The “Goodman Edson Observatory” or GEO returns to NOAC 2024 to tell the story of the Order of the Arrow over the past eleven decades. The GEO is a museum, interpretive center, and gallery that showcases the people, places, and events that have influenced the growth and evolution of Scouting's National Honor Society. Whether a visitor is a non-arrowman, new member, or OA veteran, they are sure to be inspired by the GEO to “Seek New Heights” in brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service.
The GEO will be in Room 235 of the University Memorial Center. Feel free to stop in during our hours of operation listed below:
Monday, July 29 from 1 PM to 5 PM (ribbon cutting and opening from 1 PM to 1:15 PM)
Tuesday, July 30 to Thursday, August 1 from 8 AM to 5 PM
Friday, August 2 the GEO will be closed for the Conference Ignite Festival
Visitors to the GEO are greeted by exhibits that focus on the shared experiences of Arrowmen. For over a century, Unit Elections, Callout ceremonies, and Ordeals have been conducted by local lodges across the country, resulting in over a million scouts being inducted into the Order of the Arrow. As they learned more about the principles of the Order and returned to service to their units, these scouts completed their induction by sealing their membership through the tests of the Brotherhood. Visitors will see examples of the evolution of the symbols of membership, from the Order of the Arrow sash to the membership card, member handbook, and pocket flap.
Next, visitors have a chance to step back in time to Philadelphia’s Treasure Island Scout Camp on the Delaware River to get a sense of where it all began and witness what the original induction experience was like in 1915 when Camp Director E. Urner Goodman and Assistant Camp Director Carroll A. Edson started the Order. The GEO also presents the influences and inspirations that guided the founders in establishing the principles of brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service.
Did you know that the namesakes of the GEO, Dr. Goodman, and Col. Edson, were not only the co-founders of the Order of the Arrow, but also Professional Scouters? The GEO tells the story of their lasting influence over seven decades. Exhibits in the GEO also show the spread and expansion of the Order of the Arrow from a single scout camp in 1915, to the formation of the Grand Lodge in 1921, to the adoption Order into the BSA in 1948, and the decades that followed.
During this NOAC, participants will have the opportunity to recognize a new class of recipients honored with the Order of the Arrow’s Distinguished Service Award. At the GEO, visitors can learn about the history of this and other National Awards and Recognitions including the origins of the Vigil Honor.
In the exhibit on National Events, there will be memorabilia from past NOACs as well as a variety of other national gatherings of Arrowmen that strengthened brotherhood and cheerfulness over the years. The exhibit featuring High Adventure and the Outdoors specializes on the service that the Order has provided over many years at BSA High Adventure bases and National Jamborees.
![Visions of the Founder (2012) by Joseph Csatari.]](/sites/default/files/inline-images/article%20image%207.jpeg)
The Order of the Arrow ceremonies have inspired since the very beginning of the Order and are celebrated in the GEO “rotunda.” The outside of the dome features milestone anniversaries of the Order including the 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary. The gallery of the GEO features works by Joseph Csatari, the BSA’s official artist of over 40 years. His works include The Higher Vision (1963,) The Ordeal (1967,) and Visions of the Founder (2012). The exhibit also offers a glimpse of the National Scouting Museum.
In the final exhibit space of the GEO, visitors can learn about the legacy of Leadership in Service to our Order honoring those who have served as National Chief of the Order of the Arrow. The area also includes a virtual visit to the Order of the Arrow Summit Circle, our national ceremony site at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.
The GEO Staff looks forward to seeing you in Colorado for NOAC 2024!