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Regions and Sub-Areas

By 1948 the OA was active in every region and a new system for dividing areas for informational and fellowship purposes was needed. In the 1946 reorganization Area “U” had been divided into Area’s 12A, 12B and 12C. Now that the OA was a full National BSA program they were going to take full advantage of the BSA 12 region system. In September 1948 the new areas were announced. Regions with only one area, such as Region 1 only had Area 1A. Region 7 had six areas, Area 7A through Area 7F.

Over the years, even this system would be revised as the OA continued growth. However, using the 12-region structure proved flexible enough to be used for the next 25 years.

3, OA, Scouting

First Meeting of National OA Committee

The very first meeting of the National OA Committee was held January 28 – 30, 1949 in Greensboro, North Carolina. G. Kellock Hale, Chairman set the agenda and discussed issues related to changes with the full integration into the BSA. One issue was the usefulness of the 12-region BSA system. Arrangements were discussed for a change in the Area system. The National OA Committee also agreed to send a letter to each lodge reminding them to send a stone to E. Urner Goodman with their lodge name and number on it to be used in construction of a fireplace for the “Brotherhood Barn”.

The most profound issue decided at the first meeting was the increased role of youth leadership under the guidance of adult advisers. To that end it was decided that each local area would select a youth chief who would be called an Area Conference Chief. That about half of these Area Conference Chiefs would gather together prior to each National Conference to plan the upcoming Conference. The chairmen of each of the conference committees would be selected from among the Area conference chiefs. Each conference committee would also have a National OA Committee member as the youth chairman's adviser. This system has remained basically unchanged to this day except that all Section Chiefs are now invited to the National Planning Meeting.

3, OA, Scouting

Second National OA Committee Chair

In December of 1949 the President of the BSA appointed H. Lloyd Nelson Chairman of the National Order of the Arrow Committee. G. Kellock Hale Jr. reluctantly submitted his resignation after only one year under doctor’s orders to give up all activities and have complete rest.

The position of Chairman of the National OA Committee was virtually the same as Nelson’s old job as National Chief, when he led the steering committee of the OA. Nelson had been in Scouting in Philadelphia since 1915. He had joined Unami Lodge as a youth. He served on the National OA Committee or its predecessor committee from 1933 when he was elected a Grand Lodge officer until his untimely death while still serving as its Chairman in 1955.

3, OA, Scouting

First National Planning Meeting

On December 29 – 30, 1949 the National OA Committee met with a conference of Area Conference Chiefs (the predecessor name for Area Chiefs and then later Section Chiefs, that were elected to a full year term) for the first National Planning Meeting. In the early years of National Planning Meeting only about half of all Area Conference Chiefs were invited. The tradition of holding a National Planning Meeting between the end of the year holidays has since been repeated more than 40 times, becoming annual in 1987. The inclusion of youth Area Conference Chiefs was new and in keeping with the new direction the OA was taking since the 1948 merger of the BSA and OA. This meeting was held at Alpine Scout Camp, Alpine, New Jersey. Future meetings would be held at the location of the next NOAC so that facilities could be reviewed or be held at or near the national BSA headquarters.

This meeting marked the beginning of youth involvement in planning NOAC’s. Youth then meaning under age 21 at the time of their election. The Area Conference Chiefs also held the first election for national youth leadership. This too would become the standard model for national officer elections (with the exception of the 1952 Conference Chief). Elected, to be 1950 National Conference Chief was future National Secretary to the OA J. Richard Wilson, known as Dick Wilson of Chimalus Lodge, Washington, Pennsylvania. Today we consider a National Conference Chief to be the equivalent of the OA National Chief.

3, Elections, OA, Scouting

First Brotherhood Sash

The Order of the Arrow National Bulletin in the spring of 1950 announced that there was a new sash for members of the Brotherhood Honor to wear.

Accompanying the last issue of the OA Bulletin was a statement of policy on the wearing of Order of the Arrow sashes. As indicated in this letter, all arrow bands will now be worn over the right shoulder, and a new special Brotherhood band will be available for members of this honor. This policy change was made chiefly for better uniformity of dress and neatness in appearance.

The new Brotherhood Honor sash may now be ordered through Supply Service in New York. The catalog number for this band is 5004 and will sell for fifty cents.

The new sash was the Ordeal sash with a red bar placed at each end of the arrow.

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1950 DSA Recipients

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. 1950 was the last time the award was limited to only three recipients. The following were presented the DSA at the 1950 National Order of the Arrow Conference - Herbert L. Gaskin, Robert H. Heistand and Wes H. Klusmann.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

450th Lodge Formed

The growth of the Order was slowing as fewer councils remained that did not have OA.

Mitigwa Lodge of Des Moines, Iowa became the 450^th Lodge to Charter on February 7, 1951.

Those councils that did not have OA were divided primarily in two groups. Councils that had a local tradition of their own honor society and councils that had Scout Executives that did not want fraternities / honor societies in their councils.

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OA Patches Approved for Uniform Wear

While patches are now pervasive in the Order of the Arrow, at the beginning of 1945, Arrowmen were still prohibited from wearing any OA patch on their uniform. This was related to the independence of the Order from national BSA. The BSA Uniform Committee had not permitted WWW patches on the uniform and the National Lodge dutifully requested compliance. However as often is the case, not everyone complied.

Images from the 1938 National Meeting at Camp Irondale, Missouri confirm that there were already OA patches being worn on the uniform. In 1945 the BSA Uniform Committee finally relented and for the first time OA patches could be worn on the Scout Uniform on the right shirt pocket (not the pocket flap). Flaps were not authorized until 1954.

3, Insignia, OA, Scouting

350th Lodge Formed

Maka-Ina Lodge of Chillicothe, Ohio became the 350^th lodge to charter on August 20, 1946. Notwithstanding the fact that the Order had always grown on its own merits, the OA was meriting a new lodge at the rate of almost a new lodge a week.

3, OA, Scouting

Third Group of DSA Recipients

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. The following were presented the DSA at the 1946 National Meeting. The number of awards was increased from three to six to compensate for not having a 1944 conference - Joseph A. Brunton, Jr., George W. Chapman, G. Kellock Hale, Jr., William E. Hoffmann, W.E. Vaughan-Lloyd and Robert L. Wolff.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting

First Official Uniform Insignia

Even though the Order had existed for over a quarter century and had always used insignia, it was not until 1942 that Arrowmen could “officially” wear any OA item on the uniform. In a sign of the growing importance of the expanding official Scout program, the BSA Uniform Committee authorized the Universal Arrow Ribbon. The first Universal Arrow Ribbon was very similar to what is still used today. It was made to fit over the right shirt pocket button and was a red and white silk ribbon with a sterling arrow. These first arrows were designed to point left instead of right. It would be three more years before the first patches were authorized for uniform wear.

3, Insignia, OA, Scouting

Second Group of DSA Recipients

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is presented to those Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. The following were presented the DSA - Joseph H. Brinton, Thomas J. Keane and Arthur A. Schuck. At the time the plan was to limit the award to only three recipients per National Meeting. Because of World War II, the 1942 and 1944 meetings were canceled. In 1946 there were six DSA awards and then in 1948 the rule limiting the award to three recipients per meeting was re-instated. The 1942 DSA recipients were the only DSA class not to primarily receive the award at a National Meeting or NOAC.

3, Awards, OA, Scouting