Lodge History

2024 Michael Carlin
2023 Robert Carlin
2022 Avery Shumpert
2021 Elliot Paisner
2020 Alex Girard
2019 Trey Patuka
2018 Trey Patuka
2017 Kevin Kamperman
2016 Kevin Kamperman
2015 Christian Goerner
2014 Ben Milner
2013 Andrew Weaver
2012 Alexander Leach
2011 Scott Connor
2010 Bradly Jacquet
2009 Rajpal Sagoo
2008 Joseph Hawkins
2007 George Snipes
2006 Michael Stong
2005 Kenney Barton
2004 Matthew Holland
2004 Kyle Kleppe
2003 Ron Kaye
2002 Danny “Ratchie” Ritchie
2001 Frank McMillan
2000 Kenny Hosley
1999 Brad Ploeger
1998 John Sims
1998 David Heaton
1997 Brian Yancey
1996 Mark Angeli
1995 Mark Angeli
1994 Alan Anderson
1993 Steven Danielek
1992 Micah Andrews
1991 Scott Slaton
1990 Towner Blackstock
1989 Chuck Scales
1988 David Fox
1987 Russell Cutts
1986 Scott McClure
1985 Scott McClure
1984 David Ryan
1983 Anthony Pesce
1982 Jac Coursey
1981 Danny Fancher
1980 Tim Crawford
1979 Bernie Marino
1978 Jim Emmons
1977 Mike Briggs
1976 Steve Kinsman
1975 Joe Burch
1974 Glen Borders
1973 Kent Knight
1972 Louis Jacob III
1971 Donald Swift
1970 John Kilpatrick Jr
1969 Champ Massey
1968 Carson Salyer
1967 Ethan Dougherty
1966 Nick Herren Jr
1965 William Howe
1964 William Howe
1963 William Veatch III
1962 Bob Castleberry
1961 James Drew Jr
1960 Thomas Shoupe Jr
1959 James Cruz Giglio
1958 Russell Neal House
1957 William Bracewell
1956 David Wilbanks
1955 Jim Collins
1954 Herbert Entrekin
1953 Jimmy Waters
1952 Goetz B. Eaton
1951 Francis Brown
1950 Unknown
1949 Jack Freeman
1948 Jack Freeman
1947 Frank Rumble
1946 Unkown
1945 Doug Ellis
1944 John M. Outler III
1943 John M. Outler III
1942 Unknown
1941 Paul Sams
1940 Unknown
1939 Arnold Almand
1938 Floyd Sanders Jr

E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson, directors of Treasure Island Scout Camp, founded the Order of the Arrow in the summer of 1915. It grew out of a desire to emphasize that the good Scout camper is not only proficient in the skills of Scoutcraft but also practices the principles of the Scout Oath and Law. It was intended to make these Scout principles more effective in the lives of Scout campers. It focused particular attention on making cheerful service and brotherhood working realities to a boy.

Order of the Arrow lodges were soon organized in other councils. In 1921, representatives from these lodges met together in Philadelphia for the first National Meeting. One year later the Order of the Arrow became an official program experiment of the BSA. The Order became an approved part of the Boy Scout program in 1934, and is used today by all but one council.

During the early 1930’s, the staff at the old Boy Scout Camp Bert Adams, located near Vinings, began promoting the recognition of scouts and camp staff members who were outstanding campers. At the end of each period at camp, the campers and staff would select one scout as “Best All-Around Camper.” This tradition lasted into the late 1930’s, even after the establishment of the Order of the Arrow in the council.

In 1936, Camp Director C. H. Westin brought some information about the Order of the Arrow to the camp, which he had received at a Regional meeting. Most of his information pertained to the principles rather than the procedures of the Order of the Arrow, so elections for membership were held each period of the camping season in 1936 and 1937, but no Ordeals or other ceremonies were conducted. During these two years, the group called themselves the Bert Adams Chapter of the Order of the Arrow, although it was not yet officially chartered with the National Council. During the spring of 1938, the camp leaders wrote to the National BSA Council requesting an official charter and asking for information on the induction of members. In late May, after hearing nothing, they wrote a second letter restating the request for information and stating that summer camp was opening soon. Many weeks passed and still no response was received, so Westin made contact with J. Rucker Newberry of Bobwhite Lodge in Augusta. Newberry brought their ceremonial team to Bert Adams to conduct induction ceremonies and train a ceremonial team for Atlanta. Soon after the first induction, Westin sent a third letter to the National Council explaining what they had done, and requested an official charter as the Broad-Winged Hawk Lodge.

