On April 11, 2024, the George Mason District held our annual District Court of Honor to recognize the volunteers that make significant contributions to unit and district scouting. Congratulations to all!
Unit Scouter Award – The Unit Scouter Award is presented to a limited number of people from the district. The award recognizes volunteers for noteworthy service to the unit in which the awardee is registered. The award can be for excellence of duty, action during a crucial period, or sustained performance on behalf of the unit.
P0078 – Chetan Tiwari
P0152 – Matt MacLean, Ann Christopher
P0656 – Jason Soules
P0657 – Scott Van Alstine
P0675 – Sheri Wolfrom
P0976 – Maureen Bunn
T0187 – Roxanna Edwards
T0345 – Bandon Nunes
T0349 – Taudi Hansen
T0976 – Abe Bacarra
T0987 – Mike Angove
T1539 – Thom Remmers
T1887 – Tony Fasullo
T1888 – Catherine Arrange
T1978G – Julia Beach
T1978B – Kirk Silva
T1996 – Bill Schmittel
Unit Appreciation Award – The unit appreciation award is a District award presented by a unit to a Scouter who has provided outstanding service to the unit and its youth.
P0078 – Colin MacInnes, Susan Swithenbank, Ben Edwards, Jon Besko, Annie Besko, Jacqui Phillips, Dexter Payne, & Frank Farruggia
P0152 – Brian Christopher, Chip Cullen, Terese Blanchard, Tyler Blanchard, Glenn Buckholz, Matthew French, Scott Kelly, & Cheryl Schlosnagle
P0656 – Ben Huebner, Allyson Laskowski, Mike Reese, Diane Reese, Maari Hanson, Celeste Jensen, James Bosworth, and Terry Brown
P0657 – Michael Chase, Michael Economous, Emily Smith, Matt Wieseler, Alec Williamson, Lindsey Munera, Drew Walter, & Rob Hux
P0675 – Toni Kislear & Erik Bergman
P0833 – Neena Raj, David Michehl, Andrew Huling, Steve Goehrke, Sachin Nene, Mark Pollak, & Tom Rohrback
P0976 – Chris Laverty, Chirstian Sotomayor, Alice Bottcher, Richard Jones, Cardiel Trevizo, Claudia Sotomayor, Rebecca Bolchoz & Eric Hernandez
P1139 – Sara Snyder, Hather Etner, Amy Scott, Annemarie McCaslin, Elizabeth Korondy, & Luke Harris
T0140 – Andro Franetovic & William Mulligan
T0187 – Kristinha Sabatino
T0345 – Andy Lee, Fred Muhlenberg, Neal Sikka, Stanley Antoine, mark Enstrom, Anjum Sikka, Keith Robinson & Seema J
T0349 – Laura Hill, James Hinderks, Susan Janec, Hans Miller, John Bonds, Nicholas Draper & Chris Ross
T0681 – James Simonson, Larry Williams & Elizabeth Vogel Rogers
T0895 – Chris Mahon, Karen Eisner-Enriquez, Rob Barnett, & Eric Thomton
T0976 – Gregory Beaty, Stephanie Findlay, Mike Hughes, Tara Rice, Timothy Argauer, Betsy Argauer, Wendy Yoviene & Harry Rice
T0987B – Elizabeth Korondy, Tom VanDenBrink, Jim Miller & Iana Ahmed
T0987G – Johnathan Ng, Annmarie McCaslin, Karen Landwehr & Jason Dalton
T1113 – Jeny Fishman, Patrick Murray, Daniel Perugini,
T1143 – Mark Quigley, Robert Sansone & David Phillips
T1539 – Steve Costner, Andy Cretal, Calvin Liu, Bret Nickels, Donna O’Harren, Cheryl Schlosnagle, Sindy Yeh &Handa Xi
T1887 – Andrew Arrange, Seve Johnson, Peter Stafford, Robert Deal, Patti Coates, Travis Tempel & Chris Coates
T1888 – Scott Smith
T1978B – David Best, Meaghan Molinini, Tiffany McGettigan, Margaret Schottler, Kristin Root, Matthew Zawislak, Brian McCabe & Brian Summers
T1978G – Christian Brown & Melinda Berardi,
T1996 – Wayne Casey, Bob Dunn, Jeff Kuck, Ryan Conner & Chris Sturgill
District Award of Merit – The District Award of Merit is presented by the District to Scouters who have rendered service of an outstanding nature to youth, both in the community and in Scouting.
- Jerry Driscoll – Jerome Driscoll was Scoutmaster for Troop 1539, overseeing 41 Scouts before the pandemic in 2020. His tenure saw numerous young individuals achieve the prestigious Eagle rank, and despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, he ensured a seamless transition to a successor who continued to uphold the Troop’s strong program. Following this, Jerry held multiple district positions, including being a Unit Commissioner for Pack 1139 and Troop 1539. Jerry served as the George Mason Conservation Coordinator for two years, dedicating his time to promoting conservation within the district. In 2020, he assumed the role of Chartered Organization Representative (COR) for Pack 1139 and Troop 1539, which he continues to hold. He also extended his service as the COR to Pack 152 and Troop 345 in 2023.
