Bill Peel

My friend and fellow board member at the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America is an exemplary leader, both personally and professionally.  In addition to countless other business and community leadership roles, Frank currently serves as the President of the National Eagle Scout Association. I'm privileged to have had him present me with my NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Association award in 2016, fifty years after achieving the rank of Eagle. Recently Frank wrote in his column in "Eagles' Call" (NESA's national magazine) that "earning the Eagle Scout Award greatly improves your ability to succeed in life." I can certainly attest to that. A study conducted by Baylor University (2010) indicates that "Eagle Scouts are more likely to: Have higher levels of planning and preparation skills  Be goal-oriented Network with others Be in a leadership position Have closer relationships with family and friends Volunteer their time

I think with my hands and have been doing so for as long as I can remember.  It's a natural way for me to concentrate and create.  The bigger the writing instrument and larger the writing surface, the bigger the ideas.  I'm an active listener when I'm drawing and a much more creative person when I can see the connections between thoughts.  Thinking with your hands does not require one to be an artist.  To the contrary, it is more compelling when the diagrams and images are loose, under construction.  Take the plunge.  Grab a marker, hold it high between your fingers and don't worry about the outcome.  Just write, draw lines, scribbles, arrows, dots, anything.  Get the ideas out on paper.  Ask questions, even write out the questions.  It's fun to come back later with another color and answer them, introducing new ideas and information.  My most creative concepts have arisen from diagrams developed on large (30" wide roll) brown paper sheets.  It's reall