FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2026
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
Virginia Beach, Va. – Three local Scouting America leaders have received the 2025 Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor bestowed by Tidewater Council. First introduced in 1931, the prestigious award recognizes volunteer leaders who have provided distinguished service to youth. These three exemplary leaders have given untold amounts of their time and talents to serve the needs of local youth Scouts.
Robert “Bob” Patton has dedicated decades of service to Scouting America, demonstrating a lifelong commitment to youth leadership, outdoor adventure, and the principles of the Scout Oath and Law. His Scouting journey began in Troop 120 in the Cradle of Liberty Council in Philadelphia.
As a youth, Bob was inducted into the Order of the Arrow (OA) through Unami Lodge 1, becoming part of the brotherhood of cheerful service at Treasure Island Scout Camp, the historic birthplace of the OA. He remained active in Scouting and in lodge leadership and served on the camp staff at Treasure Island Scout Camp.
After returning to Scouting as an adult volunteer, Bob quickly became an active and dedicated leader in Virginia Beach. Bob served as Pack Committee Chair and Den Leader. When his son joined Troop 471, he began serving on the troop committee, then as assistant Scoutmaster, and in 2025 became Scoutmaster, continuing his dedication to guiding Scouts toward leadership and advancement. He also completed Wood Badge as a Buffalo in 2022.
Beyond the unit level, Bob has provided significant leadership within the Princess Anne District. He has served on the Tidewater Council Executive Board as the District Training Chair and as District Membership Chair, while also supporting council-level training and membership initiatives. His service was recognized with the District Chair’s Award in 2020 and the District Award of Merit in 2021. From 2022 through 2025, Bob served as Princess Anne District Chair. He continues to support numerous district and council committees in advisory and support roles.
Bob has also remained actively involved in the Order of the Arrow as an adult leader with Blue Heron Lodge. His service includes serving as an associate Chapter Advisor for the Princess Anne Chapter, as a Transportation Advisor for the 2024 Section E9 Conclave held at Pipsico Scout Reservation, and as an Ordeal Advisor in 2025. In recognition of his distinguished service and dedication to the ideals of the Order, Bob received the Vigil Honor in 2025.
Outside of Scouting, Bob has built a successful career in collegiate hospitality. A chef by trade, he served for many years as the District Executive Chef at Old Dominion University, where he helped lead culinary operations and hospitality programs. He currently serves as Director of Operations for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality at ODU, overseeing dining and hospitality services that support the university community.
Bob and his wife Trish are proud parents of two children and share their home with a family dog. In 2022, he proudly celebrated becoming an Eagle Scout dad, continuing the Scouting legacy within his own family.
Bob received the Silver Beaver Award at the Scouting America Tidewater Council Recognition Banquet on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at the Khedive Shrine Temple in Chesapeake, alongside fellow recipients Laura Bussiere and Noel Falcon.
About the Silver Beaver Award
As a movement with leadership overwhelmingly comprised of volunteers, Scouting America recognizes the need to acknowledge the invaluable service Scout leaders render to youth.
The Silver Beaver is the highest honor that a local council can bestow upon a volunteer and is among the most prestigious awards in Scouting. Since 1931, the award has been 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. A Tidewater Council peer-level volunteer committee selects the honorees after thoroughly reviewing nominations. The Scouting America National Council, on the recommendation of the local council, bestows the award.
About Scouting America Tidewater Council
Established in 1911, Tidewater Council is the fifth oldest Scouting America council in the United States. 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. To learn more about Tidewater Council or to sign your child up for Scouting, visit TidewaterBSA.com, email [email protected], or call 757-497-2688.
About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”
Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Scouting aims to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have participated in Scouting’s programs since its founding. Today, almost one million youth are served by 500,000 adult volunteers in local councils throughout the country.
To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, or to sign your child up for Scouting, visit BeAScout.org.
###
Silver Beaver Award Class of 2025, Scouting America Tidewater Council
April 29, 2026
(from left):
Silver Beaver Award recipient Bob Patton
Scouting America Tidewater Council President John Scheib
Silver Beaver Award recipient Laura Bussiere
Scouting America Tidewater Council Commissioner Kate Sklat
Silver Beaver Award recipient Noel Falcon
Scouting America Tidewater Council Scout Executive James Parnell