SeattleScouting.org

About me

My name is John van Velthuyzen and I'm a Scouter in the Chief Seattle Council.  I am an Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow.  I've had a great time in Scouting, both as a youth and adult, and have been fortunate to do most of the "big stuff" - Philmont, Jamborees, National OA Conferences, etc.

I've been interested in Scouting's history for a long time, and grew up reading stories of Baden Powell and hearing adults in my troop reminisce about "back when."  I began collecting Council Shoulder Patches (CSPs) in 1993, and shortly thereafter began collecting OA flaps too.  I found my collecting niche in the late 1990's when I acquired a large group of local camporee patches.  Combined with the patches from camporees I had attended as a youth, this became the core of my collecting, and I soon found that collecting all kinds of Seattle-area Scouting insignia was, for me, the perfect way to combine my interest in Scouting history with the hobby of patch collecting.

In the years since I began to focus on collecting local "stuff," my efforts to research and document the history of Scouting in the greater Seattle area have increased.  I've put together this website as a way to share what I've learned, and I hope you'll find it interesting and informative.  I continue to collect insignia from the Seattle area, and am always willing to trade for or purchase items that I don't have.  Enjoy the website, and please let me know if you have information to share or insignia available.