The Golden Gate Area council has a rich history that dates back over 100 years to the founding of our Legacy Councils.  Over the years, council members have received local and national recognition for their services to the local Scout Council.  The list below indicates the recipients of the various awards that have been given.  

Silver Beaver:  The Silver Beaver Award was introduced in 1931 and is a council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered Scouters who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given at the council level.

Silver Buffalo:  The Silver Buffalo Award, created in 1925, is bestowed upon those who give truly noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth. This award, Scouting’s highest commendation, recognizes the invaluable contributions that outstanding American men and women render to youth. The service must be national or international in character and may or may not be directly connected with the BSA.

Silver Antelope:  The Silver Antelope award was created in 1942 and is a distinguished service award presented by the Boy Scouts of America region for service to young people. 

Silver Fawn:  The Silver Fawn Award, presented from 1971 to 1974, was the female version of the council-level Silver Beaver Award. It was discontinued in 1974 when both women and men became eligible to earn the Silver Beaver. In all, 2,455 women received the honor in the award’s three years of existence.

Founders Award (Order of the Arrow):  The Founder’s Award is a National award was first introduced at the 1981 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC)and honors Arrowmen in the Order of the Arrow (OA) for unselfish service above and beyond their normal duties to their lodge. 

Distinguished Service Award (Order of the Arrow):  The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is a national award and was created in 1940 to honor those who rendered service to the Order beyond the lodge level. The award is presented to Arrowmen, youth and adult, who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a sectional, regional, or national basis. The award is presented at National Order of the Arrow Conferences.

Centurion Award (Order of the Arrow):  The Centurion Award was a National one time award presented in 2015 to those arrowman who contributed to the forming, maturing and ongoing operational excellence of their local Order of the Arrow lodge.

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA):  is the highest honor for Eagle Scouts.  The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) was established in 1969 by the National Eagle Scout Association to recognize Eagle Scouts who achieve extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession and/or service to the nation and have a strong record of voluntary service to their community.  Stringent criteria begin with a minimum of 25 years “Time in Service” from the official record date an Eagle rank was earned.   That requirement was determined by the average time most nominees need to establish a career, earn peer recognition, awards, fame/eminence, and other factors that are considered for DESA selection. A committee comprised of Distinguished Eagle Scouts carefully reviews all nominations and determines selections. When time permits, the committee may provide feedback on nominations that may receive further, future consideration.  It is one of only two BSA awards given to adults that is dependent upon the recipient’s having been awarded Eagle Scout as a youth; the other is the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award (NOESA).

Outstanding Eagle Scout Award (OESA):  The NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award is a prestigious recognition granted by the local council’s NESA committee to Eagle Scouts who have demonstrated outstanding achievement at the local, state, or regional level. The National Eagle Scout Association established the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award (NOESA) to commemorate the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary in 2010.  Unlike the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA), which is a national award, the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award recognizes Eagle Scouts whose efforts have made a positive impact closer to home.

NESA Distinguished Service Award (NDSA):  The NESA Distinguished Service Award is to recognize those Eagle Scouts who have given a lifetime of extraordinary leadership and service nationally to NESA, resulting in a significant impact on a national or territorial level. It is awarded for dedicated service over a sustained period of years to NESA, promotion of Eagle Scouting, staying active or returning to Scouting, and/or promoting/helping young people earning the rank of Eagle Scouts.