Published: February 20, 2006 12:30 pm      

Boy Scout speaker is a 'Survivor'

Ian Rosenberger is a man to whom people can look up, and it has nothing to do with his 6-foot, 8-inch height.

Rosenberger, who was one of the final three contestants on the CBS reality show, “Survivor Palau,” will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Harry E. Mangle Memorial Dinner. The event will be held March 10 at the Pasquerilla Conference Center, 110 Napoleon St. in downtown Johnstown.

The fund-raiser benefits Penn’s Woods Council, Boy Scouts of America, and will honor Johnstown Mayor Don Zucco with the 2006 Distinguished Citizen Award.

The lanky Rosenberger shocked viewers and earned respect when he chose friendship over $1 million.

In a final immunity challenge, Rosenberger stood on a buoy for almost 12 hours, finally giving up his chance to win the grand prize in exchange for repairing a broken friendship with eventual winner Tom Westman of Sayville, N.Y.

“The reaction to my decision is about

50-50,” said Rosenberger, 24, in a telephone interview from Louden County, Va., where he had a speaking engagement.

“Half the people are telling me they admired my decision because it taught children about integrity, and the other half tell me I was wrong for giving up a chance for $1 million.”

Rosenberger made his decision based on what was best for him.

Rosenberger and fellow player Katie Gallagher of Merced, Calif., were struggling over a perceived conflict. She attempted to stir the pot by telling Westman, who was in an alliance with Rosenberger, that Rosenberger had planned to vote him out if he hadn’t won an immunity challenge.

Rosenberger, who now lives on the North Side of Pittsburgh, bowed out.

Rosenberger, an Eagle Scout, will soon graduate from Penn State, where he is majoring in agricultural extension and educational leadership.

“I’m taking my last class online,” he said. “I had to give up my last semester to go on the show.”

Rosenberger said much of his success can be traced to his scouting experiences.

“Scouting holds such a unique place in my heart and so much of who I am can be attributed to the values I learned in scouting,” he said. “Scouting served me well in the game, and it allowed me to express those values on a national stage.”

He said he felt like a traitor to a friend and to himself during the final days of the show.

“I honestly don’t have any regrets about what I did,” he said. “My grandmother always told me that good things happen to good people, and I believe that.”

The easygoing Rosenberger has been in demand on the banquet circuit and averages about five speaking engagements a month.

He also has appeared in commercials for the UPN Network and is featured on KDKA-TV’s morning news programs.

The fund-raiser begins with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner at 7:15. A private reception at the Crown American Building, Pasquerilla Plaza, costs $400.

The annual fund-raiser is named in honor of the late Mangle, who was the council’s first executive director and who started the dinners in 1971.

Cletus J. McConville Jr., executive director of the council, said the goal for the dinner is $100,000. Since the 1980s, the dinner has raised between $80,000 and $120,000.

“The dinner accomplishes two things,” McConville said. “It provides resources to sustain the annual scouting budget and conveys a real message of what scouting is all about to a prominent audience.’

Cost for the dinner and public reception is $175 per person. A $400 ticket gains admission to a private reception with the honoree and keynote speaker before the dinner.

Reservations must be made by March 1 and can be made by calling 288-0162.

Rosenberger was working with special-needs children in Florida using dolphins as therapy.

He lost his job when his employer discovered how long he would be gone filming “Survivor.”

He keeps in touch with Westman, a New York City fireman.

“We are closer now than when we were on the show. We talk about twice a week,” Rosenberger said.

But the public may not have seen the last of Rosenberger.

Asked if he will be seen on television anytime soon, he replied, “Keep watching, that’s all I can say.”



Tom Lavis can be reached at 532-5054 or tlavis@tribdem.com.