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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.
At
the June 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 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. (Click here for a
list of participating Grand Lodges.) 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.
In Pennsylvania, the District Deputy Grand Master is authorized to sign PART IV of the Petition, and will send it, the Statement of Accomplishments, and the check, to the PMYF Office, 1244 Bainbridge Road, Elizabethtown, PA 17022.
- Please Note: No Mason may submit himself for this award, nor should he seek it. It should be given because the Lodge recognizes that he is doing a Mason's work by training and working with youth.
Cost
of the Award
The cost of the award kit is $35, which is borne
by the candidate's lodge. Checks (only Lodge checks are accepted)
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.
Additional Knot Patches
Should a recipient require more knots for his uniforms, or need to replace a lost medallion, he can do so by contacting the PMYF office at 800.266.8424 or pmyf@pagrandlodge.org and arranging an order of not more than 4 additional patches at a cost of $3.00 per patch. Checks can be made payable to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
National Association of Masonic Scouters
The National Association of Masonic Scouters was established to strengthen the relationship between Scouting and Freemasonry and to promote the awarding of the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award to worthy brethren. It is NOT a program or organization operated by the Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation or the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, but it has received endorsement by the Right Worshipful Grand Master for the involvement of Pennsylvania Masons. Please visit http://www.nams-bsa.org/ for further information.
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