that is IH.  With membership, you will receive a bumper/window membership decal, business cards with a place for your name and number to pass on to other interested people, a roster of current members and a list of vendors who specialize in Scouts and IH trucks and related restoration. You may contact any or all members to buy, sell, swap, or just learn more about your Binder. 

Members keep abreast of Southern Scouts happenings at our growing web site www.southern-scouts.org & connect with fellow members and IH enthusiasts from all over on the Southern Scouts Facebook page.

Southern Scouts, founded in 1994, is a non-profit association organized to promote both the preservation of International Harvester vehicles and recreation with International Harvester vehicles.  Membership spans a five state area covering Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  We are a family oriented organization with events scheduled throughout the year.

WEBMASTER

Sally Glover