By Melissa Dunson

mdunson@joplinglobe.com

Rob O’Brian can only remember how to tie one knot and was never a very good at paddling a canoe, but he’s still very much a Boy Scout and said he carries with him the ideals he learned more than 40 years ago.

Today, O’Brian rubs shoulders with executives dressed in tailor-made suits, but when he was 9, he was a Cub Scout with an interest in science and the need to make some new friends in a new hometown. What he received from the program were some great memories and character development that he said he still benefits from today.

“I think the real core of the Scouts is the set of values that are inherent in the program,” O’Brian said. “It’s really all about trying to build good character, teaching integrity, the importance of being trustworthy and self-reliance.”

The president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce was recently honored by the Scouts for keeping those ideals so many years after leaving the organization. The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award was created in 1969, and is the most prestigious award given to an adult not currently involved in the Scouts.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must have reached the Eagle Scout level and spent at least 25 years in outstanding service in his profession or community.

Brian Karch, Ozark Trails Council district director, said this seemed like the year to award O’Brian the local Distinguished Citizen Award. The local award is handed out annually to Southwest Missourians who have made a long-term difference in their communities. Past recipients include Larry and Virginia Hickey, Grace Energy Corporation and Empire District Electric Company.

“We wanted to honor him for the extent of what he’s done in the community,” Karch said. “He’s been involved in the schools through the TREK program, been involved in helping the Missouri workforce not just in Joplin, but statewide, he continues his service to his church, and he supports the mentoring of Scouts.”

Karch said when he heard the chamber president was an Eagle Scout, he nominated him for the national award. O’Brian’s nomination was reviewed by a group of seven current Distinguished Eagle Scouts and a majority had to sign off on the honor.

He was awarded the national Distinguished Eagle Scout title earlier this month at a Boy Scout fund-raiser, in what he said was a total surprise. He is the first person to receive the national award in the Joplin metropolitan area, and only the fifth person awarded it in the Ozark Trails Council.

“It was an absolute shock, I was speechless,” O’Brian said.

During his years in the Scouts, O’Brian said he learned some valuable lessons including it’s OK to fail. He said it took him three years to earn his canoeing merit badge, which was especially frustrating because he did regularly canoe with his friends.

“I had an older Scout tell me I was the worst canoer in the world,” he said laughing. “To get the badge, you have go straight by paddling only on one side. So that canoeing badge meant a lot to me.”

From that experience, O’Brian said he also learned how to get back up from a fall.

“We were taught that it’s OK to fail, but you don’t just try it once, then walk away,” he said.

O’Brian said being a Scout also boosted his self-confidence and toughened him up. He remembers chilly 45-degree showers at camp, and trekking up the side of a mountain on a path so steep he had to crawl. He remembers the confidence he felt after camping in the woods and realizing he could take care of himself.

Many of O’Brian’s memories are tied to the Scouts. He watched the first man walk on the moon surrounded by thousands of other scouts in a natural amphitheater during the 1969 National Boy Scouts Jamboree.

The Scouts also provided an opportunity for O’Brian to spend more time with his father, who for years served as either the leader or assistant of his troop.

“There were lots of adults that played a role in making sure we were going to be successful Scouts and human beings,” he said.

O’Brian partially credits his experience in the Scouts with his first career of journalism. He got merit badges for photography and writing and got a job in high school writing for his local paper. But his current role as chamber president and economic developer can be traced back to a Scout master who motivated O’Brian to enter a debate competition. He did well and continued to progress.

“It was an aspect I found very interesting because a lot of it was about civics and politics,” he said. “It was an element of the scouts that gave me a broader perspective and explained what made government work.”

O’Brian said as his career has progressed, he continues to pull helpful hints from his years as a Scout. He said he’s not sure he lives by the motto of “always be prepared,” but he still benefits from the curiosity sparked during his formative years and an acceptance that not everything will work the first time.

“In the Scouts, I was able to learn a little bit about a lot of things, which is a lot like what I do today,” he said. “I still try to find out what makes things work and how we can improve that. All these things are still are part of my being today.”