We recently received some patches from a Scouter out of New York. While asking about his involvements, an Eagle Scout and 1960 National Jamboree participant, he mentioned he served on the Boy Scout Service Corps for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Less and less we come across participants let alone staff members from the World’s Fair so I asked him about his remembrances. Here’s what he had to say (nice piece of personal history about his guiding Vice President Nixon btw):

Working the fair was a great experience. I think I worked a week or two mainly weekends and holidays (it was during the school year) before they rotated in other than local scouts to man the pavilion over the summer. Our principle jobs were to demonstrate scouting skills (I remember demonstrating a lot of first aid), give directions, help with lostchildren, and escort dignitaries. I do remember taking the then King of Burundi around and the then former Vice-President Richard Nixon, whose foot I stepped on. I was kidded for years about that.

I went to the 1960 National Jamboree,  went to Philmont in 1962, worked the Scouting pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair, and I was an Order of the Arrow member (Horicon 246). I grew up in  southern New York State, Washington Irving Council, and was a  counselor at their Camp Read. I was later active in the explorer  program.  I always felt that scouting was tougher than the   peacetime Army.

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Just back from the 2012 BSA National Meeting held in Orlando, Florida. One of the presentations was about a new research report out from Baylor University professors. It is an independent report both in funding, the Templeton Foundation, and independent of the BSA. That is, the BSA had no influence in study design, study questions or study parameters.

The results shouldn’t surprise those connected to Scouting but it might to others. Click on the image to get the full report but here’s the summary of their findings:

Summary

For more than 100 years the Boy Scouts of America has sought to encourage and instill the values necessary to help young people make and continue making ethical and moral choices over the entire course of their life. The objective of Scouting, therefore, is to promote the positive and prosocial development of youth that carries over into adulthood and influences all of society. This lasting influence—enhancing youth’s values, ethics, decision making, relationships, and personal development—is even more significant for youth who attain the rank of Eagle Scout. The Boy Scouts of America has always maintained that achieving Scouting’s highest rank would result in additional benefits for Eagle Scouts when compared to Scouts that do not achieve this rank, as well as to youth who have never participated in Scouting. In order to assess the influence, if any, of participation in Boy Scouts on men in later life, adult men representative of the U.S. Population were surveyed, with the key difference being that some had participated in Scouting and some had not.

Analysis of the nationally representative survey reveals significant differences between Eagle Scouts and other Scouts as well as non-Scouts. Eagle Scouts consistently indicate their experience in Scouting contributed to positive and prosocial development as measured by responses to a wide range of issues and subjects, including the following:

 

• Eagle Scouts exhibit an increased tendency to participate in a variety of health and recreational activities.
• Eagle Scouts show a greater connectedness to siblings, neighbors, religious community, friends, co-workers, formal and informal groups, and a spiritual presence in nature.
• Duty to God, service to others, service to community, and leadership are traits that are especially strong in Eagle Scouts.
• Eagle Scouts are more likely to engage in behaviors that are designed to enhance and protect the environment.
• Eagle Scouts are more likely to be comitted to setting and achieving personal, professional, spiritual, and financial goals.
• Eagle Scouts show higher levels of planning and preparedness than do other Scouts and non-Scouts.
• Eagle Scouts are more likely than other Scouts and non-Scouts to indicate they have built character traits related to work ethics, morality, tolerance, and respect for diversity.

 

In sum, when compared to Scouts and non- Scouts, Eagle Scouts exhibit significantly higher levels of health and recreation, connection, service and leadership, environmental stewardship, goal orientation, planning and preparedness, and character.

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