By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A Pelham Boy Scout group will have “big shoes to fill” after its scoutmaster of nearly three years stepped down at the end of 2010, said the troop’s current leader.

Alex Brumfield, who led the Pelham First Baptist Church-based Boy Scout Troop 404 from 2008-2010, stepped down at the end of the year after he began relocating to his new job in Georgia.

While leading the troop, Brumfield put in “dedication and countless hours of service” with the organization, said current Troop 404 Scoutmaster Gary Cambron.

“He really worked to grow the troop while he was here,” Cambron said. “He was really instrumental in what we have done over the past few years.”

During Brumfield’s leadership, the troop earned dozens of merit badges and learned how to camp and hike in a variety of locations from the mountains to the beach, Cambron said.

“He was really big into merit badges,” Cambron said. “And he was very detailed in his campouts. We’ve been camping on the mountain, on the Gulf Coast, everywhere.

“He even took a group to New Mexico, and they completed a 50-mile hike,” Cambron added.

Brumfield is still serving the troop in an advisory role, and will continue to help out until he and his family move to Georgia, Cambron said.

In December 2010, the troop presented Brumfield with a plaque and a framed portrait during its Court of Honor ceremony.

“He’s a very avid scouter, and a very good role model for the boys,” Cambron said. “We hate to see him go. We’ve got some very big shoes to fill.”