AUSTIN — The late philanthropist Frank Fickett of Burnet never forgot the lessons he learned in the Boy Scouts.
Now he will have a hand in training Scout leaders.
A $2 million donation from Fickett six years ago helped build the Frank Fickett Scout Training and Service Center, which opens Aug. 1, officials said.
"I don't think it can be overstated how much this new facility means to us and Scouting," said Charles Meade of the BSA Capitol Area Council.
Fickett, who died Oct. 31, 2009, donated the seed money for the center in 2005. Afterwards, the council raised a total of about $11 million to build the 31,400-square-foot facility at 12500 Interstate 35.
The center's primary function is to provide space to train adult volunteers who lead more than 22,000 Central Texas youths — including Burnet and Llano counties — involved in Scouting, Meade said.
The building gives the Capitol Area Council much-needed space to accommodate growing involvement in Scouting, which has risen by 11 percent since 2005, officials said.
"It's been a challenge to provide reliable training for our adult volunteers," Meade said.
The organization often had to use donated space, but that sometimes led to scheduling conflicts, he added.
A third of the new center is dedicated solely to training.
"This facility will impress people and show that we're a vibrant part of the community," Meade said.
Fickett gave to many noteworthy causes in Central Texas and the Highland Lakes, officials said.
"Frank — I believe — will also be remembered for his leadership and vision, not just for what he did for the Boy Scouts but for everything he did in the Hill Country as well," Meade said.
Fickett, a Connecticut-born businessman, arrived in the Highland Lakes in 1988 after a successful real estate career in California. He helped the community in several ways, including purchasing properties and fixing them up to attract new businesses to the area, community leaders said.
After his death, Burnet residents praised Fickett for helping create the economic climate in the city to attract H-E-B and Bealls Department Store. Several even credited him with getting the Austin Steam Train Association to begin making runs into Burnet, which has led to the successful Day Out with Thomas sojourns in the fall featuring Thomas the Tank Engine.
The Scouting center isn't the only edifice to bear his name. Fickett also donated $250,000 to the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. to help purchase land for a building that now houses Texas Tech University at Highland Lakes and Central Texas College at 806 Steve Hawkins Parkway in Marble Falls.
It's called the Frank Fickett Educational Center.
"Frank never made it to Eagle Scout, but he was in Scouting for several years," Meade said. "And one of the things he told committee members was the role Scouting played in his life. What he told us was how Scouting helped sow some of those seeds about giving back to your community. And I think he did that both through this new facility and everything he did for the Hill Country community."
Though the center opens Aug. 1, Meade said the council will hold a grand opening and celebration in September.
For more information, go to www.bsacac.org.
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