The Young American Award is an award of the Boy Scouts of America for outstanding college students ages 19 through 25 who have achieved excellence in the fields of art, athletics, business, community service, education, government, humanities, literature, music, religion, and science; and have given service to their community, state, and/or country.
The award was presented at both the national and the local council levels, but the national program was discontinued in 2009 due to funding. A maximum of five national awards had been presented annually while local awards continue to be unlimited. Each local council made the determination for nominating its candidates for national competition. Recipients of the national award also received a $7,500 cash award that was primarily funded by Learning for Life. Membership in any of the BSA or Learning for life programs is not obligatory.
Award The national award consisted of a silver medallion suspended from a red, white and blue ribbon worn around the neck. The medallion bears the images of young man and a young woman above a wreath. Local recipients receive a gold version of the medallion affixed to a wooden plaque. Recipients may wear the corresponding square knot insignia, with a silver knot on a red, white and blue background, on the BSA uniform.
History The award was first presented in 1954 by the United States Department of Justice as the Young American Award for Service and the Young American Award for Bravery. Each of these awards were to be presented to two young people from each state and territory annually. The Justice Department had trouble promoting the award and approached the BSA for assistance in 1966.
With the launch of coeducational Exploring in 1968, the BSA took on the role of soliciting and receiving nominations, and assumed the program in 1971. The awards were originally available to youth ages 15 through 25; in 2005, it was changed to college students ages 19 through 25.
The original medals were suspended from neck ribbons, but the BSA soon changed them to a table medal, with the medallion placed in a block of acrylic glass. The ribbon version of the medal was restored for the national award after the introduction of Venturing.
The square knot insignia is the same as was used for three former Exploring awards: the Explorer Silver Award, Exploring Achievement Award and the Exploring G.O.L.D. Award. This knot may also be worn by those Scouting and Venturing leaders who have earned the predecessor awards.
National Recipients From 1968 through 2008, there have been 188 recipients of the national award.
1968 Greg Bamford, Colorado Anthony Watson, Illinois William Cobb, Nevada Ann Marie Kaminski, Nebraska Rick Sowash, Ohio
1969 Michael Shearn, Texas Debra George, Wyoming Joseph Lundy, California Staff Sgt. Dwight H. Johnson, Michigan George Begay, Arizona
1970 Rodney Earl Donaldson, Texas Paul Douglas Ring, Arizona John Parker Stewart, Colorado Rex Kern, Ohio Madeline Manning Jackson, Ohio Jennifer Sue Inskeep, Kansas
1971 David Powell, Utah Craig R. Rudlin, Virginia Clayton Taylor, Oklahoma James Heath, New York Claudia Turner, South Carolina Virginia A. Stroud, Wyoming
1972 Charles Ealey, Jr. Ohio Janet Lynne Nowicki, Illinois Suzonne Elizabeth Quave, Louisiana Larry Lee Shaw, Utah Larry Simpson, Tennessee
1973 Rufus Washington, Jr., North Carolina Stephen Brady, Hawaii Robert Meldrum, Utah Larry Eisenberg, Illinois Judy Bochenski, Oregon Robert Charles Howe, Illinois
1974 Roger Henry Brown, Jr., Georgia Kenneth Beale, Jr., Pennsylvania Aaron J. Jorgensen, Minnesota Darrel Owen Pace, Ohio
1975 Graciela Trilla, New York Garth Cox, Ohio Ashby Boyle II, Utah Thomas Camp, Nebraska Stanley Roach, Oklahoma Stan Tenenbaum, New York
1976 Fredrick McClure, Texas Nancy Ann Kraemer, New York Terri Sue Hannon, Kansas John L. Dardenne, Jr., Louisiana Mary Van Lear Wright, Massachusetts Bradley Haddock, Kansas Angela Lea Garner, Tennessee Eileen Devine, California John E. Hayashi, Missouri Gerald R. Castellianos, Florida Dorothy Hamill, Connecticut
1977 Lee Zachary Maxey, Texas Mark Daniel Worrell, Pennsylvania David Gene McKenney, United States Air Force Academy Allen Matheson Hughes, Utah Douglas Leighton Bandow, California Richard David Thomas, Idaho Beth Susan Dochinger, Ohio Ruth Lydia Bonaparte, Oregon Robert Hoke Perkins, Jr.
