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Seventh National Executive Secretary

William (Bill) Downs served the OA as a full time National Executive Secretary from 1974 – 1985. He had served longer as National Secretary than any of his predecessors. When Bill Downs came to the OA he had been working on Boys Life.

He left to become Circulation Director for Boys Life and Scouting Magazines. G. Allen Mossman was appointed as the seventh National Executive Secretary replacing Downs. Mossman had been in professional Scouter service for thirty years prior to becoming the lead for the OA. He had held numerous lead professional positions and had been a member of the national staff. By the conclusion of Mossman’s service, the position was renamed National Director of OA.

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1979 DSA Recipients

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. The following were presented the DSA at the 1979 National Order of the Arrow Conference - Albert E. Bender Jr., Jeffrey Bevan Sr., Gerald J. Bisson, Gary H. Bonas Jr., Chris Boswell, William J. Breland, William R. Bryant, Rick Burton, Carroll J. Carbonneau, Charles Clabots, Lawrence J. Ewaska, Bryce J. Fairbanks, Bradley K. Harris, Eric Helgemoe, Michael H. Holmes, William F. Ketron, Ben Lindsay, Richard MacDonald, Paul Roy Martinez, E. Ray Mueller, Tommy E. Nelson, Sheridan U. Nunn, C. Timothy Osborn, Jay E. Schnapp, Virgil L. Smith, Charles S. Sullivan, Gilson M. Talmadge, James L. Tarr, Edward Trust and David Worland.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

OA Personal Involvement Award 1980

The 1980 Arrowman’s Personal Involvement Award was created for Arrowmen to serve the Scouting program where their primary responsibility lies, at the unit level. The award was adopted by the National OA Committee and was introduced at the 1979 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC).

The requirements for the award were created to allow Arrowmen to earn the award completely in the unit. The requirements for youth (under the age of 18) covered the areas of Troop Program Involvement, the Troop Camping Experience, Webelos-To-Scout Transition, and Family Understanding. The requirements for adults (over the age of 18) were similar, but the requirements called for Arrowmen to play an advisory role in the youths’ fulfillment of their requirements.

Arrowmen could start working on the award on August 13, 1979. All requirements had to be completed by June 30, 1981.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

Third National Indian Seminar

Building on the successes of the first two events, the third National Indian Seminar was held at Beaumont Scout Reservation near St. Louis, Missouri from August 9-16, 1980. Approximately 125 participants and 67 faculty/staff members from around the country participated in the seven-day event. Like previous seminars, the central focus of the event was to train and educate Arrowmen on Native American customs, culture, and traditions. National OA Committee member and Lead Adviser for Indian Events, Don Thom along with OA Executive Secretary, Bill Downs served as Co-Directors of the seminar. Another National OA Committee member and Indian Events subcommittee member, Greg Guy, served as the seminar’s Program Director. Greg had been actively involved in the planning and administration of all previous National Indian Seminars, and Steve McMurtry (1973 deputy conference vice chief for Indian Events) once again assisted him at this event. Youth leaders for the seminar included Mark Hobgood serving as Program Staff Chief, and Peter Haines serving as Administrative Staff Chief. National Chief Jeff Herrmann spent three days at the event and was able to witness first hand the devotion to details by all participants, faculty, and staff. Several special guests and consultants were also in attendance throughout the event including Miss Melanie Tallmadge (1980 Miss Indian America); Mrs. Nettie Showaway of the Yakima Tribe; and the Order’s good friends Scott & Doris Tonemah of the Kiowa and Caddo Tribes respectively.

The cost of the seminar was $110.00 per participant, and included instruction in Indian singing, dancing, crafts, legend history, and customs. Cultural areas featured at the third National Indian Seminar were those of the Northern Plains/Plateau, Southern Plains, Northeastern, and Southeastern Indians, and participants received expert course instruction throughout the event. In addition to the instructional program, participants were given the opportunity to put their knowledge to work at three separate pow-wows throughout the week. The 1980 National Indian Seminar was an extremely successful Order of the Arrow event featuring good food, fine facilities, good camping, and excellent instruction. Any Arrowman who left the seminar feeling ‘short-changed’ had only them self to blame.

