Badge, Membership
Object number2017.12.1 a,b
Datec. 1953
MediumMetal; Fabric; Leather; Satin; Velvet; Paint
Credit LineGift of Virginia A. Schick
DescriptionBadge with case.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a): 3.313 × 1.5 × 0.375 in. (8.4 × 3.8 × 1 cm)Height x Width x Depth (b - closed): 0.875 × 4 × 2 in. (2.2 × 10.2 × 5.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (b - open): 2.25 × 4 × 2.375 in. (5.7 × 10.2 × 6 cm)
Inscriptions(b)
Interior of lid has silver painted text "EAGLE SCOUT BADGE / AWARDED BY THE / BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA".
Historical NotesThi Eagle Scout badge belonged to William Schick, Jr. Dr. William Christian Schick, Jr., was born to William C. and Florence Heinen Schick in Ross Township, Pennsylvania. Schick joined Boy Scout Troop 175 at an early age. The troop gained notoriety in 1953, when twelve of its members gained Eagle status simultaneously (pin, ring, sash). The group was honored at a dinner at the William Penn Hotel, which each scout attended with an individual sponsor from a community related to their career interests. Due to Schick’s active passion for music, troop leaders assigned Schick to be sponsored by Fred Rogers. Later that year, Schick attended Camp Philmont (now Philmont Scout Ranch) with the troop. In late adolescence, Schick spent time in Norway as an American Field Service exchange student. Schick studied physics at MIT on a scholarship provided to the children of employees of Jones & Laughlin, where his father was employed. He completed a PhD in physics there in 1965, and took a position as Assistant Professor at Iowa State University, where he also worked at Ames Laboratory. He later worked as a nuclear physicist for Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, a nuclear power research facility in West Mifflin initially operated by Westinghouse. During his time at Bettis Lab, Schick assisted the response to the Three Mile Island incident and researched the safe storage of spent fuel. He married Virginia Sleigh Schick in 1976, at Aspinwall Presbyterian Church. Schick passed away on January 15, 2007.
Related institution
Boy Scouts of America
Related person
Fred McFeely Rogers
Related institution
Hotel William Penn
Related institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Related person
William C. Schick
Related person
Florence Heinen Schick
Related institution
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
Related institution
Iowa State University
Related institution
Ames Laboratory
Related institution
Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
Related person
Virginia Sleigh Schick
On View
Not on view
1945
1999
