If there was one thing that Tom McWilliams loved, it was scouting.

“He grew up in Starkville and got involved in scouting just like most boys back then,” said Clay McWilliams, Tom’s brother. “He started in the Cub Scouts and moved all the way up the ranks and became an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of Arrow.”

But more than that, he had an intense desire, amplified by the Boy Scouts, to help others.

“He was one of these people that always put other people first,” Clay said. “He had a servant’s heart. His whole life, he made sure everybody else was taken care of instead of himself. I think that goes back to the scouting and the leadership abilities that he developed.”

His desire to help others extended into death as well.

Tom passed away in March. In his will, he left $10,000 to Boy Scouts of America Troop 45 in Starkville. It was presented to the troop by his three siblings Clay, Gordon McWilliams and Cathy Kerr, on Wednesday night.

“It will make huge differences for our group,” said Kevin Williams, scoutmaster for the troop. “There’s things that need to be done at the scout hut. We had a renovation of the hut a number of years ago, and we got as far as the money and manpower would let us go. There’s still some things I would like to do to modernize the hut a bit, so we may look into some of that.”

He added that the troop also travels regularly, and the troop trailer needs repairs.

“There’s things we can do with the money to make sure that scouts keep having those adventures,” he said.

However, Tom left another gift for the troop, one that held a different kind of value.

He left his collection of scouting memorabilia, collected throughout his life.

Troop 45’s scout hut has a display case that was built, during the renovation, specifically for Eagle Scout items. This is where the troop will display Tom’s items.

Among the items donated were his sash with his merit badges, his vest with the patches from different camps and events, various handkerchiefs and photos and his campaign hat.

“It’s insane. … This is a man’s lifetime of accomplishments here,” Williams said. “So, for them to entrust it to us is a huge honor.”

The scout leaders as well as the scouts of Troop 45 gathered around to look at the sash with Tom’s merit badges. They compared them to the badges today, many of which Williams said are still the same. The scouts were enamored with the items.

Ultimately, inspiration is Tom’s legacy. He is inspiring the next generation of scouts.

“Seeing all of the stuff that he’s done made me feel like I can leave a mark on the world, a legacy, with the accomplishments that I’ve done,” said Knox Williams, a member of Troop 45.