Onward Arrowman Plan II

Based on the success of the Onward Arrowmen Plan implemented in 1965, an Onward Arrowmen Plan II was announced at the 1967 National Conference. It included a two-year focus by the Order in four main areas: a Personal Challenge, a Lodge Challenge, an Area Conference Challenge and a National Challenge.

As presented in the winter 1968 national bulletin, it read as follows:

   ONWARD ARROWMEN PLAN II

   With hearts and wills united, let us strive to meet these challenges:

   PERSONAL CHALLENGE

   Each Arrowman will strive to:

- Be more aware of his spiritual commitment.

- Seal his bond in the Order by attaining the Brotherhood Honor.

- Accept his obligation as an Arrowman and a Boy Scout or Explorer today – as a Scouter tomorrow.

- Advance in Scout rank, or as an Explorer, fulfill his responsibilities in his post program.

- Recruit one new boy or adult into Scouting annually.

- Promote the correct wearing of the uniform through personal example.

   LODGE CHALLENGE

   Every lodge, in cooperation with council camping and conservation committees, will strive to:

- Improve its support of the council camping and conservation program.

- Perpetuate our American Indian culture and traditions.

- Develop a training program for new lodge and chapter officers and advisers.

- Promote leadership among younger members.

- Assist with promotion of outdoor and camping skills by:

1. Providing visual aids for camping promotion.

2. Compiling an up-to-date “Where to Go Camping” booklet for Boy Scout troops and Explorer posts.

- Improve communication through regular publication of lodge bulletins and newsletters.

- Conduct annual Order of the Arrow membership elections in every eligible Boy Scout troop and Explorer post.

- Maintain complete and current membership and financial records.

- Implement revised membership requirements through the lodge program as they become effective.

   AREA CONFERENCE CHALLENGE

   Area training conferences are held at least every other year for the purpose of training lodge and chapter officers and advisers. Emphasis will be placed on:

- Camping promotion and service to camping.

- Improving interlodge relationships in the spirit of Brotherhood.

- The national Order of the Arrow training program.

   NATIONAL CHALLENGE

   The National Order of the Arrow Committee, together with the camping and conservation service, will aid Arrowmen, lodges, and areas by:

- Maintaining national standards for lodge organization and administration.

- Providing training aids and information.

- Encouraging total lodge participation in a nation-wide Order of the Arrow camping and conservation promotion program.

- Promoting professional Scouting as a career.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

Fifth National OA Secretary

In the fall of 1968 Martin Mockford stepped down from the position of National Secretary of the Order of the Arrow. Mockford had served for nearly 10 years in the position, longer than any previous secretary. Mockford was moving on to become Deputy Regional Scout Executive in Dallas, Texas.

Mockford’s replacement was David J. Boshea. Boshea was coming into the position with the most professional Scouter experience of any new National Secretary. Boshea had been a professional for 18 years and was serving as an Assistant Borough Scout Executive in the Greater New York Councils. Boshea served as National Secretary for five years.

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An Arrowman's Profile - Desegregation of OA

Dr. David Briscoe grew up in Mars Hill, North Carolina, a small agrarian community 18 miles north of Asheville. He joined the Boy Scouts in 1965, earned Eagle Scout in 1968, and became a member of Tsali Lodge 134 in 1968. He was the first African American inductee and Vigil Honor member in that lodge which had existed for thirty years, at a time where segregation still dominated the South. He received Brotherhood in 1969, and the Vigil Honor in 1973. What follows is Dr. Briscoe’s Scout story as told in own words.

I helped organize my first troop. I was fourteen years old. It’s an interesting story, because in 1963, I was bussed from Mars Hill to the city schools in Asheville. I went to a one-room schoolhouse for six years. When you went to the sixth grade you had to be bussed to the city for the seventh and eighth grade junior high, and then once you got to the ninth grade you went to the Stevens High School. That’s a major high school in Asheville. Junior high for seventh and eighth grade was (segregated) black. So let me tell what happened to me. I’ll never forget when we had library period. Here I was in the seventh grade. I went to the library and there was a rack over there with magazines. And there was a Boys’ Life. And I looked at that Boys’ Life and I nearly went crazy. The Boy Scout Handbook had Scout hiking; man I lost my mind. I was just so enthralled with all that.

But there was no black troop in Mars Hill, but there was a white troop...102, in Mars Hill. Segregation was de jure at that time by law. I knew all these white kids but we didn’t mix when it came to going to school and Scouting activities.

So a year and a half went by and my buddies and me pretended to be Scouts. We pretended to be Scouts, unofficially. There was a black kid in Asheville that was part of troop 154. Okay, he brought an old battered handbook to class one day. He brought it to class and I was looking at it and I said, ‘I need to buy this book from you. I said, how much do you want for it?’ He said, ‘A dollar.’ Had I known that I could have gone up to the Scout shop I could have bought a brand new one for a dollar. So I bought it. I saved my lunch money. Lunch was 25 cents a day.

