Thirst for Adventure

Scouts often carry a coin in their pocket that reminds them of their slogan: To do a good turn daily. As they help another person without expecting anything in return, they are supposed to move the coin to a different pocket. 

Gary Pan ’86 has done many good turns — enough to be recognized at the local, regional, and national level for his commitment to youth and Scouting. But his 100%-all-in-I-can-do-that attitude goes well beyond Scouts, and it all began at Lehigh.

Falling in love with Lehigh was probably easy for a high schooler visiting during Spring Fling. That’s when Pan toured campus and knew Lehigh was exactly what he wanted as a shy young man from Massachusetts.

“I wanted to put myself in positions that would go against the grain of who I was as an introvert,” he says. “In addition to a top-notch education, I wanted to focus on my interpersonal skills, develop as a leader, and work with my peers across campus.”

The electrical engineering major and legal studies minor did just that. Pan was involved in student government. He wrote film reviews for The Brown and White and eventually was film editor. At a movie one night in Packard Lab, he connected with some guys. Soon he joined their fraternity — Psi Upsilon, where he eventually served as chapter president. He also represented his chapter on the Interfraternity Council where he served as the IFC judicial chair.

If he launched his extrovert at Lehigh, his professional career soared quickly upon his graduation. He worked in IT in Washington, D.C., for a few years. Then he started Panacea Consulting Inc. in 1990.

“I knew in high school that I wanted to open a business,” he says. “College would give me the academic and leadership skills to make it successful.”

Inc. Magazine named his small business one of the 100 fastest-growing private companies in America. Soon he was leading a number of business endeavors.

But Pan knew that public service also mattered. So he led by example, getting involved on many local boards and organizations, like Rotary where he served as president. 

“I want to inspire others to step up,” he says. “I always think I should make a difference in the community, so I get involved and live by example.”

This is what he has done with Scouts.

Finding Scouts
While at Psi Upsilon, he learned that two of his upperclassmen mentors were Eagle Scouts — Ken Ball ’82 and Chip Braulick ’84. Their pride in their accomplishments and stories of their Scouting experiences made Pan think that he had missed out on something special. While he did complete Cub Scouts, career-minded Pan had focused his high school years on Junior Achievement and the Exploring program rather than Boy Scouts. 

While his wife was a den leader for his three sons as they were in Cub Scouts, Pan dove into the Boy Scout troop when his oldest son advanced. He served as the Scoutmaster for Troop 55 for over a decade working with a group of 90+ boys divided into eight patrols.

Through Scouting, Pan worked with hundreds of youth on their journeys to Eagle Scout. He is proud that Scouting helped nurture his own three sons to the rank of Eagle. His oldest also was guided to Lehigh — Garrett Pan ’16. When Lehigh beat Duke in basketball in 2012, Gary and Garrett were invited to join Karen '83 and Fred '81 Schaufield to the round two NCAA basketball game. When Garrett was considering his college options, Pan kept telling his son not to apply to Lehigh although he secretly relished the idea.

“I told him that it was my school,” says Pan. “I didn’t want Garrett to feel compelled to follow my journey. He should find the school that would be best for him.” 

But dad was thrilled when Lehigh was Garrett’s top choice. When Garrett decided to attend Lehigh, a proud Pan father shared, “When you graduate on time, we will be in the same reunion cycle. That will be awesome.” 

Garrett arrived at his Thornburg freshman hall, and to no surprise many of the other men were also Eagle Scouts, including Holden Chung ’16 and Brandan O’Keefe ’16. Seems birds of a feather flock together.

Thirst for adventure
Running a marathon. Via ferrata rock climbing. Skiing into a volcano in Mexico. Extreme is one word for it. Pan calls it his thirst for adventure.

“We get one life and should make it as exciting as possible,” he says. “We should see what our limits are.”

He’s brought that mantra to Scouts. In 2018, he guided 10 Scouts on a 4,100-mile journey across the country on bikes. The ride took 66 days. Some Scouts had very limited experience with cycling before the trip. Pan himself began to train by riding a Peloton for two months prior to departure. His middle son joined him after doing one lap around the cul-de-sac. That son had a summer of rugby games ahead of him, but a broken wrist altered those plans and put him in the saddle of a bike seat.

The Scouts took two weeks to find their cadence and get used to the demands of daily long-distance cycling. The cyclists dipped their rear tires in Seattle, Washington, and finished their transcontinental trek by dipping their front tires in Cape May, Delaware.

“The Scouts got to see the real America and meet amazing people,” says Pan. 

Pan has completed what many in Scouting consider the triple crown of adventure: hiking rugged buttes at Philmont in New Mexico, scuba diving the waters at Sea Base in the Florida Keys, and paddling the pristine waters at Northern Tier High Adventure in Minnesota and Canada. He’s also attended five national gatherings and two world jamborees.

Welcome new Scouts
Pan has done lots to bring more people to Scouting. He formed an all-girl Scouting troop. Three of them have since earned the rank of Eagle. 

Working alongside the National Park Service, he formed the Wolf Trap First-Time Campers program, welcoming underprivileged children to some Scouting experiences. Participants camp and cook and enjoy activities like fly fishing, archery, rock climbing, and bird watching.  

The program happens twice a year and lasts a weekend, enhancing youth appreciation for nature and the great outdoors. Scouts from his units help oversee the first-timers and guide them in skills that matter in life — self-reliance, communication, and responsibility.

“Being outside and taking care of yourself are skills that make these children flourish,” he says. “It is awesome to watch the boys and girls mature and gain life experiences that help them gain confidence and expertise.”

Highest honors
This dedication has led Pan to Scouting’s highest honor: Silver Beaver. 

“Being nominated was a great honor,” he says. “Being recognized with the award was a real moment to reflect on my journey so far and how we each can make a difference in our communities.” A journey that is far from over. For a future adventure, Pan is considering plans to sleep on the ice in Antarctica in an extreme Klondike (winter Scouting activity) and to kike the El Camino, Pacific Crescent Trail or Appalachian Trail. 

Pan ran in 2019 and 2021 to serve in the House of Delegates in Virginia. While he didn’t win, the experience deepened his conviction to be a positive force of community change. He even had the opportunity to canvas for the current governor — Glenn Youngkin, who later appointed Pan the commissioner for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. He feels privileged to serve a great leadership team to advance safety and health in the workplace. One of his first actions while in office was to lead the effort to repeal the COVID-19 mandates for workers and businesses in Virginia. 

“I tell my boys and my Scouts that we have to form bigger bubbles, a wider array of experiences and relationships, that will help us push ourselves to do more than we think is possible,” he says. “My bubble started forming at Lehigh and has only grown from there.”