Ben H. Love (September 26, 1930 – July 31, 2010) was the eighth

Chief Scout Executive The Chief Scout Executive is the top professional of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In most similar non-profit organizations, this is equivalent to the position of CEO, national executive director or secretary general. Roger ...

of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

serving from 1985 to 1993. Love graduated from Peabody High School and Lambuth College. He served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and attained the rank of sergeant. Love died on July 31, 2010, at his home in

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a major suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately to the north-west of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 77,595. History Before the arrival of European settl ...

due to

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

Scouting career

Love became a

District Executive The Boy Scouts of America is an organization run by volunteers, however the day-to-day administration is performed by a staff of professional (or career) Scouters. The organization has professional staffing at every level—district, council, reg ...

for the West Tennessee Area Council in 1955, and in 1960 he became Scout Executive of the Delta Area Council. In 1968, Ben was named Scout Executive of the Longhorn Council in Fort Worth, Texas and it was during his tenure that the Sid Richardson Scout Ranch was constructed. In 1971, he was named Scout Executive at the

Sam Houston Area Council Scouting in Texas has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the sta ...

. Prior to becoming Chief Scout Executive in 1985, Love served as director of the Northeast Region from 1973 to 1985 and lived in

Princeton Junction, New Jersey Princeton Junction is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within West Windsor, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 2,465.

. When he took office there were approximately 4.7 million members of the BSA.

Chief Scout Executive

As Chief Scout Executive Love introduced the BSA campaign against the five "unacceptables": hunger, illicit drugs, child abuse, youth unemployment and illiteracy. The BSA also developed coeducational "Career Awareness"

Exploring Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

during his tenure years. It was Love's leadership during his tenure as Chief Scout Executive in defending the BSA during the Curran Case, the Randall case and later the

Dale case Dale Case (born May 15, 1938) is an American animator and film director. Life and career Case was born in Los Angeles, California in 1938. His father, Brad, was an animator who worked at Disney, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, and Warner Bros. Case graduated ...

that charted the course for the Boy Scouts eventual legal victories, but loss of public support. His attitude at the time is evidenced by his quote, "A homosexual is not the role model I would want as the leader of my son's troop - and neither is an atheist." The organization ultimately abandoned Love's failed policy of discrimination against gay youth and adults after loss of membership and financial support.

Honors and awards

* Lambuth College - Doctorate in Humanities *

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

- Doctorate of Philanthropy *

Montclair State College Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

Doctorate of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

Bronze Wolf Award The Bronze Wolf Award is bestowed by the World Scout Committee (WSC) to acknowledge "outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement". It is the highest honor that can be given a volunteer Scout leader in the world and it is the ...

* National Presbyterian Church's God and Service Award * Baden-Powell Scout Award *

Vigil Honor It is important to distinguish between ''awards,'' ''honors,'' and ''membership levels'' in the Order of the Arrow – the honor camping society of the Boy Scouts of America. The Founder's Award, the Red Arrow Award, and the Distinguished Serv ...

of the

Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. The society was created by E. Urner G ...

* Three beads -

Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skill ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Ben H. Deaths from lung cancer in Texas Chief Scout Executives People from Trenton, Tennessee 2010 deaths 1930 births Lambuth University alumni Recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award People from Cedar Park, Texas

Scouting career

Chief Scout Executive

Honors and awards

See also

References