1978 Kathy Howard, Oklahoma William Grau, New Jersey Joseph Rabatin, Minnesota Kenneth Allen, Nebraska Mary Beth Caruso, Massachusetts Larry Kwak, Kansas
1979 Steve Cauthen, Kentucky Catherine Lazaro, Texas Richard Preister, Nebraska Jill Sterkel, California Scott Trotter, Utah David Tulanian, California
1980 Peggy Ann Hall, Iowa Robert J. Hayashi, Missouri Mark W. Leinmiller, Georgia Nancy Lieberman, New York Steadman Shealy, Alabama Kerry L. Sorenson, Utah
1981 Karen L. Middleton, Wisconsin Jeffrie A. Herrmann, New York Jennifer L. Shaw, Connecticut Roger W. Slead, Missouri Davalu D. Smith, Texas Sherri L. Dalphonse, New Hampshire
1982 John Ashley Null, Kansas Timothy Michael Delorey, Florida Vincent Arnold Lazaro, Texas Cynthia Ann Reeves, Oklahoma Karl Julius Edelmann, Michigan Anthony Deh-Chuen So, Delaware
1988 Douglas C. Barnhart, Pennsylvania Ron Brooks, New Jersey Paul Gonzales, California Laura Hengehold, Ohio Anne V. Ingram, North Carolina
1990 Peter Boyer, Rhode Island John M. Garrison, Texas Hugh Herr, Pennsylvania Vick Huber, Delaware Talia Melanie McCray, Colorado
1992 Frank Bradish, Idaho Derek Y. Kunimoto, Hawaii Arthur J. Ochoa, Delaware Mark Smith, Oregon Trina R. Williams, Indiana
1993 Tracy L. Collett, Georgia Marlon Harmon, Wisconsin Hung Pham, Colorado Michael E. Plochocki, New York Joseph E. Ponzo, Massachusetts
1994 Harold Richard Davis, Jr., South Carolina Javier David Margo, Jr., Texas Lethuy Thi Nguyen, Oklahoma Jamel Oeser-Sweat, New York Roderick D. Tranum, Georgia
1995 Kevin Michael Crozier, Colorado Renee Kylene Hamel, Oklahoma Preston Hopson, III, Michigan Robert Lester Murry, Massachusetts Phillip Charles Rodriguez III, California
1996 David Quinn Gacioch, New York Joel Morales, Jr., Texas Nan-Phong Duy Phan, California Randolph Walker, Jr., Mississippi Julie Anne Waller, North Carolina
1997 Robert Edward Hugh Ferguson, Jr., Utah Christopher Todd Fullerton, Georgia Yukitoshi Murasaki, Florida Matthew John Spence, California Sabrina Martinique Thompson, North Carolina
1998 Amanda Gayle Cox, Georgia Kirk Cristman Fistick, Maryland G. Christopher Jones, Oklahoma Denise Yvette Margo, Texas Hayata Kristy Poonyagariyagorn, Oregon
1999 Justin Daniel Guerra, Missouri Erica Camille Quick, North Carolina Sylvester George Tan, Georgia Michelle Irene Towle, Minnesota John J. van Velthuyzen, Washington
2000 Julius Demarcus Jackson, Texas Carl Frederick Regelmann, New York Svati Singla, North Carolina Alison L. Smith, Minnesota Christopher Kirill Sokolov, California
2001 James W. Johnson, Pennsylvania Jason Wayne Kemp, North Carolina Hong-Ly Thi La, Maryland Cyrus Jerrerson Lawayer IV, Maryland Evan Michael Todd, Colorado
2002 Michael John Beckel, Minnesota Lindsey D. Cameron, Texas Christina Hsiung Chen, Texas Mark Alan Mallak, Florida Edward J. Walneck, Arizona
2003 Kyle James Cline, Illinois Brett Michael Patrick Klukan, Pennsylvania Katherine Ann Knuth, Minnesota Akeem Rasheed Samuels, New Jersey Jonathan P. Wilkerson, Texas
2004 Aaron Azur Allen, California Elizabeth Anne Beckel, Minnesota Evan Eugene Hunsberger, California James Steven Kleckner, Wisconsin Kevin Koo, New Hampshire
2005 Robert Kyle Alderson, Oklahoma Aubyn Cathleen Burnside, South Carolina Christopher Alan Kerzich, Illinois Melanie Alise Perry, Missouri Michael David Sekora, Pennsylvania
2006 Benjamin Jacob Ulrich Banwart, Minnesota Mark Christopher Bicket, Oklahoma Richard B. Birrer, New York Shreyans C. Parekh, California Phillip D. Stewart, Nevada
2007 Fernando S. Arán Jr., Florida Daniel Cayce, Arkansas Michael Alexander Hayoun, New Jersey Michael Quang Nguyen, California Logan Mark Skelley, Missouri
2008 Paul Jacob Parker Banwart, Minnesota Gary Conard Bosshardt, Utah Welland Dane Burnside, South Carolina Sameer Gupta, Georgia Evan Jameson Spencer, Arizona
Per the national office national awards will no longer be given.
See also Awards and decorations of the United States government
References