Eagle Scout Dr. David E. Lanar, PhD (1963), has spent a lifetime in service to the welfare of others. As an infectious disease specialist with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, he worked to develop the world’s first effective vaccine against malaria.
Fourteen-year-old Lanar earned his Eagle in Troop 319 in Gardena, California, then part of the Los Angeles Area Council. His father was an assistant Scoutmaster, and his memories of the troop were that they travelled throughout the southwest United States, visiting places like Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks.
Unsure of what he wanted to study, but knowing he wanted to go on to college, Lanar enrolled at the University of California, Irvine. He went on to earn a BS in Biology. He got his MSc in Tropical Medicine from the University of London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and then returned to UC Irvine to earn his Ph.D. For the next five years, he did post-doctoral research at the National Institute of Health (NIH), after which he was fortunate to be hired by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He stayed there for the next thirty years, leading efforts to create a vaccine to combat malaria. He contributed to the basic worldwide understanding of malaria and helped author and publish over 100 scientific articles in the biomedical sciences.
His spirit of adventure as a Scout served as his model when he became Cubmaster and then Scoutmaster in Takoma Park, Maryland. Lanar has used the outdoors as a classroom, incorporating Baden-Powell’s vision, in his more than twenty years as a scout leader in Takoma Park.
Lanar received the NOESA award in 2015 for his professional accomplishments and dedication to community service. He is now retired but continues volunteering as a Scouter and in other non-profits in his community. He brings a spirit of service to whatever he does. He believes that while helping Scouts earn the rank of Eagle is significant, it is also important to ensure that every Scout comes out of the program having learned something.