The name Broad-Winged Hawk was suggested by George Dorsey, who was the Nature Director at Camp Bert Adams from 1929 to 1941. He observed that the broad-winged species of hawk was abundant on and around the camp property. When the Lodge was named he had also researched the Cherokee language, translating “broad-winged hawk” to “equa tawadi”, whose literal translation is “big hawk”, and for ease of pronunciation spelled out as “Egwa Tawa Dee”. This translation was probably used by Lodge members until the early 1950’s, when the name on the Charter was changed to reflect this translation.

Egwa Tawa Dee Lodge functioned as part of the program at Camp Bert Adams from 1938 to 1948. During these years, the Lodge program consisted mostly of inductions during the summer camping season, and camp promotions during the winter and spring months. In 1945, Bobby Ginsberg became the Lodge’s first Brotherhood member when he traveled to a South Carolina Lodge Pow-Wow to participate in their Brotherhood ceremony. Two years later in 1947, Claud Humphries became the Lodge’s first Vigil Honor member, when the Vigil Honor was conferred upon him at the Area Z Fellowship, at Camp Barstow in South Carolina.

In 1945, the Lodge was called upon to install an Order of the Arrow lodge in Rome, Georgia. A Degree Team from Egwa Tawa Dee traveled to the Northwest Georgia Council to found Waguli Lodge 318. Two years later, a Degree Team was sent to Macon to found Echeconnee Lodge 358.

In 1948, the Order of the Arrow was recognized as the BSA’s national brotherhood of honor campers and became an official part of the national camping program of the Boy Scouts of America. Until this time, all elections for membership were held at camp, which kept the Order of the Arrow a small, tightly controlled fraternal organization; however, with this change, elections for membership were held by individual troops. This change disheartened many members and caused many of them to become inactive in both the Order of the Arrow and the summer camp programs. As a result, the Lodge did not function actively for an entire year.

In 1949, Andrew Yantis, who was the Indian Lore Director at Bert Adams, decided to incorporate the Order of the Arrow into his Indian program. Very quickly the Lodge became active again, and in 1952 the Lodge held its first Pow-Wow at Bert Adams. In 1953, Jimmy Waters was elected Lodge Chief. In 1954, due to the large size of the Lodge’s membership, chapters were formed in six of the larger districts, namely: Dekalb, North Atlanta, North Fulton, South Atlanta, South Fulton, and Tara. Membership in the other districts remained directly under the auspices of the Lodge. In 1955, Jimmy Waters was elected Area 6-D Chief, and soon after he was elected National Conference Chief of the 1956 National Order of the Arrow Conference. In his term, Jimmy and the National Order of the Arrow Committee began promoting the use of lodge pocket flaps. This prompted Egwa Tawa Dee Lodge to issue its flap during that year to help promote Jimmy’s program.

In 1960, Whit Smith was elected to be the Area 6-D Chief for the coming year. Also in 1960, Camp Bert Adams held its last summer season in Vinings. For twenty-two years the Lodge had labored during its Ordeal to build an awesome campfire ring, with podiums and seats constructed entirely of stone. This was also the camp where the foundations and traditions of the Lodge had been established. Unfortunately, the encroachment of the city and the small capacity of the camp forced the Council to look for more space farther away from Atlanta. This year must have been one of great apprehension for Scouts who knew Camp Bert Adams as home. One of the great concerns of the Lodge was the Treasure Oak Lodge building. This building, which was adjacent to the dining hall at camp, was the central meeting place of the Lodge. When the time finally came for the old camp to close, the Lodge paid to have the building moved from Vinings to the new camp near Covington. The move required that a new chimney be built for Treasure Oak Lodge, and this was quickly accepted as a project of Lodge members. In the late 1960’s, the Lodge building was abandoned as a meeting place and was converted into a boat storage house. In the 1990’s the building suffered a total collapse due to age and disrepair, and it remained at the edge of the lake in lower Gorman Field until 2003, when it was removed in the course of renovation and improvements being made to the camp. In 1962 and again in 1964, Egwa Tawa Dee hosted the Area 6-D conference at the new Bert Adams Scout Reservation. The 1970’s were perhaps the most challenging years for Scouting and the Order of the Arrow. Although the Lodge hosted the 1973 Area 5 Conclave, the controversy over United States’ involvement in the Vietnam Conflict caused a great deal of anti-military sentiment. Because Scouting has similarities to the military in its uniforms and organizational structure, the BSA suffered a significant decline in membership during the early 1970’s. In an effort to adapt Scouting to changing times, camping and outdoor experiences were greatly de-emphasized from the program. This took its toll on the Order of the Arrow. The primary accomplishment of the Lodge during the 1970’s was the construction of a ceremonial ring that was to have been used exclusively by the Order of the Arrow. The project consumed several years and countless hours of service by Lodge members. Only a few years after the ring was completed, however, a decision was made by the Council to use the ring for summer camp campfires. This decision adversely affected the mystery of having an exclusive Lodge ceremonial ring, and the lodge subsequently abandoned its use. The early 1980’s yielded little in the way of significant progress for the Lodge. In 1980, the council built a new scout reservation near Blairsville, which was named for the longtime Coca-Cola president and philanthropist Robert W. Woodruff. The Lodge held Ordeals at this new camp in its first summer season.

