Silver Buffalo Award recipients include volunteers who have shaped almost every aspect of Scouting and provided extraordinary service to youth. Since its inaugural class 100 years ago, the Silver Buffalo has been Scouting’s highest commendation. The 2026 class was recognized during the National Annual Meeting.
Nominations for the 2027 Silver Buffalo class are being accepted until August 31. Click here for more information.
2026 Silver Buffalo honorees
*recipient is an Eagle Scout
John A. Beebe Sr.*
Highland, Indiana
John Beebe has dedicated more than 70 years to Scouting America, a commitment that began in 1952 when he joined Cub Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1960. Over the decades, he has served in nearly every capacity imaginable, from Explorer Advisor and district commissioner to a member of the Calumet Council executive board. Since 2000, he has contributed his expertise to the National Committee, focusing on property management, and to the National Eagle Scout Association, where he remains a frequent speaker at Eagle ceremonies.
A Vietnam veteran and retired Local 374 Boilermaker, Beebe spent 35 years in the trade before retiring in 1999, earning the George Meany Award in 1998 for his labor and community contributions. His professional skills proved vital during the 2008 Munster floods, when he chaired the Construction Committee for the Lake Area Regional Recovery of Indiana, overseeing $16 million in recovery efforts — work that helped earn him recognition as a Distinguished Hoosier and the Silver Antelope Award in 2007. He also received the Cal Bellamy & R. Gary Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and was named an Outstanding Eagle Scout in 2015.
David Bell
Ponca City, Oklahoma
David Bell has dedicated more than 56 years to Scouting America, becoming one of the organization’s most influential voices in aquatics and safety. A Life Scout and camp aquatics counselor in his youth, Bell built a career as a geophysicist with a Ph.D. in physics, applying that analytical rigor to his lifelong mission of drowning prevention. For more than four decades he has been the primary author of the Lifesaving merit badge pamphlet and a co-author of the Swimming merit badge pamphlet, and he wrote the Aquatics Supervision manual used by adult leaders nationwide.
Bell has served on the National Camping School Aquatics staff for 51 sessions over 53 years and on Jamboree Aquatics staff for 12 events dating to 1985. He co-chaired the committee that developed the SAFE checklist in 2020, now a standard risk-management tool across Scouting. Beyond Scouting, he serves on the board of the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan and works with Water Safety USA, the American Red Cross and the Council for the Model Aquatics Health Code — often alongside his wife, Terry.
Timothy Carlton Brown*
Nicholasville, Kentucky
Timothy Carlton Brown says he views Scouting not merely as an organization but as a way of life. An Eagle Scout from the Class of 1976, he has dedicated nearly five decades to Scouting America, most notably in alumni engagement. As vice chair of Alumni Relations and Council Support for the Scouting Alumni National Committee, he has been a driving force in reconnecting former Scouts with the program — work recognized when he was named the 2024 National Alumnus of the Year. His leadership also extends to the National Eagle Scout Association Committee and the National Scouting Museum Committee.
Within the Order of the Arrow, Brown previously served as Lodge Adviser for Kawida Lodge and on the Southern Region OA Committee, and he directed the Alumni Relations Exhibit at the National Scout Jamboree. Professionally, Brown is an environmental scientist with the Kentucky Division of Forestry and holds a leadership post with the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He and his wife, Tami, have two children, Chelsea and Zachary, and three grandchildren, Rhett, Riggs and Collins.
John P. Dozier
Chicago, Illinois
John Dozier has dedicated more than five and a half decades to Scouting America, building a legacy that spans from local units to the international stage. A Star Scout as a youth, Dozier began his adult service 55 years ago and now serves as vice chair of Administration for the International Committee, following years of service on World Scout Jamboree staffs across the globe. He has staffed seven National Scout Jamborees and eight Order of the Arrow events, a tenure dating to 1973, and has served on five Wood Badge staffs.
His honors include the Silver Antelope Award (2024), the 2023 International Commissioner Award and the Silver Beaver Award. Dozier has also served as a National Human Resources Advisory member, on Public Relations and Communications committees, as a council vice chair of District Operations, and as an assistant Scoutmaster. A human resources professional by trade, he also volunteers with Junior Achievement. He and his wife, Judy Houston Dozier, have a daughter, LaTrina Spaulding, and three grandsons, Aiden, Thomas and Joseph.
Jay William Fox*
North Garden, Virginia
Jay Fox has combined a high-level career in medical science with more than five decades of service to Scouting America. Currently a professor and associate director of the University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Fox earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1966 before going on to more than 53 years of adult leadership, including as Scoutmaster of Troop 37 and Troop 3711 and Cubmaster of Pack 27. Within the Virginia Headwaters Council, he has served as vice president of camping and overseen the Eagle Scout service project review process.
