Eagle69 Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Since when did the blue cards become the "Offical" record? In my council they don't use them at Summer Camp, and when they are used they never go any further than my briefcase after they are turned in. Once I have turned in the award to national I chunk the blue card. The Council Office never sees it nor have they ever said anything about not seeing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 imascouter, I am saddened to hear that my experience with BSA recordkeeping is not an isolated one. I recently had several 'scares' with Eagle candidates whose records had 'disappeared' or 'evolved' in the council records (Larry, Moe, and Curly must work there somewhere). I scrambled to produce the advancement forms that we fill out at each board of review. The council told me that THAT was the official record (take note, Eagle69). Luckily, I was able to reconstruct their records. My troop uses the blue cards but the council uses poor photocopies of handwritten requirement sheets at the summer camp. It is embarrassing. As I have stated in other threads, I have never seen an organization that so desperately wanted to be like the military...and failed so miserably at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sst3rd Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Eagle69, The Blue Cards are official, because they have a place where the Council signs/stamps and dates them upon receipt. If the Council and Troop lose their copies of the Advancement/Progress Form, the Blue Card(s) is signed by the Scoutmaster, the Counselor, and the Council. Proof. We keep all of them on file. sst3rd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colomike Posted January 22, 2003 Author Share Posted January 22, 2003 Wow, what a learning experience. I will be sure to write down and copy any awards that my son receives. (in triplicate) I had no idea that Scouts were so bad at keeping records. I have now contacted the local counsil in Ohio and have sent in request to the National office for records. According to what I'm reading here it sounds pretty bad. I'm told it will take at least a couple of weeks to get any information as they have to go through the files by hand. That doesn't seem to efficeint in this day of computer but it's what I have to live with since I didn't keep good records myself. How about we get a bunch of volunteers to go down to Irving, TX and put all that info. in a DataBase??..... What a monumental task that would be eh ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbern Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I have almost the same problem. I was asked to join as an Asst. Scoutmaster with my sons troop. My former council and another mergered several years ago. My big problem they had a fire several yeras ago at the council service center and records from 40 yrs ago were destroyed. Any ideas on how to get my old records? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9gold-scout Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 If you are trying to track down your old Eagle Scout award and you don't have your certificate or card, first call the National council and try to speak with someone who knows about the Eagle Scout records. Next send in as much info. as you have. Any time you have more - send it in with letters from scouts who knew you were an Eagle. For OA try the camp where your lodge is located many have the names in the old buildings. Most other info will be gone. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacGuyDave Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Does anyone still have contact with colomike in this forum? I am trying to communicate with him because we share our family name. If you can let him know to contact me at mac.guy at mac.com, that would be appreciated very much. Dave Mount Saint Louis, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherokeeScouter Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Your local council is still your best bet. I tracked down my Eagle info from the new council that replaced my old council, which merged. And they found it in seconds. As far as any more advancement info beyond Eagle stuff, good luck. The council I was dealing with did not have any OA records or any other advancement records except copies of old charters. Not sure they had centralized reporting of advancement until the computer systems came on line. SST3rd, what on earth is your council using to record advancement? With most councils, advancement records are uploaded or recorded in council's database. When you submit an Eagle App, council checks the dates against their records and if all matches up, they approve it. I mean it's good you're using the book, MB cards and all that paper, but if a new Scout from another council transfers in with his old council's computer printout, are you saying you wouldn't honor it? Plus, what good does all the paper do if council has no record of anything.? Am I missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherokeeScouter Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) I have never in my life turned a blue card into Council. There are 10 ways to earn a MB and only in a couple of instances, are we able to use a Blue Card with any success. Edited February 26, 2018 by CherokeeScouter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherokeeScouter Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I gotta say, I'm an Eagle and been in adult leadership for about 6 years. I have never seen such discussion about the way advancement is entered and kept. Regardless of all the blue cards, Scout handbooks, etc. at some point, it has to go into a database. No two ways about it. Doesn't your Scout's advancement end up on the troop's computer (or the advancement chair's), which is then periodically uploaded to council? This centralized database is what council and National are looking to as to whether a Scout has met the requirements for Eagle. Handbooks and blue cards are excellent ways to teach responsibility and self-reliance, but to say they are "the official record" and we don't accept anything else is kinda cray. The official record of a Scout's advancement rests in that Council's database. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsBrian Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 2 hours ago, CherokeeScouter said: I gotta say, I'm an Eagle and been in adult leadership for about 6 years. I have never seen such discussion about the way advancement is entered and kept. Regardless of all the blue cards, Scout handbooks, etc. at some point, it has to go into a database. No two ways about it. Doesn't your Scout's advancement end up on the troop's computer (or the advancement chair's), which is then periodically uploaded to council? This centralized database is what council and National are looking to as to whether a Scout has met the requirements for Eagle. Handbooks and blue cards are excellent ways to teach responsibility and self-reliance, but to say they are "the official record" and we don't accept anything else is kinda cray. The official record of a Scout's advancement rests in that Council's database. You know he posted that in 2003 right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherokeeScouter Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 58 minutes ago, ItsBrian said: You know he posted that in 2003 right? 58 minutes ago, ItsBrian said: You know he posted that in 2003 right? Uh, no. Size 12 shoe not tasting too good right now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacGuyDave Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Thanks for the "revelation" but I knew at the time I tried to contact him that the post was more than a decade old. Because we share the same last name and I have been on a 45-yr mission to connect with dispersed family members in an effort to fill out the genealogical record, I thought I'd take the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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