I skipped lunch. I bought the Scout Handbook. They had a section in the first few pages that said that if you lived in a community that there was no Scout troop, you could organize a Lone Scout patrol or a neighborhood patrol. So I wrote to Edgar Wolfe at the national office who was in-charge of rural relationships. I still have the letter.

He sent me a letter back, he wrote ‘Master David Briscoe, you live in an area under the leadership of Ken Drupiewski the Scout Executive of the Daniel Boone Council.' So in two weeks the district executive named Frank Gay came to visit my uncle. My uncle was a big community leader. And we got the Scout troop started. My uncle was my Scoutmaster.

I passed my Tenderfoot requirements in front of the whole troop. And I’ll never forget my uncle said, ‘Which of you boys will be my first Eagle Scout?’ I raised my hand. I was scared. I raised my hand. I did become that Eagle Scout. So I always take credit really. So my dad was involved, my brother’s were involved. Later my brother was my Scoutmaster when I earned my Eagle. 

Dr Briscoe has received many honors and has provided a lifetime of service to the Order, Scouting and the community. He received the Founders Award in 1991 and the OA Distinguished Service Award in 1992. Dr. Briscoe served on the National OA Committee from 1993 to 2003. He received the Silver Beaver in 1981, the Silver Antelope in 1996, the Silver Buffalo in 2005, and was conferred the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 2008. Dr. Briscoe has served and continues to serve on many national Scout committees.

Dr. Briscoe is presently a Professor of Sociology at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock where he has taught such courses as Introduction to Sociology, Family Violence, Family Sociology, Experiences of Black Americans, and Social Problems.

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Jim Lovell

Jim Lovell is best known as the Commander of the Apollo 13 mission. He was also an Arrowman. Lovell was an Eagle Scout serving in Milwaukee County Council and in 1946 served as lodge treasurer of Mikano Lodge.

Lovell piloted the Gemini 7 space flight in December of 1965 and Gemini 12 in November of 1966. As Goodman put it,

we shot an Arrowman in the air.

In December 1968 Lovell was Commander of the first flight to orbit the moon. Upon his return he presented a Mikano Lodge flap that had traveled to the moon and back with him. In 1970 Jim Lovell was Commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 flight. Lovell wrote about the experience in his book, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13. The mission was popularized in the movie, Apollo 13, with Tom Hanks playing Lovell. Lovell had intended to bring a Mikano Lodge flap to the moon and actually coat it in lunar dust.

In a “Dewey defeats Truman” type article in the National Bulletin an article was placed proclaiming that Lovell had attempted to start a lodge on the Moon and that the flap with lunar dust was on display at the national office. By the time the article was published virtually everyone on the planet knew of the failed lunar mission.

Jim Lovell received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1990 and served as the President of NESA, the National Eagle Scout Association, in the mid-1990s. He received the Silver Buffalo Award from the National Council in 1992.

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1968 National Planning Meeting

The National Planning Meeting returned to Indiana University at the end of 1968 to plan the 1969 NOAC. Thomas E. Fielder of White Feather Lodge, Paducah, Kentucky was elected National Conference Chief. Later that year, his home lodge would make a special flap patch commemorating Chief Fielder, the beginning of a tradition that exists to this day. Philip Chabot, Nentego Lodge, Bel Air, Maryland was elected Conference Vice Chief. Among the Area Chiefs in attendance was future National Committee Chairman Ed Pease who was selected a Deputy Conference Vice Chief (often called a DCVC). The other DCVC’s selected were John Koepke, Ron Rupp, Dick Acker, Bob Wessels, Joe B. Alexander, Howard Phillips and Brett Kirkpatrick.

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1969 National Jamboree

The 1969 National Jamboree was held at Farragut State Park, Idaho, from July 16 to 22 with the theme “Building to Serve”. Astronaut and Eagle Scout Neil A. Armstrong sent the 34,251 Scouts greetings from outer space during his historic voyage to the moon.

Lady Baden-Powell made an appearance at the closing arena show and the popular singing group “Up With People” gave a special performance. This was the location of the 1967 World Jamboree and it marked a number of “firsts” such as the introduction of the “wide game” that had been used at the last two World Jamborees (which required finding Scouts from other parts of the country to complete the phrase “Building to Serve”), and the availability of a complete aquatics program with boating, canoeing, swimming, and fishing.

The Jamboree also had some of the other common elements that had become typical of a Jamboree including open competitions in Scoutcraft skills areas, a skill-o-rama and spectacular arena shows.

