Alvin Townley

Alvin Townley is an American writer, author of the book "Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts",cite journal |author=Ray, Mark |title=The Astronaut Scouter|journal=Eagletter|year=Spring 2008 |volume=Vol:34 |issue=No:11 |pages= pp: 3] a story of his cross-country journey, during which he met Eagle Scouts from all walks of life. The book, his first, was released by St. Martin's Press in 2007.

Townley is himself an Eagle Scout, having earned his Eagle Scout Award with Troop 103 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a Brotherhood Member of the Order of the Arrow, and has completed backpacking, canoeing, and sailing adventures at Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases, and the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base.

After graduating from Lakeside High School (DeKalb County, Georgia), the Atlanta native attended Washington & Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia. There, he was active in student government and the cross-country and track teams. He interned in the U.S. House of Representatives, then went to work for Arthur Andersen LLP, where he managed responsibilities for global strategy and communication in their Worldwide Executive Office. In his twenties, he began a one-year trek across the country to interview Eagle Scouts and discover the legacy of Scouting.

The well-known Eagle Scouts Townley met include Michael Bloomberg, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Ross Perot, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, William H. Gates, Sr., J.W. Marriott, Jr., Bill Bradley, and Jim Lovell of Apollo 13. Others include Tuskegee Airman Percy Sutton, former POW George Thomas Coker, NBA forward Mark Madsen, an NYPD September 11 hero, and a crew of Hurricane Katrina relief workers.

The book received positive reviews from numerous figures, including President Jimmy Carter and novelist Tom Wolfe.

Alvin Townley lives in Atlanta, where he coaches at Marist High School and works with the Reach for Excellence outreach program.

References

External links

* [http://www.legacyofhonor.com/ Official "Legacy of Honor" site]