Local Scout leader receives top national volunteer award
ST. CHARLES, IL - The Boy Scouts of America has presented the Silver Buffalo Award, its national-level distinguished service award for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth, to Dr. Kenneth Paul King of St. Charles. The award, Scouting's highest commendation, recognizes the invaluable contributions that outstanding American men and women render to youth.
King received the award at the Boy Scouts of America's National Annual Meeting, held at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida, on May 26.
The 2017 Silver Buffalo class consists of King and 11 fellow Scouting volunteers. In receiving this honor, they join a prestigious list of recipients including Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell, Eagle Scout Gerald Ford and 15 other U.S. presidents, actor Jimmy Stewart, comedian Bob Hope, astronaut Neil Armstrong, baseball player Ernie Banks, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, and many more.
"The outstanding men and women honored with this award represent millions of volunteers who tirelessly give of themselves to invest in our future," said Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive. "Awarding Dr. King the Silver Buffalo Award recognizes the immeasurable positive impact he has made on the Boy Scouts of America and generations of young people."
In part, King was selected for his service developing program materials, publications, and training curricula that are used throughout the organization. He has served as a chair or co-chairman for design and development teams that revised the Cub Scout and coeducational Venturing program, helping to write and edit over a dozen handbooks.
A member of the Scout movement since his youth, King earned the Eagle Scout award and received the Vigil Honor award during his service to Scouting's honor society, the Order of the Arrow. A longtime BSA camp staff member, he served as camp staff leader for 20 summer sessions at local council Scout camps. He has participated in both national and international jamborees and spent an entire summer working as a volunteer camp staff leader with the Scout Association of Ireland.
King is currently a member of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, where he provides service to committees that support training, program development and delivery, and community relations. He serves also as the training chair for the Midwestern United States, providing support for the leadership development needs of volunteer leaders in 78 local Scout councils.
Locally, he has served as a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing leader as well as a district and council committee member with the St. Charles-based Three Fires Council. An accomplished leader trainer, King has served with the BSA's National Camping School program and as a faculty member at the BSA's national training center in Cimarron, New Mexico. He has also served local leaders as a Wood Badge course director, providing training to help leaders deliver a high quality program of fun and adventure for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers.
Over his near 40 years as an adult volunteer, King has received several honors and awards from the BSA, including the District Award of Merit, the Silver Beaver Award, the Silver Antelope Award, the Scouter's Key, the James E. West Society Fellowship Award, the International Scouter's Award, and the national Venturing Leadership Award.
Outside of Scouting, King is a professor of education at Roosevelt University. His specialization is in the field of science education, where he maintains an active program of research and publication with a focus on helping teachers deliver high quality, inquiry-based experiences for their students. An author of two books and numerous book chapters on teaching science, he has delivered over 80 academic presentations. He is a member of several science education and curriculum professional organizations and has served in various leadership positions with those organizations.
His wife, Tina King, is a faculty member in St. Charles Unit District 303. They have two sons, Marshall and Harrison. Both sons were active in Scouting; Marshall earned the Eagle Scout Award as a member of Troop 46 in Lily Lake, Illinois.
Established in 1992, the Three Fires Council serves over 14,000 youth in the counties of DuPage, Kane, Kendall, DeKalb and parts of Will and Cook counties.
The Boy Scouts of America is a nationally recognized youth organization offering programs of character development and value-based leadership training. Its mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. For more information on Scouting's youth development programs, visit the Three Fires Council website at www.threefirescouncil.org.