Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award

Mill Valley Lodge No. 356, F & AM has long recognized the need to provide youth in the community with role models and positive learning experiences in their recreational time. This has through the years brought the Lodge into concert with the Boy Scout movement in Marin. Historically, Mill Valley Masonic Lodge Brothers Leighton Robinson, Henry Carl Tieck and Stanley Carlton Aitchison were instrumental in the organization of Boy Scouting in Mill Valley and helped make Scout Hall a facility usable for the drill work and recreation of the Scouts: Throughout the course of 1921, the members of the Masonic Lodge collected money each month from its members to defray the local Scout's operating expenses. Two Mill Valley Masons, Roy Ibach and Past Master Thomas C. Nelson were awarded the Silver Beaver by the Marin Council for their distinguished service to boyhood for their work with the Scouts.

In conjunction with its Centennial, Mill Valley Lodge No. 356, F & AM, again expresses a measure of its appreciation for Scoutings contributions to youth in the community by participating in the presentation of the first Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award conferred upon a Masonic Scouter of the Marin Council, BSA. At the Centennial Celebration held on September 14, 2003 at the Mill Valley Masonic Events Center, the Grand Master of Masons in California, M. William Holsinger, invested Mason and Registered Scouter, Lester Carlson with the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award. This award was granted with the concurrence and full support of the Marin Council, BSA, headquartered at San Rafael.

In June 2001, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the Boy Scouts of America, created the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award as a national award program for Masons who exemplify the Scout Law and Masonic Virtues, in service to the Scouting Program. Beginning in 2000, the Brethren of Mill Valley Lodge No. 356 became acquainted with Bro. Carlson's service to Scouting in the course of planning the Lodge's "Pillars of the Community" banquet to recognize Marin Council's new Eagle Scouts: His efforts in this regard strengthened the relationship between Freemasonry and Scouting. Mill Valley Masons nominated Lester Carlson to receive this award because he exemplifies the Scout Law and Masonic virtues.

Lester Carlson has been a Mason for forty-five years, having been raised a Master Mason on July 2, 1958 at Midway Lodge No. 426, F & AM at Taft California, where his father had served as Worshipful Master. He is currently a Life Member of Phoenix Lodge No. 144, F & AM in San Francisco, which Lodge he affiliated with on July 11, 1990. Before becoming a Mason, Lester Carlson was a DeMolay in the Chapter sponsored by Midway Lodge.

He has been involved with Scouting for well over fifty years. As a Scout he attained the rank of Eagle Scout on June 9, 1952. During his college years, he continued to be active in Scouting, serving as a Merit Badge Councilor for the San Mateo Council, BSA. He became involved with the Marin Council, BSA upon moving to Marin County in 1982. He worked for fourteen years as Assistant Scout Master for Troop 81 in Novato. In 1985 he served as Assistant Scout Master of the Council's National Jamboree Troop at Ft. A.P. Hill in Virginia, an event attended by some 32,000 Scouts. He has been inducted into the Order of the Arrow, the BSA's national fraternal brotherhood of honor campers that promotes Scout camping and crystallizes the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.

In 1996, Carlson was asked to become Novato District Advancement Chairman and has served in that capacity, with increasing duties, ever since. He supervises all merit badges related to science and nature, drawing upon his 33½ years as a science teacher in the San Francisco public schools, and other merit badge subjects that are not covered by another qualified advisor. In supervising the Scout's advancement, Carlson goes into the field with each Scout to check first hand whether they have met the requirements for the particular badge. Carlson says of the work, that working one on one affords a chance to spend real quality time with the Scouts. Since 1996, he has worked with 90 to 95 individual Scouts.

Carlson has made other significant contributions, including: helping develop and maintain the Marin Council, BSA's computer system, and coordinating special projects for the Scouts within the community. To improve in Scouting, Carlson attended the Philmont National Scout Training Center at Simeron, New Mexico in 1998, where he learned how to be even more proficient in running the advancement program. He was appointed a District Commissioner within the Marin Council, BSA. In March 2002, the Marin Council honored Carlson with the Silver Beaver award, which is presented by the National Boy Scouts and is the highest award that a local council can bestow on a volunteer for rendering outstanding service to Scout Youth.

It should be noted that Lester Carlson volunteered his services to the Kiwanis Club of Novato for many years, and has been an official member of that Kiwanis Club since 1998. He now serves as advisor to the Kiwanis Key Clubs at San Marin and Novato High Schools. He is also a blood donor, having donated over 12 gallons of whole blood and 114 donations of platelets himself, and having organized blood drives at schools during the course of 20-years that collected over 4,000 units of whole blood.

The Masons of Mill Valley Lodge No. 356, F & AM, together with their brethren at Phoenix Lodge No. 144, F & AM in San Francisco, salute Bro. Lester Carlson for his exemplification of the Scout Law and Masonic virtues.