 My Order of the Arrow Biography...
My first memory of the Order of the Arrow would have to be from a fall camporee that I attended as a Cub Scout held at
Hoyt Scout Reservation in West Redding, CT. The theme of the event was Indian Lore. One of the special programs during the
day featured the Tankiteke Dance Team who performed several Native American dances. I was amazed at one dance in particular,
the hoop dance. When I graduated into Boy Scouting, I learned more about the Order of the Arrow. I became eligible for
membership after I reached the First Class rank, and my fellow troop members elected me as a candidate for induction into the
Order, Scouting's Brotherhood of Cheerful Service.
My Ordeal weekend was held in May of 1993 at Camp Pomperaug. After my induction I became very active in the Lodge and
attended nearly every event. I joined several committees but I was most active on the Ceremonies committee. I was still a bit
shy and did not want a speaking role, so I mainly helped during Ordeal weekends with setting up the Ceremonial ring. In May
of the next year I chose to "seal" my membership in the Order and I became a Brotherhood member. Soon after, I was appointed
as the Chairman of the Lodge Brotherhood Committee and was also elected as the Pequot Chapter Secretary/Treasurer. I remained
active with the Ceremonies team and started to learn a speaking role. As soon as the position became available, I began
performing in the Ceremonial ring as Kichkinet.
In 1995, I was elected to the office of Pequot Chapter Chief. I also became more involved with the Lodge program and assisted
the Lodge Chief with many responsibilities. My service continued and in 1996, I was elected as the Lodge Vice Chief of
Administration. On June 21, 1996, the Vigil Honor was bestowed upon me by my fellow brothers of Tankiteke Lodge 313. The Vigil
Honor is the highest honor that an Arrowman can receive. It can not be earned, it is only given for unselfish service to others.
because of this, I was truly honored to receive the Vigil from my Lodge. My Lenne Lenape Indian name is "Wingolauchsik Nimat
Lachpikin" which being interpreted is "Cheerful Brother Who Grows Fast." The name is filled with significance. My fellow Lodge
brothers remember me as always having a cheerful spirit and many of them watched me grow through Scouting and grow both physically
and mentally as a person. In the summer of 1996, I experienced my first National Order of the Arrow Conference at Indiana University
in Bloomington, IN. At the event, the Ceremonies team was awarded National Honor status in the Pre-Ordeal ceremony. I received a
medal for my role as Kichkinet.
In 1997, I was elected as the Lodge Chief of Tankiteke Lodge 313. My theme for the year came from a line spoken by Kichkinet in
the Pre-Ordeal Ceremony: "Be you steadfast as the Polestar..." The theme was symbolic of my ceremonies background and it also fit
our main goals as a Lodge. Ironically, the theme would take on an entirely different meaning as the year progressed. Soon after my
election, my Lodge Secretary resigned. The Lodge Advisor later stepped down because he felt he could no longer devote the time
necessary to fulfill his responsibilities. In December of 1997, Fairfield County Council and Quinnipiac Council voted to merge and
form the Connecticut Yankee Council. This also meant that Tankiteke Lodge 313 and Arcoon Lodge 369 would need to merge together as
one. Perhaps the saddest event occurred when the Council's Executive Board voted to close Camp Pomperaug and not allow Scouts to use
the facility. Even though the year had many disappointments, we were able to share some great memories together as a Lodge. In the
summer of 1998 we traveled to Iowa State University in Ames, IA, site of the 1998 National Order of the Arrow Conference. One of the
highlights of the event was the changing of the symbol of the Order from the "MGM Indian" to the Arrow. In addition, the Order
changed from being called the "National Brotherhood of Honored Campers" to "Scouting's National Honor Society." Our contingent was
one of the most spirited at the Conference and represented the Lodge well. The Conference marked the last stop on Tankiteke's
"farewell tour." Despite all the hardships and disappointments, the Lodge was able to stay strong and continue our program. In the
end Tankiteke Lodge was becoming a household name across the Northeast Region and the country, our goal was nearly reached.