After hosting a successful Conclave at Bert Adams in 1987, Scott Slaton was elected Section Chief. In 1988, a team from Tara received 5th place at NOAC in the ceremonies competition, and at the following NOAC they placed 6th, beginning the Lodge’s longstanding tradition of ceremonial excellence. In August of 1989, a delegation departed from Atlanta for the Philmont Order of the Arrow Trek. While en route to New Mexico, Peter McCarthy, a youth member of the Lodge from Troop 77 was killed in an automobile accident in Arkansas. Upon the delegation’s return, it was decided to name a new ceremony ring at Bert Adams the “McCarthy Ring” in memory of Peter. Also during this time, the Lodge helped to build an Indian Village at Woodruff Scout Reservation. For many years an excellent interpretive program was held there during summer camp. Use of the Indian Village was abandoned in the late 1990’s.
In 1990, Chuck Scales was elected Section Chief of Section 4. Later that same year, he was elected to serve as the Southeast Region Chief. In 1993 the Lodge attended the “Final Four” fellowship of SE-4, and then a month later, traveled to its first Dixie Fellowship in South Carolina. At Dixie the very next year, the Lodge took first place in the Pre-Ordeal ceremony competition. In 1996, the Lodge hosted the Dixie Fellowship for SR-5 at Bert Adams Scout Reservation. In preparation for the conclave, the Order of the Arrow lodge building at Bert Adams underwent major renovation. The lodge building would serve as the headquarters of the conclave. Under the leadership of David Heaton, this event was the largest Dixie Fellowship to date in its nearly forty year history, with Egwa bringing 340 members of its own with a total attendance of over 1,100. The National Vice-Chief of the Order of the Arrow also visited the event. At both the 1996 and 1997 Dixie Fellowships, the Lodge received first place in the Brotherhood Ceremony competition.

As a result of hosting the 1996 Dixie Fellowship, Egwa Tawa Dee experienced resurgence in both its membership and its activities. During this time, the Lodge’s Drum and Dance team was organized and became an important facet of lodge program. The Drum and Dance team performed at Centennial Olympic Park, and in 1997 at Bert Adams they had the privilege to perform for King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden at the Fall Fellowship, when the World Organization of the Scout Movement’s annual meeting was held in the Atlanta area. Also during this time, the lodge began regularly sending delegates to the OA National Leadership Seminar, an intense weekend training session for lodge officers and advisers. Several members of Egwa Tawa Dee would also serve as staff for the NLS. The Lodge began to hold weekly Brotherhood ceremonies at summer camp at Woodruff in 1998, in an effort to increase both Brotherhood conversion and the Lodge’s presence at Woodruff Scout Reservation.

Section realignments in 1997 moved Egwa Tawa Dee from SR-5 to a new Section 6 South, a section encompassing much of north Georgia and part of southeastern Tennessee. At the organizational meeting, Mark Angeli was elected to be the first Section Chief of SR-6 South. Bill Loeble was appointed as Section Adviser. Also at the meeting, it was decided that the Lodge would host the Section’s 1999 Conclave, to be held at Bert Adams Scout Reservation. Later that year, Mark was elected Southern Region Chief, and David Heaton was elected to finish the remainder of the term as Section Chief. Dave was re-elected at the 1998 SR-6 South Conclave at Camp Rainey Mountain in April. While Section Chief, Dave was selected to serve as Summit Vice Chief for the Unit Representative Program at the 1999 National Leadership Summit held in Fort Collins, Colorado. The committee Dave led developed a leadership position known as the Unit Representative, creating a link between a lodge or chapter and the individual members of a scout troop. Under his direction, the Order of the Arrow Troop/Team Representative position was created and accepted as an official troop leadership position by the National Boy Scout Committee.

