2011 Eagle Scout & Silver Beaver Council Recognition Banquet
March 12, 2011 was a special night for the Indian Nations Council in many different ways. In addition to fellow Scouts and Scouters, along with loved ones, friends and colleagues, gathering to recognize the 2010 Eagle Scouts and Silver Beaver Award recipients, the council also celebrated its centennial and honored one of its most esteemed volunteers, Robert J. LaFortune.
Jim Denny, Council Vice President of Marketing and the evening Master of Ceremonies, added his always entertaining style to the evening’s script; recounting the past year’s successes blended with some humor. By sheer coincidence, Jim noted that one hundred years to the day, on March 12, 1911, the Boy Scouts of America issued a charter to the Tulsa Council, which in 1957 became the Indian Nations Council.
Bruce Binkley, Council President, addressed the capacity-filled room of 450 attendees at the Renaissance Hotel. Among his comments he spoke of the success of the capital campaign to refurbish the council’s camps which will, in turn, set the stage for the next one hundred years of the council. He also noted that the council was now recognized as a 200 Council, reflecting upon our continued growth, improvement and achievement within the Boy Scouts of America.
The focus of the evening remained upon recognizing the best of the Council’s youth and the best of its adult leaders in one gala event. 231 Scouts were presented with the Eagle Scout Award in 2010. The 2010 class of Eagle Scouts was named in honor of Robert J. LaFortune, a member of the National Executive Board and one of four Silver Buffalo recipients from the Council, as well as a longstanding pillar of leadership in the Indian Nations Council. After brief inspirational comments from Bob LaFortune to the Robert J. LaFortune 2010 Class of Eagle Scouts, Bruce Binkley, Council President and Bill Haines, Council Scout Executive, presented a commemorative, engraved rifle to Mr. LaFortune.
Mr. LaFortune, along with Bruce Binkley and Bill Haines, then individually presented over 100 Eagle Scouts with a medallion commemorating their accomplishment, together with a unique council shoulder patch presented by Tulsa 26 Scouts Inc., the sixth in a series of Eagle Scout Council service patches designed by Bill Shaffer, Scoutmaster of Troop 26.
Following the Eagle Scouts, Jim Denny then individually introduced each of the nine adult leaders recognized for their noteworthy and exceptional service to youth. The 2010 recipients of the Silver Beaver Award were: Joe Akehurst, James H. Baker, M.D., Bruce M. Day, Pete Garcia, Judith A. Law, Dick Link, Cary Mans, Mike Mozarko, Darrell L. Parke and Steve Rose. Each recipient’s bio can be found in the evening’s banquet program.
Throughout the evening, other successes were celebrated, including the Centennial Quality Award presented to the council. Five districts were recognized with the Quality District Award: Venturing, Eagle, Sequoyah, Twin Arrows and Sac & Fox districts. David Casey was recognized with the Bernard T. Emery award by the Pine Tree Commission.
The other highlight of the evening centered upon the Centennial Year. First, as attendees arrived, they were asked to sign a council flag which will travel to various Council events, including the upcoming Centennial Camporee. Second, Jim Denny introduced Mickey D. Wilson, a distinguished, long-time Scouter, who had been tasked to lead the Centennial Leaders Committee and compile a list of the 100 “best of the best” leaders who, “through their vision and leadership, helped to shape and direct the Council and the lives of Scouts throughout the Council in the Council’s first one hundred years of existence.” There will be no individual honor; only an engraved plaque commemorating the Centennial Leaders will be erected in the Donald W. Reynolds Scout Resource Center. “Tonight’s list is not in any particular order of importance, but is representative of the caliber of volunteers who have led our council through the past 100 years,” noted Jim. With that, Mickey then disclosed the first ten Centennial Leaders to the audience, providing a brief summary of the individual and their contribution to the council. The first ten Centennial Leaders were: Fred E. Bossard, John M. “Jack” Graves, Harold Stuart, Tom Hale, Bill Shaffer, Tollie T. Moore, William Elliot, Bishop Francis Kelley, Larry Bahler, and Robert J. LaFortune.
Reflecting upon the council’s milestone in his concluding remarks, Jim charged the attendees to resolve and keep the spirit of Scouting alive for generations to come; drawing upon a passage from Lord Baden Powell’s final letter “…– stick to your Scout Promise always – even after you have ceased to be a boy – and God help you to do it.”
The banquet was an outstanding event for everyone, but it is important to recognize those who helped make the evening special. “Thank You” to all of the Event Sponsors listed in the banquet program; Jim Denny, who again wrote the evening’s script and served as the Master of Ceremonies; Mickey Wilson and the members of the Centennial Leaders Committee; the Renaissance Hotel and Swank Audio Visuals; Troop 26 Scouts, Inc. and Bill Shaffer; Susan Coman and ProType Graphics; Bill Haines, for his ongoing support and leadership; Don Atwood, who was tasked to coordinate the banquet; and the staff of the Indian Nations Council who helped in many different ways.
Mike Holdgrafer
Council Activities Chairman
