We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Silver Beaver

Meet 2021 Silver Beaver Recipient Mary Carson

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Mary has always enjoyed working with youth.  As a teenager, she volunteered for vacation bible school, worked with summer youth programs and taught Sunday school.

In 1989, Mary became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya, East Africa as a secondary school teacher in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  She later moved to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and worked at the local University and then moved to Senegal, West Africa.

In 2004, Mary returned to the United States and settled in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She gave birth to a third son and became active again in her local church.  When her oldest son could join Cub Scouts, she quickly found her passion of working with youth in an admired and respected character building organization.  She served as den leader for all three of her sons and soon became the Cubmaster for Pack 96 of The Peoples Community Baptist Church.

For several years, she served as popcorn kernel and volunteered for district day camp.  She also served as an assistant roundtable commissioner.  Mary stayed with her first love, the Cub Scout pack, even though her youngest had bridged over to Boy Scouts.  She has received many awards for working with her pack, her church, and the school.  She eventually joined her sons in Troop 96.  She enjoys working with youth and helping to develop their character through their faith and strong organizations.

You can watch Mary receive her Silver Beaver Award on Saturday, May 15th at 7:30pm by reserving your seat at the virtual Court of Honor !

NCAC Announces 2021 Silver Beaver Class

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National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America is proud to announce the 2021 Class of Silver Beavers. The Silver Beaver Award is a distinguished service award presented at the local level.

Recipients of this award are adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth both in and out of Scouting. They have given hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service to our community. The members of this year’s class are:

Class Honoree: James Smith

Henry Brothers II
Carol Brown
Mary Carson
James Chaplin
Timothy Cline
Robert Davidson
Justin Day
Oliver Dove
Robert Faris
Michael Filipowicz
Jeffrey Geyer
Richard Harrington
Sara Holtz
Forrest Horton
Edward Hutchins
James Lehman Jr.
Lorraine Lince
Sasha Loftin
Ann MacPhail
Lawrence McNiece
Winifred Niemi
James Palmer
Rus Pittman
Karen Purinton
Patrick Ring
William Rodger
James Schleckser
Oscar Smith
David Weisz
Craig Weston

These community leaders will be recognized at the Council Court of Honor in May, 2021. More details will be coming soon!

Silver Beaver Nominations Due November 30!

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The Boy Scouts of America, acting through the National Court of Honor, may award the Silver Beaver Award for distinguished service to youth. The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service.

The Silver Beaver Nomination Form and the Silver Beaver Award FAQ are now available.  The nomination form and supporting information packet for the Silver Beaver award should be emailed to silverbeaver@ncacbsa.org. All nominations MUST be received no later than Monday, November 30th of this year.

TUSKEGEE AIRMAN RECEIVES NCAC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

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Troop 96 of the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) today honored retired Air Force Brigadier General Charles McGee with its Lifetime Achievement award. The Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at his home in Bethesda, MD, was established in 2013 and is given in recognition of individuals whose accomplishments embody the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law.

General McGee stated, “If more people lived their lives by the Scout Oath and Law, the world would be a lot better off.”

As an active member of Boy Scouts in his youth, McGee earned the title of Distinguished Eagle Scout and received the Silver Beaver award for his outstanding service. The veteran continued to display his leadership capabilities throughout his 30-year military career, earning numerous decorations from the Bronze Star to the Hellenic Republic WWII Commemorative Medal. Most recently, McGee received the honorary promotion to Brigadier General in December 2019, which was announced last week during President Trump’s State of the Union address. The 100-year old Brigadier General McGee has had a busy couple of weeks – from his appearance presiding over the coin toss at Superbowl LIV to being recognized at the State of the Union address to a book signing ceremony this past Saturday at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum celebrating Black History month, where he was featured as part of its African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space program.

“We are extremely proud to recognize retired Brigadier General Charles McGee for his tremendous accomplishments on behalf of this nation and in the world of Scouting,” said Scout Executive Craig Poland. “Brigadier General McGee not only meets the criteria for this selective award – he more than surpasses it. The values embodied in Scouting are reflected in his daily life and work.”

