FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2024
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
RALPH INGRAHAM RECEIVES TIDEWATER COUNCIL'S HIGHEST HONOR
Virginia Beach, Va. – Three local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) leaders have received the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor bestowed by a local BSA council. First introduced in 1931, the prestigious award recognizes volunteer leaders who have provided distinguished service to youth. The Silver Beaver Award is not an “earned” award; rather, the distinction is granted by one’s peers in the local Scouting area.
Ralph Ingraham has been in Scouting for most of his life. He joined as a youth while his Navy family was stationed in Hawaii and continued through a tour in Norfolk. At the rank of Life Scout, his family moved once again, and his time as a youth in Scouting concluded.
Ralph returned to Scouting as an adult when his older son, Jamie, joined Pack 24 in North Chicago. After the first year, Ralph became the pack’s committee chair for two years. After a move to Millington, Tennessee, Ralph became committee chair for Pack 285 there. When Jamie crossed over to Troop 285, Ralph became an assistant Scoutmaster.
The next transfer took the family to the Washington, DC, area. Settling in Bethesda, Jamie joined Troop 8. The troop had a healthy corps of assistant Scoutmasters, so Ralph became a unit commissioner in the National Capital Area Council for four years before transferring to the Tidewater area in 2009.
Ralph has served in Tidewater Council as a unit commissioner, assistant district commissioner, and, since 2017, the district commissioner for Bayside. In addition, he served as Tiger den leader, den leader, and assistant Cubmaster when his younger son, Perry, joined Pack 24 in Norfolk as a Tiger Cub. Ralph continues to serve on the committees of both Pack and Troop 24.
Ralph has earned the Cubmaster Training Award, Den Leader Training Award, Scouter’s Training Award, Commissioner’s Arrowhead Honor, Commissioner’s Key, District Award of Merit, and the Distinguished Commissioner Service Award. He is a Wood Badge Course S7-596-12 (Eagle) graduate and has served on the 2021, 2022, and 2024 Wood Badge staff.
Ralph and his wife, Gerardine, recently celebrated their 40th anniversary. Their two sons became Life Scouts. Jamie achieved the Triple Crown of High Adventure, going to Sea Base, Northern Tier, and Philmont, while Perry has had the pleasure of going to Philmont twice, the second time accompanied by his father.
The recognition ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Khedive Shrine Center, 645 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia. Ralph will be honored alongside fellow Silver Beaver Award recipients Pam Samples and Mike Zemienieuski.
About the Silver Beaver Award
As a movement whose leadership is overwhelmingly comprised of volunteers, the Boy Scouts of America recognizes the need to acknowledge the invaluable service Scout leaders render to youth.
The Silver Beaver Award is the highest honor that a local council can bestow upon a volunteer and is among the most prestigious awards in Scouting. The award was introduced in 1931 as a means for council-level recognition of Scouters who have provided distinguished service to youth.
A recipient of the award may be a Scouter who has given exceptional service to Scouting or their community over a long period, or it may go to a Scouter who has done a single remarkable act of noteworthy service. Length of service is not a prerequisite, nor does someone’s tenure make this recognition automatic or warranted.
The Silver Beaver is not an “earned” award; rather, the recognition is granted by one’s Scouting peers. A Tidewater Council committee selects the recipients after thoroughly reviewing nominations. The National Council, upon the recommendation of the local council, makes the award.
About Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America
Tidewater Council is the 5th oldest Boy Scouts of America council in the United States, established in 1911. Today, the council serves approximately 4,000 youth and 1,700 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. More information about Tidewater Council is available by visiting TidewaterBSA.com, emailing james.parnell@scouting.org, or calling 757-497-2688.
About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the nation’s foremost youth character development and values-based leadership training programs. Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young men and women have participated in the BSA’s youth programs. More than 35 million adult volunteers have helped carry out the BSA’s mission.
BSA programs serve boys and girls ages five through 20, and their families, with age-appropriate curriculums that develop character, citizenship, leadership, and personal fitness. More information about the Boy Scouts of America is available by visiting scouting.org.
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