In planning for the 1999 SR-6 South Conclave, Lodge Vice-Chief of Program Carey Mignerey was selected to be the Service Lodge Chairman. Through his efforts, the conclave was an overwhelming success. The Lodge swept first and second place in both Pre-Ordeal and Brotherhood for the third year. At the Conclave, Carey was elected Section Chief. Then at the National Meeting in December 1999, Carey was elected National Chief, the first member of Egwa Tawa Dee to serve in that position since Jimmy Waters in 1956. At the NOAC in 2000, the Lodge sent six ceremonial teams for evaluation. Five of them received “Honor” medals for the highest possible ceremonial performance.

2000 and 2001 found the Lodge in a state of refocusing its goals. For the first time in many years, the Lodge made a specific effort to reach out to the community. Under the leadership of Kenny Hosley and Andre Pennington the Lodge sponsored and built a house through Habitat for Humanity, in partnership with the Home Depot. This gave Egwa Tawa Dee and the Atlanta Area Council great publicity and helped demonstrate that the Order of the Arrow is truly a service-oriented organization. The Lodge also made a concerted effort to bring its membership database into the 21st century. For the first time in many years, membership cards were promptly and regularly issued to dues-paying members.

At the Conclave in 2002, Frank McMillan was elected Section Chief. At the National Meeting in December of the same year, Frank was elected Southern Region Chief, the second member of Egwa Tawa Dee to hold national office in three years. Bill Loeble was also appointed as the Order of the Arrow’s Southern Region Chairman. Egwa again gained attention on the national stage as Frank helped to reintroduce the “One Day of Service” program.
In 2003 Section SR-6 South held the first event called the Section Leadership Gathering (SLG). It was hosted in the fall by Egwa Tawa Dee at Woodruff Scout Reservation. Under the leadership of Matthew Holland, the lodge proved itself a very capable host. Matthew was elected Lodge Chief at the Fall Fellowship. The first LLDC since 1999 was held at the Volunteer Service Center, staffed by Matthew and his fellow Lodge Officers. Training was given to new Lodge and Chapter officers on a variety of subjects ranging from program to parliamentary procedure. During the winter, great effort was made to streamline the Lodge’s outdated and needlessly complex operating procedure. At the Lodge’s Spring Pow-Wow in March 2004, a freshly updated set of By-Laws were ratified by the general membership and put into effect. At the SR-6 South Conclave held at Camp Comer in April, Matthew was elected Section Secretary. Kyle Kleppe was chosen as Lodge Chief to complete the remainder of Matthew’s term. The Lodge sent a sizable delegation to the 2004 NOAC at Iowa State University, and again Egwa received recognition for excellence in ceremonial presentation. For the first time in many years this included medals for excellence in the Vigil Honor ceremony presentation.

Following an insightful candidate forum at the Fall Fellowship in 2004, new Lodge officers were elected. For the first time in years, no previous officer was elected to serve on the incoming Lodge officer corps. With fresh ideas and much ambition focusing on membership and the quality of program, Lodge Chief Kenney Barton and his officer corps successfully attained National Quality Lodge for Egwa in 2005. Another huge success for the lodge in 2005 was the hosting of yet another wildly successful SR-6 South Conclave at Woodruff Scout Reservation in April. Under the leadership of Conclave Chairman Michael Kelly and his Adviser John Crew, Egwa again proved itself a worthy host to all the lodges in the Section. The year saw nearly 400 additional scouts complete their Ordeal, and also welcomed the appointment of a new Lodge Adviser, Randy Yates, a longtime member of the lodge. At the Fall Fellowship in September some new old faces were elected to serve the lodge in 2006. Returning to lodge office are Michael Stong, former Vice-Chief of Communications elected as Lodge Chief and Thomas Thornton, closing out his youth OA career with his third, non-consecutive term as Vice-Chief of Indian Affairs.