The next National Indian Seminar would be held in 1982.

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1980 National Planning Meeting

The 1980 National Planning Meeting was held at the end of the year in Austin, Texas, home of the University of Texas and scheduled site for the 1981 NOAC. The majority of the meeting was consumed with preparations for the upcoming NOAC. Brad Starr of Klahican Lodge, Wilmington, North Carolina was elected National Chief. Kevin Moll of Ha-Kin-Skay-A-Ki Lodge, Colorado Springs, Colorado was elected National Vice Chief. The Regions Chiefs elected were, Richard Aberle - Northeast Region, Allen Cooper - Southeast Region, Rob Akes - East Central Region, Jim Rhodes - South Central Region, Arnold Heck - North Central Region and Kurt Christiansen - Western Region.

3, Elections, OA, Scouting

OA Personal Involvement Award 1981

National Chief Jeff Herrmann announced the original OA Personal Involvement Award at the 1979 NOAC. The program was specifically created to give incentives to Arrowmen to provide cheerful service at the unit level, the primary responsibility of each member.

Those that received the award in the first year received an award patch dated 1980. As an incentive for Arrowmen to earn the award, or to earn the award again and continue to build on a successful program, a second patch was made dated 1981.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

1981 National Jamboree

In 1981, the National Scout Jamboree moved to Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, which would be the permanent location for many jamborees to come. The jamboree was held from July 29 to August 4 with the theme “Scouting’s Reunion with History”. 29,765 Scouts participated in the Jamboree.

The opening show was a spectacular that featured twenty-four hundred Scouts acting out “America’s Heritage” from colonial times to the present. Patrol activities became standard and for the first time, schedules of patrol activities were computerized. On arriving at the jamboree, each troop received a computer printout of the activities available to its patrols, and activity tickets to go with them.

Continuing the practice established at the 1977 jamboree, National Vice Chairman Carl Marchetti again served as the Chairman of Youth Services and National Executive Secretary Bill Downs served as Director for a total of approximately 800 youth Jamboree staff.

Past National Committee Chairman George Feil served as the director of the OA Service Corps. Service duties continued as at past Jamborees and included such duties as ushers during arena shows, conducting flag ceremonies, logistics support, aides to personnel, office assistants, program aides and a variety of other tasks.

After the Jamboree, the National OA Committee concluded that the increased involvement by the OA and its leadership in producing a Jamboree had grown to the point that it would not be practicable in the future to hold a National OA Conference in a Jamboree year. 1981 marked the last summer with both a Jamboree and a NOAC.

3, National Event, OA, Scouting

NOAC 1981

The 1981 National Order of the Arrow Conference was held at the University of Texas, Austin. This was the first Conference held since the passing of E. Urner Goodman. A memorial was a portion of the opening show and the Founder’s Award was announced to the 3,200 delegates. Goodman’s likeness adorned the official NOAC pocket patch. This Conference also had the first Founder’s Day, starting a tradition that instantly became a NOAC favorite.

The Conference theme reflected on Goodman’s life and his work. "First a Spark, Now a Flame" recalling how the OA started on one transformative night on a distant island camp in the middle of the Delaware River, and now had inducted well over a million honor Scouts from across the nation and around the world.  Louise Goodman attended the conference, spoke and received the Red Arrow Award.

The conference featured training and the usual competitions in Indian Dance, ceremonies and sports.  The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) was presented.

1981 was the last time that a NOAC and National Jamboree occurred in the same year. They had previously coincided in 1950, 1969, 1973 and 1977 as well as for the USA hosted 1967 World Jamboree. While the OA had provided service corps at each of these jamborees, the increased dependency on Arrowmen to run a Jamboree made holding a NOAC in the same year prohibitive. Too many of the National OA Committee members and much of the key staff would be over committed. The needs of the BSA come first thus NOACs often have to skip a year to be compatible with the National Jamboree schedule.

