Utah Scout council celebrates centennial
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
Utah's Great Salt Lake Council — which boasts hundreds of Church-sponsored troops — celebrated Scouting's centennial Feb. 25 with a sold-out anniversary gala.
The event marked what was believed to be the largest gathering of Scouts and leaders in the nation to celebrate the Boy Scouts of America's 100th birthday. Some 2,500 Scouters attended.
Charles W. Dahlquist II, chairman of Scouting's National Court of Honor and the former Young Men general president, conducted the festive gala. Several other Church leaders attended, including the Young Men and Primary general presidencies, along with the Young Women general president.
LDS Scouts make up a large portion of the council's membership. The Church became formally associated with Scouting in 1913 and sponsors more units than any other organization.
Robert "Bob" Mazzuca, BSA's chief Scout executive and CEO, was the event's keynote speaker. He noted the record number of Eagle Scouts earned in the United States during 2009. Counted among those Eagle Scouts is a sizable cadre of young men in Church units throughout the nation.
More than 400,000 youth are chartered in LDS Scouting units. Meanwhile, President Thomas S. Monson remains the longest-tenured member of BSA's National Executive Board; he is now in his 41st year of serving on the board.
The evening had its somber moments. Utah Scouts Cole H. Carlstrom and Clayton S. Holding were awarded the "Honor Medal with Crossed Palms" for risking their lives last year while trying to save Cole's mother.
Scouting's "Spirit of the Eagle" was given posthumously to U.S. Army Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, a member killed during the shooting rampage last November at Fort Hood, Texas.