Nationally, Fox is a recognized authority in aquatics, having served on the National Camp School Aquatics staff since 1973, on the National Aquatics Subcommittee, as National Jamboree Aquatics Chair and as a Regional NCAP Chair. His honors include the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, the Silver Beaver Award and the Silver Antelope Award. Outside Scouting, he’s active with the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association and coaches youth baseball. Fox is the proud father of an Eagle Scout, his son, Jordan.
David Alan Gingras*
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
David Gingras, a financial leader and dedicated Scouting volunteer, has committed nearly six decades to Scouting America. After earning his Eagle Scout rank as a youth, Gingras built a 59-year tenure of service within the Washington Crossing Council and at the national level, becoming a cornerstone of Scouting’s most high-profile events. He supported Presidential visits and Coast Guard exhibits at National Scout Jamborees and provided logistical leadership for Special Guest Receptions from 1989 to 2005.
Gingras’s most lasting impact may be personal: He has counseled and mentored more than 125 Scouts through their Eagle Scout requirements. His civic roles include serving as a Master Official for USA Track and Field, an Aerospace Education Officer for the Civil Air Patrol and a Scouting Liaison for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Currently president of American Financial Advisors LLC, Gingras finds pride in his children, Gail and Peter; grandchildren, Carter and Madison; and three great-grandchildren, Anistyn, Ariella and Sawyer.
Jane L. Grossman
Town and Country, Missouri
Jane Grossman has dedicated more than 44 years of adult service to Scouting, leaving an indelible mark on the organization’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility. A retired vice president of Update Systems Inc., Grossman rewrote the Philmont Training Center syllabus for a course serving Scouts with special needs — an effort that helped reinstate the National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee, which she helped grow into a vital resource. She also headed the Special Needs Services crew at the 2019 World Jamboree at the Summit.
Grossman believes Scouting is often the first place youth with disabilities feel like equals to their peers. Her honors include the Silver Antelope Award (2008), the Woods Services Award (2005) and the Silver Beaver Award (1995). She previously served as a Brownie and Junior Girl Scout leader and remains active at Congregation Shaare Emeth, where she established a Youth Engagement Endowment Fund. She and her husband, Jim, have two children, Daniel and Leslie, and four grandchildren, Carter, Amelia, Matai and Natan.
Richard Hathaway
East Hampton, Connecticut
Richard “Rick” Hathaway has merged a distinguished career with a profound commitment to Scouting’s global development of youth leadership. A Star Scout in his youth, Hathaway has given more than 25 years of adult service, much of it overseas — serving in council leadership roles for the Far East Council and the Transatlantic Council, including as council officer, district chair, NYLT Scoutmaster and Wood Badge staff. He helped create Scouting America camp programs in Thailand, Nepal, Mongolia and Kenya, and counts his time as Scoutmaster of Troop 701 in Bangkok as his proudest Scouting achievement.
Currently Managing Director of Global Learning Lab International, Hathaway holds a Doctor of Education from Northeastern University, where his research focused on emerging young leaders in civil society. His honors include the Silver Antelope, the Silver Beaver, the Asian American Service Award, the Vigil Honor and the Silver Acorn for service to Nepal Scouting. He is a member of the Baden-Powell Fellowship. Hathaway and his wife, Wansook, have two children, Christine and Justin.
James Terry Honan*
Eufaula, Alabama
James Terry Honan has dedicated more than seven decades to Scouting, joining Cub Scouts in 1954 and earning his Eagle Scout rank in 1961. He went on to serve as Scoutmaster and Cub Scout den leader before stepping into administrative roles including district chairman and multiple terms as council president. He served as chairman of the International Committee, on the National Executive Board and on the InterAmerican Scout Region Committee, and staffed 16 National and World Jamborees.
Within the Order of the Arrow, Honan is a Vigil Honor member and Distinguished Service Award recipient who takes pride in his years advising Cowikee Lodge’s ceremony team, which won section competitions and placed at National Order of the Arrow Conferences. He later served 15 years on the National Order of the Arrow Committee. His honors include the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and the InterAmerican Regions Youth of the Americas Award. Outside Scouting, Honan served as CEO of Blount Construction Group and is an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Claire, have an Eagle Scout son, Mathew, and two granddaughters, Bird and Pearl.
Dennis M. Kampa*
Berthoud, Colorado
Dennis Kampa has built a legacy centered on outdoor education during his 50 years of membership in Scouting. An Eagle Scout from the Milwaukee County Council Class of 1970, Kampa was the primary architect of the original Pack Camping Program Feature, which pioneered outdoor experiences for Cub Scouts and their families. Since 2000, he has served as originator and developer of the Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) syllabus, a critical training tool for thousands of adult leaders, and continues as National Camping School coordinator for outdoor programs.
