Is there a posthumus award for Scouters ?

[WestCoastScouter]

Is there a posthumus award for Scouters ?

 

We had a long time Scouter, in his 80's, that passed away over the summer. is there anything similar to the "Spirit of the Eagle" posthumus award that an adult scouter can also be recognized for at our District Dinner ?

 

-- John

[Basementdweller]

Why the need for an award. How about a display about his career and a 5 minute he's was a great guy and here is why speech????

 

 

Or how about naming an award after him????

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

The Council I serve does rembrances, a man passed away a few years ago who did a lot of work in the SHooting Sports Commmittee, under his name we raied money for pistol benches at one of the Council Camps, they will carry his name.

 

It's not an award, but a rembrance

[jpstodwftexas]

I agree Why give an Award to a dead person..

Instead Name an award after him

Honor him with a Display

Name a Campsite or Fire Ring after him at a Local Camp

Honor him with a Specific Campership to his Favorite Camp

 

Carry on his legacy for many more generations, I think his family would be more Honored by that than a cheesy award that will be forgotten soon

[Eagle732]

I've seen people pool donations of $1,000 and do the James West Fellowship Award in memory of someone.

[BSA24]

Who is a posthumous award supposed to make happy? The guy is dead? I guess for those of you who believe our consciousness continues after death and we could attend our own funeral as a ghost, maybe you think this is a good idea. I don't personally believe that and find the concept creepy as heck. Anyone ever see Patrick Swayze on SNL doing the ghost skit?

 

He watches his wife pick her nose, scratch her butt, and perform other gross private-time actions because no one is around and is disgusted. It's pretty hilarious and highlights just how silly it is to believe that invisible people are at their own funeral.

 

So, the award must be for those left behind. Is it for the family? They probably don't want an award from the scouts. What are you doing, giving them a medal that says, "Congratulations on the death of your husband/father?"

 

I agree with the others. Establish an award for others in his name. Give it annually. Put up his picture on an easel at the front of the room, get a nice plaque, and some money for college through donations and set up a scholarship for a deserving scout each year.

 

That way his memory will continue to help youth.

 

Allow his family to give the award instead of you.(This message has been edited by bsa24)

[CalicoPenn]

Wow, what a bunch of cynical, heartless people on here.

 

Why an award? Because it can make the family feel better. This gentleman has put a lot of time and effort into Scouting - time that was spent away from family. Giving an award (in whatever form you decide to give) to the widow, or children at the next District Dinner, or next Camporee, or next Troop Court of Honor (whichever might be most appropriate) can show the family just how much y'all appreciated the Scouter and the family's sacrifices. I've seen these kinds of ceremonies many times - I've yet to meet a family member who thought that they were just getting another piece of junk to hang on the wall. Its not uncommon when you see a spouse once a year (at district dinner) for the spouse to say how little she realized that her husband was so well regarded and it really means a lot to her.

 

I've not seen anything similar to the "Spirit of the Eagle". That lets you create your own - in whatever form you'd like. It might be a campership or the creation of some kind of memorial at camp. It might be planting a tree in his honor (with a nice certificate to present to the family that a tree has been planted in his honor). I know of one Troop that, for longtime Troop volunteers, would hold a retirement ceremony at the next Court of Honor for the current Troop Flag and would present the retired flag in a nice display box to the family. I like the James West award idea of Eagle732. I've also seen presentations of a nicely framed Rockwell Scouting print. The nice thing about not having an official posthumous award is that it allows you to let your imagination run free and come up with something that is unique and appropriate to the person.

 

Don't let the nabobs of negativity keep you from honoring the long-time Scouter that has passed - come up with something appropriate and prepare for hugs and tears.

[infoscouter]

Was he an OA member? There is a ceremony, called the Broken Arrow ceremony. I saw it performed at a Scouter's funeral and it was very impressive.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pineapplefish56.net%2FScouting-Fun-DOC%2FOA-BrokenArrowCeremony.doc&ei=xni2ULTIIev-2QXh3IHoCA&usg=AFQjCNGD7YJBD4pVAPclc9iPO08OqRPcWQ&sig2=a8nbkmpDEOSiOeFaiEAl3w

[emb021]

Maybe you need to encourage to creation of some kind of recognition in your council.

 

In my old home council, the OA lodge started a tradition of planting a tree and setting up a plaque for those long serving members who had passed away at our camp.

 

The naming of awards for outstanding leaders is also common.

 

[SeattlePioneer]

There are lots of good reasons for having ceremonies and awards. Scouting encourages that, and an experienced Scouter can come up with a variety of thoughtful ways to do that.

 

But perhaps it might have been better to invite a long time Scouter to be remembered at a Roundtable, Court of Honor or Pack meeting while he was still alive. One of the useful functions of such a ceremony would be to educate Scouts, Scouters and families on the kinds of service Scouting encourages.

 

Having the living icon there would be more thoughtful, and more powerful, than doing the same thing after he is gone.

 

This is to suggest to us all that we look at long serving Scouters and look for opportunities to thank them and recognize their achievements over a lifetime.

 

>

 

 

 

I have the privilege of sitting on my council's committee that will be selecting Silver Beaver recipients for next year. Two Scouters in my district are among those being nominated, both have more than sixty years in Scouting.

 

One maintained his membership while he was an infantryman in Vietnam and while he is growing old and feeble, serves as a Chartered Organization Rep and Committee member for a Troop. The other continues to serve as a Unit Commissioner.

 

I think we ought to be making a point of recognizing and thanking folks like this while they are still alive.

[moxieman]

Answers are all over the board. Some good suggestions if you read through them. In one instance in our district, we retired our district flag and gave it to the son of a long time district level volunteer after her passing.

 

We have cabins at our various summer camps named for deceased scout volunteers. H*ll, the name of our largest camp has memorialized a deceased child (who was never a scout) since it was founded over 85 years ago on land donated by the deceased child's father.

[Eagle732]

My uncle was involved in Scouting for 64 years, from 1936 until his death in 2000. He was a Cub when Cubs was just beginning (I have his Cub uniform), a scout who made Life then went into the Army at 17 so he never made Eagle, the an Explorer who made Silver. Later he was a CM, SM, and probably most other unit positions. He then went into Council service and at one time was a council president.

When he died they had a Boy Scout Honor Guard at his casket for 3 days. Scouts and Scouters came to the viewing by the hundreds. I couldn't believe it, to me he was my uncle but to all these other people he was a leader. Someone, probably at the council level suggested it would be nice to do the James West Fellowship award for him in leu of flowers. They raised I think 4 times the amount needed for the JWA, which was awarded to my aunt several months later. I know it meant a lot to my aunt to know that so many people thought so much of my uncle to do that for him.(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

[Tokala]

Plenty of good ideas so far. My Lodge will do a James West and send the certificate to the family.

 

ON a more light-hearted note, I have told people that I don't want anything named after me because it would mean that I was dead.

[OldGreyEagle]

This thread does remind me of the words of Meyer Wolfsheim who said "Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive, and not after he is dead"

 

The rembrance is fine, and they should continue, thanking people while alive is important as well, perhaps even more so