News Release: Chesapeake Scout Leader Chuck Kelley Honored as a “Living Legend”

Virginia Beach, Va. – Chesapeake Scout leader Charles “Chuck” Kelley has been recognized as a “Living Legend of Tidewater Council.” He was honored by Scouting America Tidewater Council at its Recognition Banquet on April 29, 2026, at the Khedive Shrine Center in Chesapeake.

The Living Legends of Tidewater Council award recognizes well-known living volunteers who have generously given untold amounts of their time, resources, and talents to the Scouting program. Tidewater Council’s service area encompasses the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, as well as seven northeastern North Carolina counties.

Chuck Kelley was a Cub Scout in 1969 while living in Towson, Maryland. After earning his Webelos Scout badge, Chuck’s family relocated to Richmond, Virginia. Due to a lack of Scout units in his community, he sadly did not continue his Scouting journey in his youth.

That changed in 2001 when his future Eagle Scout son joined Pack 6 in Chesapeake. At Chuck’s first meeting, committee chair Doug Montgomery asked him to become pack treasurer.

Chuck then became Pack 6 committee chair (twice) and served as Cubmaster (his favorite position). He served Pack 6 for 25 years, watching both of his sons earn the Arrow of Light. He is still a member of the pack committee.

In 2005, Chuck and his son Grayson joined Troop 6 under the supervision of Scoutmaster Willie Adams. Chuck asked to become an assistant Scoutmaster (ASM), a role he held for 16 years before becoming committee chair. During his time as an ASM, Chuck frequently heard the “Willie-ism” of “What else can you do?”

After a brief stint as the Elizabeth River District training chair, Chuck joined the Three Rivers District committee as its membership chair, where he embraced the “Be a Scout” program and helped the district outpace the council in new member growth.

The “what else” mindset led to service as a unit commissioner, faculty member at the University of Scouting, rangemaster for day camps and recruiting events, merit badge counselor, den chief course instructor, Wood Badge troop guide, Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS) instructor, and now in a second stint as Troop 6 ASM as advisor to the First Year Patrol.

Chuck is a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow and currently serves as Three Rivers District commissioner.

He is a past president of the Great Bridge Swim and Racquet Club and a former USA Swimming Association stroke-and-turn judge. He is a baseball umpire in the Eastern Officials Association. He volunteers with the Chesapeake Area Shelter Team to help people experiencing homelessness and is a team member for Serve the City. He serves in the Deacon Ministry and is a Middle School Life Group Leader at Great Bridge Baptist Church, which honored him with the Good Shepherd Award in 2020.

Chuck’s chief reward in Scouting has been the growing relationships with his former Scouts. He says that graduations, wedding invitations, birth announcements, or just a phone call with a “How ya doing, Mr. Kelley?” are better recognition than any leadership knot he has earned.