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Introduction
Many Freemasons nationwide have been of great service to the Boy
Scouts of America by supporting the development of Scouting units,
serving as volunteers, and assisting their Masonic lodges in forming
and sponsoring Scout units. The relationship between individual
Masons and Scouting, which has existed since the founding of Scouting
in America, has resulted in immeasurable benefits for both Freemasonry
and Scouting.
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2001 Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania,
the Grand Master approved the creation of the Daniel Carter Beard
Masonic Scouter Award.
It was created with the approval of the Boy Scouts of America
as a national Masonic Scouter award, and will be administered
by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania as a service to all other regular
Grand Lodges.
The Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award is an honor due to
the countless Freemasons who practice the ideals of Freemasonry
and act as role models to the young men who are part of one of our
nation's most outstanding youth organizations. The Daniel Carter
Beard Masonic Award not only supports the Masonic relationship through
the man who brought Scouting to America, but proclaims the integrity
of the Freemason who is honored by receiving the award.
Eligibility
The award will be presented to a Master Mason who is currently
a registered Scouter and active in a Scout unit, district, council,
or national affiliate, and has displayed outstanding dedication
to the Scouting program through:
- developing of Scouting units;
- assisting lodges in forming units;
- exemplifying the Scout Law and Masonic virtues;
- recruiting Scouting volunteers;
- strengthening the relationship between Freemasonry and Scouting
Work accomplishment and dedication, rather than a specific number
of years in Scouting, will be the criteria for this award.
Brother Dan Beard
Freemasonry's relationship with the Boy Scouts
started with a Freemason named Daniel Carter Beard. Bro. Beard was
made a Mason in Mariner's Lodge No. 67, New York City, NY, and later
affiliated with Cornucopia Lodge 563, Flushing, NY. In the late
1800's he founded a male youth program called the "Society
of the Sons of Daniel Boone." By 1905, the program had become
"The Boy Pioneers." The man who would create the first
"Boy Scouts," and be known as its founder, was Lord Robert
Baden-Powell of Great Britain. Lord Baden-Powell, who was not a
Mason, read of Beard's program and, based on his own military experience,
developed what is known as the "Boy Scouts." In 1910,
the Boy Scout program came to America when Bro. Beard merged his
organization into the "Boy Scouts of America" and became
its first National Commissioner.
Bro. Beard, known affectionately as "Uncle Dan" by millions
of Boy Scouts, worked tirelessly to create the Scouting Program
that we know today. He developed the elements of the Scout badge
and the Scout uniform, and wrote and illustrated various early publications
of the Boy Scouts of America. Bro. Beard exemplified the Masonic
ideals throughout the Scouting program.
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Boy Scout Community Organization Award
The Boy Scouts of America approved what is known as the "Community Organization
Award Program," which can be used by any community organization to honor its
volunteers for Scouting. As part of that program, each organization is permitted
to create its own neck medallion and to award a purple square knot badge with a
gold border.
The Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award consists of a certificate endorsed
by the recipient's Grand Master, a Masonic neck medallion, and a Boy Scouts of
America-approved knot patch to be worn with a Scout uniform. The neck medallion is
a silver metallic medal of the square and compasses resting upon a sunburst and
supported by a blue and silver ribbon. The knot patch is a gold colored square
knot supported by a purple background with a gold border
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Procedure for Making Nominations
All Master Masons in good standing are invited to recommend a
contemporary for the award. Petitions for the award will be available
through the Grand Secretary of each participating Grand Lodge. (Not
all Grand Lodges have chosen to participate at this time.) Only
the official petition may be submitted for this award. Brochures
explaining the program are available for sale to Grand Lodge officials
at our production cost of 25-cents each, and can be ordered by sending
an e-mail to scoutaward@pagrandlodge.org.
We will send an invoice with the shipment. The petition itself can
be used on line,
here,
to type the required information, and then printed out to
submit a petition through the proper protocol.
- Step One: The recommender must
complete the petition
and submit an attached page explaining the candidate's qualification for the award.
- Step Two: The recommender should also have
the petition approved and verified by the local Boy Scout Council
that the candidate is currently registered as an active Scout
leader.
- Step Three: The recommender should then have
the application reviewed by the Worshipful Master of the candidate's
lodge. If found to be qualified, the petition will be authorized
and forwarded to the lodge's district deputy or other Masonic
authority designated to handle the award in his home jurisdiction.
That person will then submit the petition and check, as instructed
by his Grand Lodge, for action.
Cost of the Award
The cost of the award kit is $35, which is borne by the candidate's lodge.
Checks are to be made payable to the "Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of Pennsylvania"
and submitted with the petition. Following appropriate Masonic protocol, they
are submitted to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania through their home jurisdiction's
Grand Secretary for the recognition kit. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania will
then forward the information on awardees to the Boy Scouts of America, Relationships
Division, Irving, TX for the official record of recipients.
Presentation of the Award
The Daniel Carter Beard Scouter Award will be presented at the discretion of
the Grand Master. It may be presented at a Grand Communication or similar
meeting where a representative of the Grand Lodge makes the presentation.
Arrangements also can be made to make the presentation at a Lodge or Scouting-related
function. In all cases, a Grand Lodge representative should present the award.
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