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Born in Cleveland in 1919, McGee enlisted in the Army on October 26, 1942. Upon earning his pilot’s wings, McGee joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African American military pilots in the Armed Forces. During his extensive military career, he accumulated over 6,300 total hours, flew tactical missions attacking enemy airfields, and took part in top-secret rescue missions. In 2011, McGee was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.

McGee, a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Military Order of World Wars, and the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., now spends his time sharing his life experiences by speaking in support of the Black Heritage and Youth Career motivation programs.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given in recognition of a person’s noteworthy personal and/or professional accomplishments, his dedication to America and because he lives the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law. Past recipients of this award include Bill Marriott Jr., former Gov. Haley Barbour, Thomas J. Donohue, Jacob Stein and Michael Daniels.

NCAC Announces 2020 Silver Beaver Class

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The National Capital Area Council (NCAC), Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is happy to announce the 2020 Class of Silver Beavers. The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.

The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. Members of this year’s class are:

Class Honoree: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko

Joshua P. Batten

William Bowerman IV

Kevin Patrick Brendel

Hugh David Carmichael

John T. Colwell, III

Theresa Garcia-Parks

Kenneth W. Gaul

G. Keith Gray

Christian Sean Griggs

James Hardter

William Stoll Hemsley

John Arthur Herbig

Charles Hochstein

John Howlin

Howard Joel Lichtman

Paul MacDonald

Stanley L. Mushaw

Bradford Netting Scales

William Totten

Hector D. Uranga-Urias

John Robert Wilkinson

Andrew D. Willis

NCAC invites you to join them in celebrating the years of dedication performed by these great volunteers. The Council Court of Honor is set for Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 7:30pm.

To register to attend, please visit: www.NCACBSA.org/courtofhonor

The Impact of Scouting on Ross Perot’s Life – In his own words

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Much of the news surrounding the recent death of Henry Ross Perot expectedly focused upon his business acumen at IBM and EDS, his two unsuccessful bids to become President, and his dedication to principles, performance and country. What few Scouters and Scouts likely learned or came to appreciate, however, is that, long before Mr. Perot donned the iconic business attire of a dark suite, white shirt and narrow black tie, he proudly wore the uniform of the Boy Scouts of America.

Beginning as a Cub Scout in his then home town of Texarkana, TX, he would later join Troop 18 at age 11 where he set for himself the ambitious goal of reaching the rank of Eagle Scout in 15 months, the shortest period of time permitted given the position requirements. He met that goal handily at age 13 in 1943. He would later describe Scouting’s impact on him in a video presentation and a biography, “How to Become A Billionaire” by Martin Fridson, by saying:

“The day I became an Eagle Scout was more important to me than the day I discovered I was a billionaire. Scouting taught me to set goals and objectives and gave me my first leadership training and experience, I keep my old handbook in my office to remind me of the principles of Scouting.”

Throughout his life, Ross Perot never forgot Scouting and he remained generously supportive of the organization for decades. His son, son-in-law, and all five grandsons are Eagle Scouts. His philanthropy and personal engagement helped fund Scouting outreach efforts to local underprivileged youth enabling about 12,000 Scouts in Texas to participate annually at no cost. More recently, he and his family funded the Ross Perot, Sr. Family Wing and Hall in the new Tillerson Leadership Training Center at the BSA’s Summit Bechtel Reserve near Beckley, WV. In gratitude, Scouting recognized Mr. Perot over the years with their most prestigious national awards: The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, The Silver Beaver Award, The Silver Antelope Award and, finally, the Silver Buffalo Award.

Scouting is still there today for those young male, and now female, Ross Perots of this upcoming generation. Our Nation needs more Ross Perots who pledge the Scout Oath to be dedicated in duty to God, Country and the service of others; to aspire to live the Scout Law – to be Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. As Ross Perot’s life demonstrated, these are more than a litany of idyllic traits recited by rote; they are words to live by.

To find a Scouts, BSA Troop near you for the young Ross Perot in your family, girl or boy, go to: https://beascout.scouting.org/.

T.G. Motta – ASM, Scouts, BSA Troop 1717