The “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt Foundation created the Hillcourt Silver Medal in 2024 to honor those who have dedicated significant time to preserve Scouting’s long and illustrious history. The 2026 recipients of the Hillcourt Silver Medal are Stephen L. Bowen and Elizabeth Elwell-Cook. Here’s a closer look.
Stephen L. Bowen
Bowen, a longtime Scouting America volunteer and member of the Montana Council, created the concept, format and requirements of Scouting America’s Scouting Heritage merit badge. He championed the idea in the Advancement Committee for five years, gaining approval in time to celebrate BSA’s centennial in 2010. He edited the merit badge pamphlet through several editions over the next 16 years. Thanks to his dream, he’s provided historical knowledge and perspective to an estimated 100,000 Scouts.
Bowen also established a Boy Scout display for the Pioneers’ Museum in Imperial, California, a project that tells the story of Scouting to residents and visitors near the U.S.-Mexico border. He’s served on the National Committee of the National Eagle Scout Association and the National Program Content Committee, and has held many positions with the San Diego-Imperial Council of Scouting America.
Elizabeth Elwell-Cook
Elwell-Cook, of New South Wales, Australia, is a scholar, researcher, educator and conservator whose extensive research has made her one of the world’s leading experts on Girl Guide uniforms and memorabilia. (Sir Robert Baden-Powell founded Girl Guiding after seeing the success of Boy Scouts.) In the past 10 years, she’s authored five scholarly articles, contributed resources to several published books, and made presentations or given lectures at 10 exhibitions and seminars.
Elwell-Cook’s research has also enabled various Scouting organizations to recover numerous lost historical records and artifacts. Those benefiting from her work include the Baden-Powell family and Gilwell Park, the headquarters and principal campsite of the Scout Association in the United Kingdom. Since 2017, she’s also provided volunteer training for Girl Guides across South Africa, the United Kingdom and Australia.
More about the Hillcourt Silver Medal
The Silver Medal is presented annually to historians who have given distinguished service to Scouting history at the national or international levels, including Scouting organizations throughout the world. Recipients may be professional or avocational historians, including professors, teachers, museum directors and curators, archivists, librarians, independent scholars, authors, artists and collectors.
To be eligible, the service to the history of Scouting can be in any form or medium, including books, articles, museums, displays, speeches, conferences, film and other forms of art.
Hillcourt announces Bronze Medal recipients
To thank Scouters who have donated decades of service to the preservation of Scouting America’s history, the Hillcourt Foundation expanded its awards program last year by creating the Hillcourt Bronze Medal. The inaugural class included 13 researchers, scholars and distinguished volunteers.
This year, the foundation awarded Hillcourt Bronze Medals to 17 people for outstanding contributions to the history of Scouting and Guiding at the local and regional levels.
- Nick J. Badgerow, Heart of America Council, Kansas City, Missouri
- Timothy C. Brown, Bluegrass Council, Lexington, Kentucky
- Andrew R. Coe, Chester County Council, Exton, Pennsylvania
- George S. Cuhaj, Bay Lakes Council, Appleton, Wisconsin
- Frank Hilton, Texas Southwest Council, San Angelo, Texas
- Phil Ledbetter, Cherokee Area Council, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Lisa Dennis Mahler, Texas Southwest Council, San Angelo, Texas
- Kevin Martin, Cherokee Area Council, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Gregory Pedlow, Transatlantic Council, Belgium
- Thomas E. Reddin, National Capital Area Council, Bethesda, Maryland
- Jon Slaton, Minsi Trails Council, Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Te Starr, Capitol Area Council, Austin, Texas
- William D. Storey, Chattahoochee Council, Columbus, Georgia
- John “JT” Thomas, Cherokee Area Council, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Stephen Casey Warren, Blue Ridge Mountains Council, Roanoke, Virginia
- David Weyrick, Great Trail Council, Stow, Ohio
- Alex Wiatt, Virginia Headwaters Council, Staunton, Virginia
Photos courtesy of the Hillcourt Foundation
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