Lodge Awards

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, area, regional, or national basis. It is given primarily for dedicated service to the Order and Scouting over a period of time. Only a limited number of awards are presented each year, and Arrowmen whose service records are the most outstanding and extend the farthest beyond the local lodge level are selected.

Distinguished Service Award Nomination Form

Introduced at the 1981 National Order of the Arrow Conference, the Founder's Award was created to honor and recognize those Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to the lodge.  The award is reserved for an Arrowmen who demonstrates to fellow Arrowmen that he or she memorializes in his or her everyday life the spirit of achievement as described by founder E. Urner Goodman and cofounder Carroll A. Edson.  The Award is a handsome bronze medallion bearing the likenesses of E. Urner Goodman and cofounder Carroll A. Edson, with wooden base and brass plate suitable for engraving.  Also available is a special Founder's Award arrow ribbon, with a gold colored arrow suspended from a red ribbon.  Lodges may petition the National Order of the Arrow Committee to present up to four awards annually, based on lodge membership. If the lodge presents more than one award, one must be to a youth under the age of 21.

*Larry Banks is the first Arrowman to earn this award as both a youth and adult in the Order of the Arrow.

Each Spring since 1954, Catawba Lodge has participated in the Annual Dixie Fellowship. This is a fellowship meeting where all lodges of our area come together for fun, fellowship, and a learning experience.

In 1954, the area lodges attending the annual Dixie Fellowships first established the Golden Arrow Award. This annual award is presented to the lodge who scores the most points in the Quest Events during Dixie.  These events tested the strength, skill, and endurance of each lodge delegate who participated. Canoe Racing, Egg Toss, Softball Throwing, and many similar events made up the Quest Challenge.

In order for a lodge to retire a Golden Arrow, the same lodge had to win the Quest Event for 3 consecutive years. From 1954 to 1982, only 4 Golden Arrows were ever made and later retired.  Catawba Lodge is the only lodge to ever retire a Golden Arrow and as you can see, we have retired all four of them.

In 1983, Catawba Lodge was moved to a different OA area thus ending their participation in the Dixie Fellowships. However, in 1998, Catawba Lodge moved back into their previous area and are competing once again for the Golden Arrow.

These retired arrows demonstrate how we have worked together in the past, and give us an example to follow in future Dixie Fellowship quest events. Each Golden Arrow that Catawba Lodge retired is listed below along with the years that the lodge won the Golden Arrow. You can click on the images if you wish to see the information on the plaque. The list of current Golden Arrow winning years will go below these that have been retired.  Written in 1983.

PURPOSE OF THE SOCIETY

The Goodman Society was created in 1990 to honor and perpetuate the memory of the Founder of the Order of the Arrow, Dr. E. Urner Goodman. He was a visionary Scouting professional, under whose leadership the Cub Scout, Exploring and Air Scout programs were founded, the Schiff and Philmont training centers were opened, and Wood Badge program was introduced to the U.S. to name but a few of his accomplishments.

E. Urner Goodman’s service and devotion to youth and Boy Scouts of America cannot be understated. He had a lifelong enthusiasm for the aims of Scouting, an appreciation for the possibilities of youth-lead and adult supported program, and an understanding of a life enriched through leadership in service.

This is the legacy of the Order of the Arrow he entrusted to future generations of Arrowmen.

The Goodman Society will sustain those ideals and programs which E. Urner Goodman knew to be vital to the success and growth of the Boy Scouts of American and the Order of the Arrow. The Society will also ensure that the OA has adequate financial resources to meet its program, service, and leadership development objectives.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE SOCIETY

Membership in the Goodman Society is available to all Arrowmen, former or current, who desire to be a part of a national fellowship to perpetuate the ideals and mission of the Order of the Arrow.

Membership is extended to those who make a one-time unrestricted gift of $10,000.00 or more or include the national OA endowment in their estate planning with a gift of at least $10,000.00

After having included your local council in your estate planning, consider becoming a member of the Goodman Society. Planned gifts to the Goodman Society can be through any of the following:

• Charitable bequests in a will or codicil.

• Charitable trusts, such as unitrusts, annuity trusts, and lead trusts. • Life insurance / retirement plan designations.

CATAWBA LODGE RECIPIENTS

GUS AND GEARY MANDRAPILIAS - 2015

This page is to honor all awards that Catawba Lodge and its arrowmen have earned over the years at Section Conclaves.  If there is any information missing on this page, please email the webmaster.

The Witahemui Ohshixay Award (Service to the Nest Award) will be awarded to arrowmen in Catawba Lodge for exemplary levels of long term service to the Lodge and the Order of the Arrow.  Any arrowman that meets the requirements will be awarded the award.  Each recipient will be recognized at the Annual Banquet.

Adult Requirements:

• • Over 15 years of service to Catawba Lodge

  • Maintains current and continuous active membership

  • Has served in a position of leadership in Catawba Lodge, affirmed by the Lodge Adviser and Lodge Staff Adviser, for a majority of years of service.

  • Is suggested to have be a Founders Award Recipient and a Vigil Honor member.

  • Has impacted the youth of Catawba Lodge in a positive way

  • Sets the example

Youth Requirements:

• • Over 4 years of service to Catawba Lodge

  • Maintains current and continuous active membership

  • Is suggested to be a Vigil Honor member

  • Has served in a position of leadership in Catawba Lodge (Lodge Executive Board and/or Chapter) for at least 4 years.