The “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Hillcourt Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to youth Arrowmen (16-20) committed to serving the OA and Scouting as members of the OA’s staff for a national jamboree.
Upon learning about the unique group of Hillcourt Scholarship recipients, Mack Zewalk, lead adviser for Operation Arrow affirmed, “We could not be prouder of the young Arrowmen selected for this scholarship. The selection committee received an impressive group of applications and I am incredibly impressed by this excellent class of recipients. I look forward to joining with them and hundreds of our fellow Arrowmen as we cheerfully serve our fellow Scouts and Scouters from all over the country and world at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.”
The following Arrowmen have been selected for this scholarship:
| Name | City | Council | Lodge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedro Baylon | Saint Cloud, FL | Central Florida Council | Tipisa Lodge |
| Sebastian Bodkin | Niagara Falls, NY | Greater Niagara Frontier Council | Ho-De-No-Sau-Nee Lodge |
| Addison Broom | Goodwater, AL | Tukabatchee Area Council | Alibamu Lodge |
| Seth Greiling | Chesapeake, VA | Tidewater Council | Blue Heron Lodge |
| Ryan Hansen | Fergus Falls, MN | Northern Lights Council | Pa-Hin Lodge |
| Thomas Hauser | Monroe, NC | Central North Carolina Council | Itibapishe Iti Hollo Lodge |
| Colin Howard | Albuquerque, NM | Great Southwest Council | Yah-Tah-Hey-Si-Kess Lodge |
| Chris Iverson | West Long Branch, NJ | Monmouth Council | Na Tsi Hi Lodge |
| Cory Johnson | Wauseon, OH | Black Swamp Area Council | Mawat Woakus Lodge |
| Kyle David Kipple | Jacksonville, FL | North Florida Council | Echockotee Lodge |
| Ethan Alexander Mooney | Zelienople, PA | Moraine Trails Council | Kuskitannee Lodge |
| Bryton Moore | Everett, WA | Mount Baker Council | Sikhs Mox Lamonti Lodge |
| Kaden Rickett | Fort Collins, CO | Longs Peak Council | Kola Lodge |
| Kyle Silligman | Vernalis, CA | Greater Yosemite Council | Toloma Lodge |
| Joshua Squirrell | Orrville, OH | Buckeye Council | Sipp-O Lodge |
| Grant Sullivan | Salisbury, MD | Del-Mar-Va Council | Nentego Lodge |
| Jared Sullivan | Salisbury, MD | Del-Mar-Va Council | Nentego Lodge |
| Michael Joseph Valenti | Lutz, FL | Greater Tampa Bay Area | Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge |
| John Alexander Warren | Lynchburg, VA | Blue Ridge Mountains Council | Tutelo Lodge |
| Thomas Driscoll | Zephyrhills, FL | Greater Tampa Bay Area | Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge |
The “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt Foundation is the literary and financial executor of the estate of William Hillcourt (1900-1992), one of the world’s most widely known and respected Scouters and a member of the national BSA staff from 1926 to 1965. A Scout since 1910, Bill was a protege of Robert Baden-Powell and Scouting’s most prolific author, having written hundreds of articles for Boys’ Life and Scouting magazine, three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, the first editions of the Handbook for Patrol Leaders and the Scout Fieldbook, and the best-selling biography of Scouting’s founder, Baden-Powell: The Two Lives of a Hero. He was America’s first Wood Badge Scoutmaster, and spent his retirement years traveling the globe to train leaders, for which he was recognized as “Scoutmaster to the World.” He was recognized with the Silver Buffalo and Bronze Wolf Awards. He was a Vigil Honor member of Unami Lodge (Paragraph adapted from “Hillcourt Jamboree Staff Scholarships Awarded,” 2013).
So too, these Arrowmen selected “have demonstrated a dedication to their communities through work with their local Scouting programs,” remarked 2017 National Chief Forrest Gertin. “We are excited to have them join the Operation Arrow team, and deepen their commitment to unselfish service.”
Please join us in congratulating the Hillcourt Scholarship recipients. We look forward to fueling Scouting’s adventure with them this summer!