Forward

Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy

The White Stag continues to leap on--upward and forward--in a never-ending journey that leads the joyous followers to the promised land. For us who wear the badge of the White Stag, the White Stag journey symbolizes the idea of becoming the best we can. It stands for the ideals of Scouting and for the never-ending process of learning and becoming ever more competent and effective leaders, followers, and stewards in our White Stag community, families, Scout units, schools, churches, home communities, and society.

Central to the White Stag program is the notion of continuous renewal, ever ongoing development and re-visioning. Rather than looking in the rear view mirror of our program history, we focus on the future and explore new vistas, capture new images, seek new opportunities. and create new designs that enrich the program and empower us so that we can make White Stag an ever more vibrant program in our lives and in the lives of others.

As we enter the fifth decade of White Stag, I challenge all of us to continue building and developing the White Stag program, to accept as a community of stewards responsibility for bringing to life the White Stag ideals and organizing our lives to serve the common good.

We should be--and we are--grateful to Brian Phelps who continues to create and present this most inspirational description of the White Stag program. Thank you Brian. All success to all who follow and blaze anew the path of our White Stag journey.

--Béla H. Bánáthy
September 1997