A total of 234 Scouts and Explorers formed the OA Service Corps serving in six troops. Duties included supporting activities in the jamboree headquarters, the waterfront, public relations, Jamboree Journal, arena shows, exhibit tents, the ham radio shack operation, and the Chaplain’s service. In addition, an OA Pow Wow was held for all Scouts, Explorers and Scouters belonging to the OA.

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NOAC 1969

The OA returned back to Indiana University for a sixth time to hold the 54th Anniversary National Conference (what we now call a NOAC). While the term “Conference” had replaced “Meeting” for a number of years, the 1969 Conference patch was the first to actually say “Conference” on it. The Conference theme chosen by the National Planning Committee was “Pathways to Service”. A record 4,421 Arrowmen attended the Conference. The national meetings were still growing in size.

A specialized group of three training sessions called “Arrowdynamics” was taught to every delegate. National Committee Chairman George Feil announced at the meeting the establishment of the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award.

The closing show featured the presentation of the Distinguished Service Awards (DSA), and, in keeping with tradition, E. Urner Goodman again gave the closing challenge to the delegates.

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Onward Arrowman Plan

Mindful of our High Tradition we, as Arrowmen assembled for our Golden Anniversary National Conference, hereby resolve to dedicate ourselves, our lodges, our areas, and national organization to the following quests in cheerful service:

The above was the preamble to the Onward Arrowman Plan announced at the 1965 NOAC. The plan was divided into four quests, the first letter in each quest spelling the word “PLAN”.

Personal Quest – What was expected of each Arrowman.

Lodge Quest – What each Lodge should strive to complete.

Area Quest – Called for Area Conferences, training conferences and more.

National Quest – Spelled out the goals of the National OA Committee.

Today the Onward Arrowman Plan is partially divided into the National Standard Lodge / Quality Lodge program and the national OA Strategic Plan.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

1966 National Planning Meeting

The year-end 1966 National Planning Meeting was held at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, the site scheduled for the 1967 NOAC. Robert F. Szczys from Chatoka Lodge, Bottineau, North Dakota was elected National Conference Chief and Mark Samios from Shingis Lodge, McKeesport, Pennsylvania was elected National Conference Vice Chief. The Deputy Conference Chiefs selected were Paul A. Leonardi, Roger D. Maine, Gary Tomlinson, David W. Tharp, Charles Marr, David Boone, Stephen E. Lickey and Michael J. Moseman.

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Wes Klusmann Retires

In 1962 longtime BSA Director of Camping Wes Klusmann announced his retirement. Klusmann had played a pivotal role in the integration of the Order of the Arrow into the BSA, serving as the professional in charge of oversight. It was Klusmann who had hired Norman C. Wood and J. Richard Wilson as National Secretaries when it was a part time job and it was Klusmann that expanded the role of his next two National Secretaries, Phillip Robins and Martin Mockford.

In total, Klusmann had served the Order for 16+ years. Among Klusmann’s greatest contributions to the Order was his love of camping. He always insisted that the OA remember its roots in the council camp and camping. Klusmann was beloved by Arrowmen. He truly loved camping and he knew the well the Boy Scout and OA programs. He worked alongside volunteers and youth with ease. He is perhaps best remembered by a generation of Arrowmen for leading each National Conference in singing his favorite song, “The Happy Wanderer.”

3, OA, Scouting

1962 National Planning Meeting

As had become the tradition, the Area Conference Chiefs and the National OA Committee met at the end of the year to plan the upcoming National OA Conference at the National Planning Meeting. In 1962 they met at site of the 1963 NOAC, The University of Illinois, Champaign and Urbana, Illinois. During the meeting Robert B. Ellsperman was elected Conference Chief. Ellsperman resided in Lakewood, Colorado and was a member of Tahosa Lodge.

For the first time since 1946 (when it was an adult position) a National Vice Chief office was created. Gerald R. McNellis of Agaming Lodge, St. Paul, Minnesota was elected National Conference Vice Chief. The seven appointed Deputy National Conference Chiefs were Ed Salter, Rick Ayers, Ralph Bollinger, Randolph Scott, Larry Teshara, Ronald Wilkinson and James Knepler.

3, Elections, OA, Scouting

Randolph Scott

Another African American Arrowman who made significant contributions to Scouting and the Order was Randolph Scott. An Eagle Scout from Clairton, Pennsylvania, as a youth he was a member of Shingis Lodge and was elected to area chief. Scott attended the 1962 National Planning Meeting and was chosen to serve as the deputy conference vice chief of training for the 1963 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC).

Scott graduated with a B.A. in social studies and education from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a master’s degree in education administration from the University of West Virginia. Professionally Scott continued his work with Scouting as an Exploring Executive and training at the National Executive Institute when it was based in Mendham, NJ. He also continued working on NOAC staffs and became the first African American Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipient in 1969 while working for Exploring in Portland, Oregon as a member of Skyloo Lodge.

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