Lieutenant Colonel Paul Beames (USMC, RET) was born in Sidney in 1945. He attended Sidney schools and graduated with the Class of 1963. He received an AAS degree in Marketing from SUNY Delhi in 1966 and his BS in Psychology from SUNY Oneonta in 1968. He earned his MS in Counseling from SUNY Oneonta in 1979.
Paul joined the Marine Corp in 1968 and began his military career which spanned 24 years and included being awarded the Single Mission Air Medal with Bronze Star for service flying helicopters in Vietnam, the Navy Commendation Medal following a three year tour of duty at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC, and the Military Active Duty "Citizen of the Year", City of New Orleans, LA, in conjuction with the Presidential "Points of Light" Foundation in 1991. Paul retired from the military in 1992 with the rank of LtCol.
Paul’s service to his country was accompanied by his service to young people as evidenced by his more than 40 years of dedicated volunteer and professional service to the Boy Scouts of America.
While in the military, Paul found the time to volunteer in Scouting whenever possible. From 1966 on, Paul was a scoutmaster or assistant scoutmaster in Sidney, Oneonta, Jacksonville North Carolina, Woodbridge, VA, New Orleans, LA and Irvine, CA. Many of the young people he encountered would never have had the opportunity to join a Boy Scout Troop if i weren’t for Paul. He brought the opportunity for a scouting experience to inner city areas.
Ed Roelle said of Paul’s scoutmaster time, "We as longtime Scouters consider the Scoutmaster to be the ultimate leadership position in Scouting" and in May 2010, Paul was honored with the Silver Beaver Award — Scouting’s highest leadership award presented to a volunteer at council level.
In his letter supporting Paul’s nomination, Don Tuttle wrote, "At first glance, his ch of a military career in the Marine Corps and as a Vietnam combat helicopter pilot seem odds with his quiet demeanor today. But he chose to meet his country’s service obliga head-on when many plotted to avoid the draft or calculated the quickest route to Canad is this resolve to meet life’s blows head-on, his steadfast belief in a moral code of condu one’s life, and his love of Scouting and the out-of-doors that makes me proud to count among my lifelong friends and fellow traveler." Paul’s dedication to mentoring young pe continues to this day through his scouting experience. Paul lives in Sidney, New York.