Owaneco Lodge 313 was born on October 4, 1998. In the early years, the new Lodge was still divided and it was extremely difficult
to get everyone to work together as one. I was appointed as the Chairman of the Vigil Honor Committee and faced several challenges
there as well. In 1999, I was elected to serve as the Section NE-3A Vice Chief. At that time, the Section consisted of all five
Lodges in Connecticut and the five Lodges of the Greater New York Councils. I was sent as the Section's representative to the 1999
National Leadership Summit at the University of Colorado in Fort Collins, CO. The event was unlike any that had ever taken place
before. Only Lodge/Section Officers and Advisers were invited to attend the Summit. Arrowmen from all across the country gathered
to discuss and plan the future of the Order of the Arrow program. In the summer of 2000, I attended my third National Order of the
Arrow Conference at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. This time, I served on the Inductions and Ceremonial Events Staff
for the Conference as the lead trainer for the Vigil Honor session. I once again received National Honor status for my performance
in the Vigil Honor ceremony.
When I turned 21, I was no longer considered a youth member in the Order of the Arrow. I was now an adviser and had no direct
influence over the Lodge program. I became an Assistant Adviser to the Ceremonies and Vigil Honor committees. At the beginning of the Scouting year in 2002, I was asked to serve as the Adviser to the Events committee. I gladly accepted the position and still helped out with Ceremonies and the Vigil Honor. Soon after turning 21, a few of my fellow Lodge Brothers and I officially formed a group known as Pequonnock Consulting. This vision came to reality after several years of discussion. The idea was formed as we all grew older and became has-beens in the Lodge. The group primarily advises the key youth leadership of the Lodge
and it gives us an opportunity to remain active in the Lodge and its operations.
The summer of 2002 marked my return to the campus of Indiana University for my fourth National Order of the Arrow Conference. I
again served on the Inductions and Ceremonial Events Staff as the Lead Cell Trainer for "The Vigil Commitment" training
session. Approximately 600 Arrowmen attended the session, which turned out to be a huge success. We were able to discuss several
issues and exchange some great ideas during our three day training sessions. Several other important things happened at NOAC that
year. The Guide to Inductions was released and the National Committee released plans for Indian Summer 2003. I was fortunate enough
to have some input on the Guide to Inductions, which was a two-year project that began at the 2000 National Conference. It was
definitely exciting to see the release of the Guide in 2002 and to hear the positive responses from Lodges across the country.
Upon my return from NOAC, I was appointed Lodge Inductions Adviser.
In 2003, the Order of the Arrow held a conference called Indian Summer. This was a smaller national event aimed at Native
American Dancing and Order of the Arrow Ceremonies. The event was held at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Asheville, NC. I
was particularly fortunate to serve on staff for the event because it primarily consisted of youth and youthfuls (Arrowmen
slightly older than 21). I served as the Lead Trainer for the four afternoon sessions of the Induction Management Seminar.
During these sessions, we had the opportunity to discuss several Ceremonial topics ranging from the Ordeal Administration to the
Trail to Brotherhood.
NOAC 2004 was held on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, IA. I again served as the Lead Cell Trainer for "The
Vigil Commitment" training session. The ICE committee made tremendous strides during the Conference. The youngest ICE staff
ever was assembled, a Ceremonies instructional DVD set was released, and a higher quality of ceremonial evaluations were given to
Lodge teams.
In June 2005, I was became a Lodge Associate Adviser for Owaneco Lodge 313. My primary responsibility as an Associate Adviser
was to oversee the Lodge Vice Chief of Inductions and help coordinate the Lodge Inductions process. I was also appointed as the
Lodge Vigil Honor Adviser after serving as an assistant for several years. In December of the same year, I was awarded the Founder's
Award. The award is given to honor and recognize those Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to their lodge.
In 2006, I made my debut as a contributor for the "Burning Issues" section of the National Bulletin, the Order of
the Arrow's nationwide publication. It was a small role, but nice to contribute. NOAC 2006 marked my first ever trip to Michigan
to the campus of Michigan State University. The event was the largest conference ever held with over 8,000 participants representing
every lodge in the country. The abnormally hot summer made for uncomfortable living and training conditions, but the event was an
overall success. I once again served as the Lead Cell Trainer for "The Vigil Commitment" training session. I also pulled double
duty as a Ceremonial evaluator and did other office work. In December of 2006, it was announced that I would be selected as the
next Lodge Adviser of Owaneco Lodge 313.
