Sapulpa’s inaugural Boy Scouts Golden Eagle Luncheon was held Friday, February 21 at Signs of the Times in Sapulpa.
The money raised at the event will be used to support the Indian Nations Council of the Boy Scouts of America which serves 18 counties in Eastern Oklahoma.
Lifelong Sapulpan and Scouts supporter Lon T. Jackson, Jr. was the event’s deserving honoree. Mr. Jackson received an award recognizing his loyal and dedicated commitment to serving the local community.
Local business SeneGence hosted the event, and they, American Heritage Bank, and First United Bank served as corporate sponsors.
The luncheon was organized by David Casey, District Chairman of the Sac and Fox district of the Boy Scouts of America, Indian Nations Council, Jim Dilley with American Heritage Bank, Mark Lawson with SeneGence, and Levi Lindsey with First United Bank.
After welcoming attendees, Chairman of the event, State Representative Mark Lawson, introduced Eagle Scout Jake Brillhart.
Brillhart led the audience in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, then three current scouts in their traditional khaki uniforms (and an abundance of patches) assembled in front of the stage to demonstrate the three-finger salute and to guide the crowd through the Boy Scout Oath and the twelve points of the Scout Law.
Later, Lawson presented Mr. Jackson with the Golden Eagle award in appreciation of the high standard of excellence he has shown throughout his life, first as a Scout, and later as a soldier, husband, father, businessman, and community leader.
When reviewing Jackson’s legacy, several remarkable facts appear to define his character. He played football at New Mexico Military Institute after graduating from Sapulpa High School in 1941, he flew a P-47 warplane during World War II, and he ran his own real estate and insurance firm for 48 years. (That is, 48 years officially. Unofficially, although he retired in 1995, he continued to go into the office almost daily until recently, according to his daughter Jenny.)
Learn more about his upbringing in depression-era Oklahoma and it is apparent that there are some less well-known points which likely made him the man who was later named Citizen of the Year by the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce and who raised $2,500,000 in one year for United Way.
In a letter written home from the first-ever National Scouts Jamboree in Washington D.C. in the summer of 1937, 14-year old Jackson describes the landscape and monuments, then assures his parents that he is saving his spending money.
He then goes on to tell them that he has been charging other boys $.10 apiece to sew patches on their uniforms. At the time of the letter he had made $1.00 and was planning to save it. And thus his entrepreneurial and frugal nature had been set in motion.
When he accepted his award today, he mentioned the Jamboree of 1937 and went on to say that he and his troop marched right in front of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the pass and review in the parade. He also shared that he was among the first group of Scouts to attend the storied Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico in 1938.
But Mr. Jackson seemed most happy when recognizing fellow Eagle Scouts in attendance and when describing the fun he had in Scouts with his childhood best friend, with whom he learned the vital life lessons of swimming, knot tying, and poison ivy identification. (Quite a valuable skill for a man who has spent as much time fishing, hunting, golfing, traveling, and ranching as he.)
The 12 points of the Scout Law are, “A Scout is Trustworthy, A Scout is Loyal…Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent.”
The recipient of this year’s Golden Eagle award certainly embodies each of these points.
The planning committee hoped to raise $15,000.00 in Sapulpa this year. Unfortunately, they fell short of their target, raising $4,000.00 before the event and $3,526.00 during it, for a total of $8,349.00. If you would like to support Scouting in our area, it is not too late. They are still accepting contributions at okscouts.org.
Oh, and the three youngsters who led the Scout Oath? They were James Morsey, Tilda Clyde (Jackson’s 10-year old granddaughter, who is a member of her school’s first “girl den” of the Boy Scouts), and Malachi Jackson (Mr. Jackson’s 10-year old great-grandson). That is four generations of Boy Scouts dedication.
If your son or daughter is interested in joining the Scouts, there are groups for all ages (5 through 20), for both boys and girls, in Sapulpa and the surrounding communities. For more information visit www.okscouts.org or call 918-240-2982.
Though the national Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, local leaders stated in an open letter on the website that the “[Indian Nations Council] is legally separate, distinct and financially independent from the national organization” and that they “expect no changes to the local Scouting experience.”
