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Silver Beaver Award

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Silver Beaver Award
Silver Beaver medal and square knot
OwnerScouting America
CountryUnited States
Created1931
Awarded forDistinguished service to youth in a council
Recipients50,000+[1]
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Silver Antelope Award
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The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of Scouting America. Recipients of the award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.[1]

Those deemed worthy of the award by their local council must be approved by the National Court of Honor. Upon their approval, recipients are presented with a silver beaver pendant suspended from a blue and white ribbon, as well as the corresponding square knot.[2]

History

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The Silver Beaver was introduced in 1931 as a pin-on medal, but due to the heavy weight of the medallion it was switched over to a neck ribbon in mid-1932.[3] A blue-white-blue ribbon bar was introduced in 1934 for informal uniform wear. In 1946, ribbon bars were replaced by the current knot insignia.[4]

The Silver Beaver was initially awarded only to men. The Silver Fawn Award, an equivalent for women, was awarded starting in 1971. It used the same knot insignia, but on a blue background, as women were mostly involved in Cub Scouting during this period. The Silver Fawn was discontinued and the Silver Beaver began to be awarded to women in 1974. A total of 2,455 Silver Fawns were awarded to outstanding women for support of Cub Scouting before the award was discontinued in 1974.[5]

Using the United States Military as the model, silver awards are the highest awards in Scouting America.[6][7] Scouting America currently awards three silver awards, the Silver Beaver, the Silver Antelope and the Silver Buffalo.

Notable recipients

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Distinguished Service Awards". Fact Sheets. Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  2. ^ "Silver Beaver Award". Boy Scouts of America.
  3. ^ Reis, Mitch. "Silver Beaver Medals". Boy Scout Memorabilia, Patches And Collectibles Home Page. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  4. ^ "Illustrated History of BSA Square Knot Evolution and Private Issues" (PDF). SageVenture. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
  5. ^ "The Silver Fawn Medal". The Virtual Cub Leader's Handbook. Archived from the original on 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  6. ^ "Silver Outranks Gold". SageVenture. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  7. ^ Wendell, Bryan (2011-04-14). "Ask the Expert: Why does silver outrank gold in Scouting awards?". Bryan on Scouting. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
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