The early months of 2007 were spent learning the Lodge Adviser position and attending several meetings to become familiar with
the different aspects of the job. In April, I was invited to the Section SR-7A Conclave in Virginia as a guest Ceremonial evaluator.
It was my first Conclave out of our home Section and it was great to see a different perspective. In June, my term as Lodge Adviser
of Owaneco Lodge 313 began. I quickly found out that the position is extremely demanding but very rewarding at the same time. Later
in the month, I had the opportunity to help train a session for the Vigil Honor at the Section NE-2B Conclave in New Jersey. In the
summer of 2007, the Order of the Arrow held the first ever National Conservation and Leadership Summit (NCLS) at Indiana University
in preparation for 2008's ArrowCorps5 event. The NCLS was similar to the National Leadership Summitt held in 1999 where Lodge
leadership gathered to learn about the new National Strategic Plan and improve Lodge progam. The second half of the NCLS was aimed
to train Squad Leaders for ArrowCorps5. I had a unique experience at the NCLS. I served as a staff member in the Logistics area
and worked on the registration staff, but I also had the opportunity to participate in the event as a Lodge Adviser once the
registration responsibilities were completed. One of the major focuses during the week was to create a Five Year plan for your home
Lodge.
ArrowCorps5 was the national program of emphasis in 2008 and I travelled to the second site held at Manti-La Sal in Utah. I had
been recruited to serve on staff for a few AC5 sites following the NCLS in Indiana, but I settled on Manti-La Sal. It turned out to
be a great decision. My experience in Utah turned out to be one of the best of my scouting career. I served as the Deputy Section
Chief for Finance and helped manage the budget and keep the books for the entire event. Most of my time was spent doing paperwork,
making miscellaneous purchases, balancing our accounts, and working in the trading post. I also spent time working on the
conservation project that caused us to travel to Utah. Our project consisted of the removal of the tamarisk tree in the Buckhorn
Wash, Dry Wash, and Joe's River Valley areas of Manti-La Sal National Forest. The tamarisk is an invasive species that drains water
from the area that it populates, causing other vegitation to die and changes the ecosystem. By the end of our week in Utah, we
cleared approximately 33 miles or approximately 13,000 acres of tamarisk. The project was a huge success and drew both local and
national media attention.
Lodge Leadership Positions:
Pequot Chapter Secretary/Treasurer - 1994-1995
Brotherhood Committee Chairman - 1994-1995
Pequot Chapter Chief - 1995-1996
Ceremonies Committee Chairman - 1996-1997
Fellowship Committee Chairman - 1996-1997
Lodge Vice Chief of Administration - 1996-1997
Lodge Chief - 1997-1998
Vigil Honor Committee Chairman - 1998-1999
Section NE-3A Vice Chief - 1999-2000
Assistant Ceremonies Adviser - 2000-present
Assistant Vigil Honor Adviser - 2000-2005
Events Committee Adviser - 2002
Lodge Inductions Adviser - 2002-2005
Vigil Honor Adviser - 2005-present
Lodge Associate Adviser - 2005-2007
Lodge Adviser - 2007-present
National Event Participation:
National Leadership Seminar - 1996
National Leadership Summit - 1999
National Order of the Arrow Conference - participant: 1996, 1998 - staff: 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006
Indian Summer - 2003 (staff)
Order of the Arrow 90th Anniversary Celebration - Treasure Island - 2005
National Lodge Adviser Training Seminar - 2006
National Conservation and Leadership Summit - 2007 (Logistics: Registration staff)
ArrowCorps5, Manti-La Sal - 2008 (Deputy Section Chief, Finance staff)
Awards/Recognitions:
Vigil Honor - 1996
Founder's Award - 2005
Leadership in Service Award - 2005, 2006, 2007
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