Former Prague resident Robert Klabzuba received the N.E.S.A. Outstanding Eagle Scout Award at the Last Frontier Council Gathering of Eagle Scouts Recognition Banquet held Dec. 6. The National Eagle Scout Association and the Last Frontier Council presented the award.
The prestigious recognition is granted by the council’s N.E.S.A. committee to Eagle Scouts who have demonstrated outstanding achievement at the local state or regional level.
Klabzuba earned the Eagle Scout rank in 1966 as a member of Troop 485 in Prague. He attended Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, National Scout Jamboree, worked on staff at Camp Sasakwa in Oklahoma, and served as a merit badge counselor at Kerr Scout Ranch at Slippery Falls.
Klabzuba graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Petroleum Land Management and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He served overseas on active duty with the USAF as an RF-4C Phantom pilot and later in the USAF Reserve as an F-105 pilot. As a reservist, he also worked as an Air Force Academy Liaison officer and presented six scouts in Troop 21 with certificates of appointment to the USAF Academy.
Klabzuba has served as chairman and president of Beta Theta Phi Corp. of Oklahoma, is a member of the Oklahoma City Rotary Club 29, and served on his church finance board.
He has been a member of Troop 21 in Edmond for 23 years and currently serves as Chartered Organization Representative. While Scoutmaster of Troop 21, he received the Scoutmaster Award of Merit from the Chief Scout Executive. Robert received the Silver Beaver and Vigil Honor of the Order of the Arrow in 2013.
He has worked in the oil and gas business for 42 years, currently president of Klabzuba Royalty Company, manager of Klabzuba Exploration and Klabzuba Brothers.
Klabzuba and his wife Ruth have three children, Mary, James and Andrew and six grandchildren. His favorite scouting memories have been servicing as Scoutmaster and his four Philmont treks, particularly the ones with his own sons.
He currently lives his goal of recycling through the entire Scouting program again with his grandsons, Hunter and Ryan.