By Edward Lynn, Editor
Eagle Grove, IA — Longtime scoutmaster Rick Dawson received one of the highest honors in adult scouting at the Lakeland District’s annual dinner last week, when he was presented with the coveted Wood Badge—an award which, in this case, he considers the grown-up equivalent of earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
The Wood Badge, a prestigious training award for adult leaders in the Boy Scouts of America, represents the pinnacle of leadership development within the program. Established in 1919 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, the Wood Badge emphasizes advanced leadership skills, teamwork, and commitment to the ideals of the BSA. Completing the rigorous course is seen by many as a capstone achievement in adult scouting leadership.
“I know we cannot be Eagle Scouts as adults,” Dawson said during the dinner, “this is my way of doing the equivalent.”
Dawson took over a local Eagle Scout service project from 2019 after the scout who began planning it was unable to finish due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, to build a trail connecting Springbrook State Park to a nearby county park, to keep pedestrians off the roadway, pays homage both to the hometown of the troop that built it, and the scout rank it symbolizes to Dawson in its name, “The Eagle Trail”.
And the Eagle Trail project was revived and brought to fruition by Dawson not as a requirement, but as a personal mission. In doing so, Dawson helped fulfill the original scout’s vision while demonstrating the same dedication and perseverance expected of any Eagle candidate.
“But this was turned-around,” said Dawson, noting that usually it’s him helping a scout and rallying the troop to help them, but this time the troop came to his aid. “The kids were helping me to get to my goal.” “Every scouter showed up,” Dawson said with pride, referring not just to scouts, but to their parents and others associated with scouting. “They didn’t give any excuses,” Dawson said. “It was like, ‘we’ll be there – we’ll be there to help you” – and they were. In fact, four other area troops showed up as well.
Asked if that was a sign of respect for him and all he’s done for scouting, Dawson demurred, saying only, “it’s a really good community.”
Together, Dawson and fellow Scoutmaster Rick Voss have overseen what some have dubbed an “assembly line” of Eagle Scouts out of Eagle Grove’s Troop 1059, shepherding young men—and, as an integrated troop, one young woman, so far—through merit badges, service projects, and leadership training with unwavering support. Dawson’s Wood Badge recognition is not just a testament to his own growth, but to the enduring impact he has had on generations of scouts.
“This award isn’t just about me,” Dawson said, emphasizing that it’s also about the scout who started the project, and every scout he’s ever worked with. “I just hope I’ve made them proud.”
Wood Badge recipients are awarded two wooden beads on a leather thong, a distinctive neckerchief, and a woggle, a woven leather neckerchief slide. The beads are replicas of the bead necklace obtained by Baden-Powell when, in 1899, he and the troops under his command successfully defended an African town against an army of 8,000 men, during the Siege of Mafeking, in the second Boer War. Making the Wood Badge a symbol-rich tradition linking today’s leaders with more than a century of scouting history. For Dawson, those beads now represent a more personal mission completed, and a journey well worth the wait.
