Jay Dunbar is the author of the current pre-Ordeal Ceremony. Realizing that the four ceremonial officials are equally necessary to form a circle, he coined the term “principals” and gave each an equal part, basing the text on the 1948 revision and adding the Investing. He is the creator of The Brotherhood Hike, and the author (as Tischitanissohen, his Vigil Honor name) of The Drum: a training aid for ceremonial teams. With Ray Petit, he co-authored the original Eleven Cardinal Principles of the Induction (now the Ten Induction Principles), and the Spirit of the Arrow Show, which introduced Spirit of the Arrow to the nation at the 1971 NOAC.

Maurice M. “Maury” Clancy, from Santa Fe, New Mexico and later served Ashie Lodge, San Diego, California, was a member of the National OA Committee. He was most known for his work as an Indian specialist. Maury emphasized the significance of our nation's American Indian culture and worked to encourage the preservation of our American Indian heritage. He received the Orders Distinguished Service Award in 1971 and died December 16, 1974.

The Red Arrow award was created in 1967 to recognize individuals who are not members of the Order of the Arrow, for outstanding service to the Order. In many ways this award is the OA’s equivalent award to the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) for Arrowmen, except it is the award for non-OA members only. This attractive award has varied in design over the years. The award currently is a red arrow and medallion superimposed on an engraved plaque. A miniature charm for civilian wear is also available. The Red Arrow Award can only be awarded by action of the National Order of the Arrow Committee. Recommendations by nomination form are sent to the National OA Director.

Dr. David Briscoe grew up in Mars Hill, North Carolina, a small agrarian community 18 miles north of Asheville. He joined the Boy Scouts in 1965, earned Eagle Scout in 1968, and became a member of Tsali Lodge 134 in 1968. He was the first African American inductee and Vigil Honor member in that lodge which had existed for thirty years, at a time where segregation still dominated the South. He received Brotherhood in 1969, and the Vigil Honor in 1973. What follows is Dr. Briscoe’s Scout story as told in own words.

Jim Lovell is best known as the Commander of the Apollo 13 mission. He was also an Arrowman. Lovell was an Eagle Scout serving in Milwaukee County Council and in 1946 served as lodge treasurer of Mikano Lodge.

Lovell piloted the Gemini 7 space flight in December of 1965 and Gemini 12 in November of 1966. As Goodman put it,

we shot an Arrowman in the air.

Other authors revised the early ceremonies in the late 1940s just prior to the Order of the Arrow becoming an official program of the Boy Scouts of America. By the 1950s and early 1960s however, the OA initiation had, to a large degree nationally, deteriorated into a haphazardly conducted formality, all too frequently characterized by hazing and other activities inconsistent with not only the Order’s principles, but also the core tenants of the Scout Oath and Law.

Raymond C. Petit was born December 31, 1943 and inducted into the Order of the Arrow in March 1959 in a ceremony that was read from the books and with a neighbor boy who shot at the “Indians.” One year later, Ray organized a team and that year’s new candidates participated in the first Ordeal Ceremony in Ump Quah lodge performed entirely from memory. In the fall of 1961, Ray was elected vice chief of the lodge and continued his emphasis on high quality ceremonies as well as the experience of the Ordeal itself.

John (Jock) Forrest was inducted as an Ordeal Member into Chappegat Lodge (now Ktemaque) near New Rochelle, New York in 1952, earned his Brotherhood in1953, and was recognized with the Vigil Honor in 1960.

Jock was a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) Alpha Phi Omega (APO) chapter where, after earning a Master’s of Science degree in Political Science, he was deeply impressed with the work of a younger member, Ray Petit. The two became life-long friends and as highly energetic organizer and manager, Jock shared much of Ray’s work with a larger audience. Jock served as an early contributor to many Scouting Service Exchange (SEE) projects including the Election Ceremony and procedures revisions, and the editing and development of the Handbook for Ceremonial Teams, and other projects.

Another African American Arrowman who made significant contributions to Scouting and the Order was Randolph Scott. An Eagle Scout from Clairton, Pennsylvania, as a youth he was a member of Shingis Lodge and was elected to area chief. Scott attended the 1962 National Planning Meeting and was chosen to serve as the deputy conference vice chief of training for the 1963 National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC).

Joseph Csatari was born in 1929, the son of Hungarian immigrants. He studied art and was hired by the BSA in 1953. Csatari would reach international acclaim for his work as a realist illustrator, water colorist and portrait artist. Csatari is still an active artist painting in his hometown of South River, New Jersey.