3, National Event, OA, Scouting

1981 DSA Recipients

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. The following were presented the DSA at the 1981 National Order of the Arrow Conference - George Andrews, Nelson Craig Bass, Robert Dale Beaty, Hugh T. Bender Sr., Jeffrey Thomas Britton, Larry Brown, Paul Webb Carter, James L. Chandler, Gary D. Christiansen, Joseph D. Clark, James W. Clough, Richard E. Gingras, Richard W. Good, Jerry L. Harben, Samuel H. Hathaway, Jeff Herrmann, William H. Hofmann, Roger Hoyme, Eugene Jackson Jr., James E. Johnson, Brian Kasal, Joseph Alexander, Charles Rowan Lindsay, Leonard Louis Lucchi, Robert D. Matthews, Joseph J. Merton, J.M. Montgomery, Danny R. Musick, Sherwood F. "Rick" Obermeyer, Robert L. Pattison Jr., Donald A. Peters, Edgar W. Reeves, Stephen Douglas Shawley, Herbert H. "Dusty" Sparks Jr., John Haywood Taylor, Robert S. Thornton, Jody Troyan, Edward J. Wacker and Stephen F. Willis.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

Fourth National Indian Seminar

The fourth National Indian Seminar was held from July 31-August 7, 1982 at Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch near Elbert, Colorado, roughly 70 miles south of Denver. Approximately 145 Indian enthusiasts from lodges around the country, as well as 55 staff members participated in the weeklong event. In keeping with tradition established at previous seminars, the main focus of the event was the training and education of Arrowmen on Native American customs, culture, and traditions. Once again National OA Committee member and Lead Adviser for Indian Events, Don Thom along with OA Executive Secretary, Bill Downs together served as co-directors of the seminar. National OA Committee member Greg Guy continued to serve in his role as the seminar’s Program Director. The seminar’s administrative leaders were able to secure a sufficient number of highly qualified staff to ensure participants the opportunity to learn about a wide range of topics, and the chance to work with both Indian and non-Indian instructors on a one-on-one basis.

The seminar’s cost was $125.00 per participant. The fee included food, lodging and most significantly, expert instruction in Indian singing, various styles of dancing, crafts, regalia, history, and customs. Instruction was also given to participants on all of the main Indian groups of the United States, however it was understood by the seminar’s administrative staff that most Indian hobbyists have a special interest in a particular tribe or culture. To service those individual interests, time was allotted at the seminar so that participants were able to concentrate on whatever special area of Native American history they desired. Various cultural areas were once again featured at the fourth National Indian Seminar, and they included those of the Northern & Southern Plains, Northeastern, and Southeastern Indians.

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1982 National Planning Meeting

The 1982 National Planning Meeting was held at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, about 50 miles from Rutgers University. Rutgers had been selected as the site for the 1983 NOAC. Robert A. Wade of Ketchikeniqua Lodge, Delta, Ohio was elected National Chief and William B. O’Tuel, Muscogee Lodge, Harleyville, South Carolina, National Vice Chief.

Region Chiefs elected were James Stanton – Northeast Region, David Lang – South Central Region, Darrel Bieker – North Central Region, Jason P. Hood – Southeast Region, and Rick Woodward – East Central Region and Michael Sachs – Western Region.

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NOAC 1983

3,328 Arrowmen came to Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey to attend the 1983 National Order of the Arrow Conference. The theme selected for this event was different than those in the past. The theme selected at the National Planning Meeting was “Those who chose you need you”. This theme was a reminder to Arrowmen of their duty to their home troop. Teaching each delegate their responsibility to bring the knowledge, enthusiasm, experience and excitement learned at the NOAC back to their home unit was the training point of emphasis.

NOAC delegates were offered the opportunity to camp at Treasure Island before or after the conference.  During the conference many Arrowmen took advantage of the "Treasure Island Adventure Camp" program where they had an opportunity to tour the birthplace of the Order and witness a re-creation of the first ceremony.

Chief Scout Executive James L. Tarr keynoted the opening show. To highlight training, there was a Training Show to fire up the delegates before they went to the their classes. Following the presentation of the OA Distinguished Service Award (DSA) National Chief Bob Wade gave the closing challenge, the role that had in the past been performed by Goodman.

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