Distinguished Eagle Scout John S. “Jack” Langford, a Senior Judge of the Superior Court of Georgia, was honored Saturday during a dedication for the newly built nature center at Bert Adams Scout Reservation in Covington. Langford was and continues to be an important leader for the Boy Scouts of the Atlanta area. As a cornerstone of the newly renovated Camp Bert Adams, the Nature Center will carry on Langford’s legacy as it helps to meet the growing needs of the thousands of Scouts and their leaders that attend the camp every year.

 “We find it very appropriate that the Nature Center is dedicated to Judge Langford. His dedication to the youth in our community and his passion for the Scouting program is extraordinary. He has touched the lives of thousands of youth and fellow adult volunteers” stated Don McChesney, Scout executive for the Atlanta Area Council.

All ranks of Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting have a nature component. Getting youth out into nature and the environment is so central to Scouting that catch phrases like, “Without the OUTING, there is no SCOUTING,” have become emblematic of Scouting’s commitment to expose young people to the natural world. The Nature Center, which features a stone and timber pavilion, training areas, exterior exhibit display cases and interior classrooms, will serve as an educational center for Scouts of all ages in the southeast. Last year more than 13,279 youth, and 10,838 adults camped at the Bert Adams Reservation.

The John S. Langford Nature Center is part of the newly renovated Bert Adams Scout Reservation. The new construction of the Nature Center and other renovations are made possible by an ongoing successful $15 million capital campaign. As part of the campaign, a challenge grant was made to name the center in Langford’s honor. Many of the donations were made by friends and Scouts that were touched by Langford.

About the Atlanta Area Council, Boy Scouts of America:
Since 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has been the nation’s foremost program of character development and values-based leadership training for youth ages 7-20. The Atlanta Area Council covers 13 metro-Atlanta Counties including Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Dekalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Newton, Paulding, Pickens and Rockdale.  For more information on the Atlanta Area Council, visit www.atlantabsa.org.