He's been a scrap metal tycoon, a brewer, and a force in the state's thoroughbred racing industry, where he revamped the track at Laurel and launched an event that brought the world's best horses to the United States. But through it all, John D. Schapiro never left the Boy Scouts.
Now, at age 88, he's given Scout troops in the Baltimore area the largest gift they've ever seen: A $600,000 endowment to promote Scouting for needy children in the city.
"Scouting is probably the greatest youth movement we have in the world today," Schapiro said, explaining why he established the endowment. "It can do nothing but help head someone along in the right direction. I think that's what Scouting did for me."
Investment income from the John D. Schapiro Endowment Fund will be used to support and expand programs such as Scout- reach, which allows children from 10 low-income Baltimore neighborhoods to receive uniforms, work toward merit badges and go camping at the Boy Scout's Broad Creek facility in Harford County.
Other programs that will benefit from Schapiro's contribution are Learning for Life, a school-based program that introduces boys and girls to workplace skills, and Special Needs Scouting, a program for children with developmental disabilities.
For years, Schapiro ran a family business that dismantled Navy ships. That occurred after a brief stint in another family business, a brewery that produced Arrow Beer.
But he is perhaps best-known for having been the chief executive officer of what was then known as Laurel Race Course from 1950 to 1985. He built its first clubhouse and hatched a race that drew thoroughbreds from across the globe. He called it the International, and it became an autumn staple on the world's racing calendar until its luster faded and the last race was run in 1994.
Schapiro's immigrant father rode a turn-of-the-century steamer from Latvia to Baltimore and established a scrap metal business. Young John Schapiro split his childhood between the farmland of Howard County and the pavements of Baltimore -- where he was introduced to the adventures of Scouting.
He recalls the monthly camping excursions during the 1920s, when he would join his buddies in Troop 147 on a streetcar ride to a campground near Gwynn Oaks Park. There, he and his friends would identify trees and birds, cook meals and set up camp.
As a teen-ager, he earned an Eagle Scout badge and was Maryland's representative to the World Jamboree in England.
By 1938, he was a member of the Baltimore Area Council's executive board, a position he still holds. By 1986, the Boy Scouts of America had awarded Schapiro the Silver Buffalo, the highest national award given to Scouting volunteers. Late last year, he contributed $600,000 in cash and stocks to establish an endowment.
The local Boy Scouts council has an annual budget of $4.2 million, paid for from fund-raising sales, United Way funds, and income from about $5.1 million in endowments, said Bob Myers, director of finance and marketing for the Baltimore Area Council. The council provides programs for 71,000 children in Baltimore and the five surrounding counties.
Schapiro, who lives on a large farm in the fox-hunting region of northern Baltimore County, said he wanted his contribution used for urban Scouting because those programs need to be strong enough to attract and nurture capable leaders and role models.
He believes that children can benefit from Scouting's guiding principles -- just as he has.
"You couldn't forget them," he said. "They were all the good things that you use during life. Honesty. Loyalty. You take the Scout law, and it's about as good a law to follow as the Ten Commandments."
Pub Date: 3/11/99