Tampa Couple Honored For 30-Year Commitment To Boy Scouts

TAMPA, FL — Two long-time Scout volunteers, Bill and Trish Guglielmi, each with 30 years of community service to the Boy Scouts of America and other community organizations, were honored at a breakfast July 23.

The Guglielmis received the Soaring Eagle Award at the event at the Centre Club, 123 S, West Shore Blvd. The award, from the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, recognizes individuals who exemplify the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

Bill and Trish, married for almost 43 years, became active in Scouts when their twin sons (both Eagle Scouts and U.S. Army officers) joined Tiger Cubs in 1990. Their daughter joined Girl Scouts and is a Girl Scout Silver Award holder and an archivist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. They have three grandchildren, one of whom is in Cub Scouts and two are future Scouts.

When they met each other at Widener University in 1973, neither anticipated that Scouting would play such a role in their lives.

“We are both deeply honored to be recognized by our friends in the Tampa Scouting family," Bill said. Scouting is the world’s greatest youth movement and has given our family more than we have ever given to it.”

Trish and Bill are members of Cub Scout Pack 1381’s pack committee and are Fort Brooke District Members at Large. They are members of the Philmont and Summit Staff Associations, the BSA ‘s 2nd Century Society and are James E. West Fellows. Both have also served as instructors at Philmont Training Center and staffed multiple jamborees.

Bill, a retired Army officer and a retired Lockheed Martin project manager, is the council’s cice president of membership. He also is active at the national, regional and area levels of the Boy Scouts of America. Bill has been honored with the Silver Antelope, Silver Beaver, OA Vigil Honor, OA Founders Award, Distinguished Commissioner Award, St. George, Bronze Pelican and the Scoutmaster Award of Merit.

A retired guidance counselor from Hillsborough County Public Schools, Trish is the council’s Wood Badge coordinator and is the Area 4 special needs Scouting chair. She has been honored with the Silver Beaver Award and the William D. Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award.

The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council is one of the local councils in western Florida chartered by the Boy Scouts of America. The council encompasses nine counties and serves more than 15,000 youth in 189 Cub Scout packs, 192 Boy Scout and Varsity Scout troops, 36 Venturing Crews and five Sea Scout Ships.

In addition to the Lewis Hill, III Service Center, located at 13228 N. Central Ave. in Tampa, the council maintains six camp properties: Camp Owen J. Brorein in Odessa, Camp Soule in Clearwater, Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation in Lake Wales, Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Brooksville, Big Foot Wilderness Camp in the Green Swamp, and Camp Alafia along the Alafia River in Lithia.