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President Kennedy Receives Award from Boy Scouts of America

Feb. 13, 1963 - President Kennedy (pictured with Boy Scout representatives in 1961), who started the current hiking fad, received today a special “50-miler Award” from the Boy Scouts of America. The award is to be passed on to his younger brother, Robert, the family’s current hiking champion. Earlier this week, the Attorney General walked 50 miles from Washington to Camp David in 17 hours, 3 hours less than the standard suggested recently by President Kennedy as an ideal test for military personnel. The delegation of 12 scouts who called on the President today also left some manuals on how to win hiking merit badges. There was a special copy for Pierre Salinger, the press secretary, who decided yesterday that it would not be healthy for him to lead White House workers on a long walk.

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