- Bob Freeman – Bob Freeman began Scouting in Charlotte, North Carolina as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout. In 1999, he joined Cub Scout Pack 1114 in Vienna as a Den Leader, serving three years. In 2003, Bob joined Emmanuel Lutheran Troop 987 as an Assistant Scoutmaster and became Scoutmaster in 2010, serving until 2014. With his sons, Bob entered the Order of the Arrow and saw both sons earn the rank of Eagle Scout. In 2011, GM District Commissioner Bob Dice awarded Bob the “Commissioner’s Unit Scouter Award” for increasing Troop 987’s enrollment from about 30 to over 90, the second largest Troop in the District. Later, Bob served as Troop 987’s Committee Chair for one year (2014-15) and Chartered Organization Representative for four years (2015-19). In 2019, Bob joined the George Mason District Advancement Committee serving as a District Eagle Representative. In this role, Bob has mentored over 50 Scouts on their path to the Eagle rank.
Silver Beaver – The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Upon nomination by their local Scout council and with the approval of the National Court of Honor, recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. It is given to those who do not seek it.
- William Cullen Bengston – A scouter who has had significant impact in developing and providing quality youth leadership in national BSA, council and district programs. Through Cullen’s 15-year scouting career he has been a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster. He served the George Mason District representing Friends of Scouting, Baloo training and continues to serve in the District’s Training Committee introduction to Leadership Skills (ILST) and National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). In 2015 Cullen began investing time in the Council’s Leadership Training Continuum courses: staffing both Wood Badge (2015 and 2022) and National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) since 2015 (7 years with 3 years as course Director and continuing). In 2017 he was asked to be the Council Coordinator for NYLT. In addition to leading NCAC’s program, Cullen has also helped other councils in Council Service Territory 12 with their NYLT programs.
- Scott Willey – Scott Willey is a volunteer with a passion for serving Scouting and his community. Scott joined Cubs as a youth in Iowa, earning the Arrow of Light in 1982. Scott bridged to a troop in his community, attended the 1985 National Jamboree, was elected to the Order of the Arrow in 1986 and earned the Eagle rank in 1987. Scott volunteered to be an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 697 in Patriot district and served as a Merit Badge Counselor for Citizenship in the World merit badge. He became a Den Leader in Pack 1513 in 2009 and later served as the Cubmaster for three years. Subsequently, he served as Scoutmaster of Troop 187 for four years. He completed his Wood Badge ticket in 2018. He led the 2018 “Greeks and Romans” District Camporee, led the Scouting for Food campaign for several years, pioneering the use of things like firetrucks and dinosaurs to describe our results. Scott has been the District’s Special Needs Coordinator since 2021 and received the District Award of Merit in 2022. In addition to his Scouting roles, Scott has been an election officer for Fairfax County since 2020, volunteers as a Tree Rescuer, has chaperoned elementary and middle school field trips, regularly runs in 5K and 10K races and has completed 7 triathlons!
- Mary Nuese – Mary Neuse has played a crucial role at the unit level as the Troop 1978G Scoutmaster since the summer of 2023 and as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 1978G for four years as a female Troop. Mary is a dedicated district merit badge counselor, covering a wide range of merit badges, including American Heritage, Camping, Citizenship in Community, Citizenship in Nation, Citizenship in World, Family Life, Music, Personal Management, Public Speaking, Reading, Scout Heritage, and Theater. Mary was the chapter advisor for the Order of the Arrow from 2020 to 2023. In 2020, she achieved the distinguished Vigil Honor, a testament to her commitment to the values and principles upheld by the BSA. Mary actively participates in district training teams within both the Transatlantic Council and the National Capital Area Council. Her dedication to her own development is evident through her completion of Powder Horn and Wood Badge training. Her outstanding contributions to scouting have not gone unnoticed. The Frontier Council/Pikes Peak district honored her with the Golden Bow award and the Transatlantic Blazer patch. Additionally, in 2019, she received the District Award of Merit from the National Capital Area Council (NCAC)/George Mason District. Mary has been actively involved as the youth minister at St. Mark Catholic Church since 2013. She was honored as the St. Mark Youth Minister Volunteer of the Year in 2022. As a Eucharistic minister since 2013, she has been an integral part of the religious life of her parish.
Schenaker Award for Meritorious Service in Support of District Roundtables – This Award is presented by the District to a volunteer that provides meritorious service to the George Mason District Roundtables. The award honors Deb and Mike Schenaker who, beginning in the early 2000s when they joined the Cub Scout Roundtable staff, invested countless hours in support of the Cub Scout and Boy Scout Roundtables over more than 15 years. Deb and Mike set the standard for selfless support of the District’s Roundtables and unit leaders. We recognize each year a volunteer that follows their example of Roundtable support.
- John Kilduff – John has been a steady cheer leader, booster, and attendee at the George Mason District Roundtables. The Commissioners and the Uniformed Leaders of our District recognize him as a truth-teller and a totally unselfish promoter of all the best that we see in Scouting. He is fully deserving of the Shenaker Award for his Outstanding support of District Roundtable Program
Other Unit Specific Awards