A New Silver Beaver
Honoring my Life and Scout Hero; My Brother, Matt.
In late January, I was informed that my brother, Matt, would be awarded the Silver Beaver award by the Mississippi Valley Council. The Silver Beaver is the highest honor bestowed on a volunteer Scouter by his or her council. The Scouting America website informs that the award's purpose is “to recognize registered Scouters of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service within a council.”1
An award recipient has a speaker speak on their behalf during the ceremony. My brother asked me to give his introduction with the instructions to honor our Dad, who helped us both earn our Eagle Scout rank and many others during our tenure as youth scouts. I accepted my brother's offer, although I didn’t know if I could make it due to my work schedule, but it worked out.
Naturally, my brother shared the news with a family friend who was his Eagle Scout mentor, a lifelong scout/scouter and friend of my Dad, we’ll call him Mr. George. Mr. George, who had advanced in years and recently had some health concerns, contacted me about riding along to make the two-hour journey to place the Silver Beaver award around my brother’s neck, but Mr. George wanted it to be a surprise. I usually talk to my brother daily via text messaging, so for nearly a week, I didn’t text my brother because I thought I would spill the beans. Matt would text, “Are you going to make it?”
I’d reply something to the tune, “I’ll make it work.”
The day of the ceremony came on February 8th, the birthday of Scouting, and I picked up Mr. George around 3 pm and went off for our adventure. The two-hour trip was filled with a good chat about all the changes in Scouting over the years. Mr. George was a long-time BSA camp inspector. So, I have had a lot of questions since I started my unit recently. We finally arrive at the ceremony. Mr. George planned to sit in my truck for most of the ceremony. He wanted me to text him when Matt was about to receive the award and surprise him. And, in true Matt fashion, as we discussed the plan in the parking lot, my brother, recognizing my truck, knocked on my window and foiled the plan! The look of shock filled my brother’s face, surprised to see Mr. George make the trip.
My brother’s awarding of his Silver Beaver approached during the night; I approached the podium to give my speech:
My brother Matt asked me today to speak on his behalf and to give some words to honor our Dad, Ron Hadden. As many have said during this meeting, it cannot be understated how important parents are to the Scouting experience—especially if they choose to be volunteers within the program.
Dad started Scouting as a youth in the Cub Scout program with Pack 103 but never made it to the rank of Eagle Scout. That fact was undoubtedly the driving force behind his efforts to help both his sons earn the Eagle Scout rank—and other boys, too.
Our Dad died unexpectedly in 2010 in a car accident. During Dad’s funeral, there were Scouts in uniform in attendance brought over from our old troop by my Scoutmaster, Tad Sorrells—2017 Silver Beaver recipient. What made an impact on me and something I have never forgotten is many of Dad’s former scouts attending Dad’s visitation to say goodbye to their Scoutmaster, Rodney Johnson, and Matt Hill, two Eagle Scouts from Troop 11. The BSA Fleur-de-lis is etched on Dad’s tombstone and my Eagle Scout medal is buried with him.
The last number of consecutive summer camps that Dad attended at Camp Saukenauk that I can remember is near twenty-six or something close to it. He was a Vigil Honor member of the Order of Arrow, Maheengun Lodge 136. The vigil honor name given to him was Gischihan, one who makes things. Dad spent countless hours creating things like OA character headdresses to buffalo hide powwow drums.
Dad was our Scouting foundation—but tonight is about honoring my brother.
There are fifteen years between my brother and me. There is not one day in my living memory that my brother was not an Eagle Scout. I walked down the hallway of our house, and every day I’d see the picture of Matt in his uniform with his Eagle Scout medal. My parents, relatives, and friends would ask me, "Are you going to become an Eagle Scout like your brother?” I lived in Matt’s shadow, so to speak, so it’s a good thing neither one of us are very tall.
Dad was our foundation in Scouting, but, for me, my brother Matt was always the stars—He was my inspiration, my hero since I was a boy to this very day. Matt has dedicated the years of his youth and adult life to the Scout Oath and Law, it is why I asked him over 20 years ago to give my Eagle Charge. There is no one more deserving of this award. I am lucky to have him as a brother, a fellow Eagle, and a role model for my kids who love their Uncle Matt. I say, congratulations.
I surprised him tonight by bringing the man who gave him his Eagle Charge many years ago, a lifelong family friend of our Dad, Mr. George. Thank You.
https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/silver-beaver/