Kampa’s leadership spans multiple councils, including as council president for the Rocky Mountain Council and council commissioner for both the Southern Sierra and Rocky Mountain Councils. His honors include the Silver Antelope, the Silver Beaver and the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award. He is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow and a dedicated docent for the National Scouting Museum. A retired field service engineer for GE Healthcare Technologies, Kampa and his wife, Vickie, have two children, David and Diana, and four grandchildren, Aiden, Hannah, Jacob and Ava.
Michael R. Philbrook*
San Diego, California
Michael Philbrook has dedicated more than 40 years to Scouting America since earning his Eagle Scout rank in 1979, serving as Scoutmaster for traditional troops and units specialized for the hearing-impaired, and as Skipper for Ship 1001 since 1997. His council-level roles include Council Commissioner, Council Sea Scout Commodore and Lodge Adviser for the Tiwahe Lodge, and his influence has extended internationally as Scoutmaster or Skipper for six World Scout Jamborees between 1995 and 2023.
Nationally, Philbrook served on the National Sea Scout Committee for nearly two decades and chaired the William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup in 2018; he also led development of OA LodgeMaster. His honors include the Silver Antelope, the OA Distinguished Service Award and the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award. A retired federal employee with 30 years of service — including as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy and later specializing in submarine communications as a civilian — Philbrook now works as a substitute teacher and says his greatest reward is watching the “continuum of growth” in the youth he mentors.
Rev. David Weyrick*
Akron, Ohio
Rev. David Weyrick, Ph.D., has dedicated more than 50 years of adult service to Scouting, building a career spanning local units to national committees. An Eagle Scout, he began as a senior patrol leader before serving many years as a unit leader, later becoming Council Vice President for the Great Trail Council and an Area President. He has served as a National Jamboree chaplain since 2005 and twice as a subcamp chief, and continues to teach the importance of positive relationships with youth through council and Philmont Training Center events.
Professionally a pastor in both Presbyterian and Lutheran congregations, Weyrick spent two decades as president of the Stow Clergy Association in Ohio. His honors include the Silver Antelope, the Silver Beaver and the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award; he also received the International Award in 2019 and is an Order of the Arrow Centurion. He is most proud of chairing the 100th Anniversary Celebration for Camp Manatoc, a two-year effort that drew more than 3,000 participants. He and his wife, Beth, have two children, Amy and Josh, and two grandchildren, Madelyn and Landon.
Barry F. Williams*
Randallstown, Maryland
Barry Williams achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 1972 and went on to dedicate nearly 30 years to adult leadership within Scouting America, serving as a Lodge Chief and earning the Vigil Honor in 1974. He calls his Eagle rank the achievement he’s most proud of in the movement. Williams served multiple terms as Council President and as Vice President of Learning for Life, and his regional impact included service as Northeast Regional President, Northeast Region Executive Vice President and Area President.
A retired educator and former director of recreation and parks, Williams now leads Barry F. Williams Consultants. His honors include the Silver Antelope, the Silver Beaver and the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award; he was named the 2024 Alumnus of the Year and received the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award for his commitment to underrepresented communities. Outside Scouting, he serves on the boards of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Central YMCA of Maryland and lends his voice to professional narration work. He and his wife, Linda, have sons Christopher and Patrick and two grandchildren, Patrick and Paige.
Patricia Jeanne Wrath
Kailua, Hawaii
Patricia “Pat” Wrath’s Scouting journey is defined by her commitment to leadership training and outdoor programs across 35 years of adult service to Scouting America. At the unit level, she served as a Cubmaster and assistant den leader in the early 1990s before working on the Aloha Council’s training committees and serving more than 20 years as faculty for Wood Badge and Course Director Conferences. She has held staff positions at National and World Scout Jamborees and served as Western Region Area 6 Training Chair.
Her lifelong commitment to youth development began in the Camp Fire Girls, where she earned the Torch Bearer rank. She is especially proud of her work with the National Junior Leader Instructor Camp, the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience pilot and, for the past 10 years, the NYLT Leadership Academy program. Her honors include the Silver Antelope (2017), the Silver Beaver (2000) and the Vigil Honor (2015). A former Recreation Specialist for Honolulu Parks and Recreation, Wrath is a longtime volunteer for the Girl Scouts of the USA and a blood drive organizer for the Blood Bank of Hawaii. She is the proud mother of an Eagle Scout, John Ikaika Wrath.
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