Silver Antelope Award
Medal and knot
OwnerBoy Scouts of America
CountryUnited States
Created1942
Awarded foroutstanding service to youth within a BSA National Service Territory (formerly within a BSA Region)
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The Silver Antelope Award is a distinguished service award presented by the Boy Scouts of America for outstanding service to young people. From 1942 to 2021 it recognized service within one of the geographical regions of the BSA. Beginning in 2022, with a reorganization of the BSA, it is presented for service in a national service territory.

Recipients may be nominated and selected for their efforts on the national service territory committee and/or for service to the national service territory through various national committees.[1]

The award is made by the National Court of Honor and the recipient must be a registered adult member of the Boy Scouts of America.

Award

The award consists of a silver antelope suspended from a white and orange ribbon worn around the neck. Recipients may wear the corresponding square knot, with a white strand over an orange strand, on the BSA uniform.[2]

History

The award was created in 1942 and first issued in 1943. An orange-white-orange ribbon bar was used for informal uniform wear until 1946, when ribbon bars were replaced by the current square knot insignia.[3]

Using the United States Military as the model, silver awards are the highest awards in the BSA.[4][5]

From the first awards in 1943 through 2023, there have been only 3,273 recipients of the Silver Antelope. The current nomination form for the award [6] limits the award to 32 per year (two for each national service territory).

Famous recipients include President Gerald R. Ford 1975, Gen. William C. Westmoreland, USA 1969, Ernie Banks 1969, Philip M. Condit, CEO of Boeing 2007, Ross Perot 1974, Admiral Arleigh Burke, USN 1964, Sanford McDonnell, CEO of McDonnell Douglas 1983, and several state governors.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Silver Antelope Award Nomination Form" (PDF). Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Distinguished Service Awards". Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  3. ^ "Illustrated History of BSA Square Knot Evolution and Private Issues" (PDF). SageVenture. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  4. ^ "Silver Outranks Gold". Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  5. ^ "Ask the Expert: Why does silver outrank gold in Scouting awards?". Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  6. ^ "The Silver Antelope Award Nomination Form" (PDF). Retrieved October 26, 2022.
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