Chicago Scots President and CEO, Gus Noble, has been named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This honor was awarded in recognition of Gus’s 17-years of service to Scottish culture in the United States of America as well as his incredible leadership of Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to public service, the arts and sciences and charitable organizations.
Established in 1917 by King George V., awards are conferred twice yearly on The Queen’s Official Birthday and on New Year’s Day. Gus’s award is included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List which was recently published by the Gazette, the official newspaper of the Crown. You can find Gus listed on page B25.
After the announcement of the award, Alan Gogbashian, the British Consul General in Chicago, said, “I offer my warmest congratulations to Gus Noble on this receipt of this well-deserved honour. Gus is a champion of Scottish culture across Chicago and the Midwest and this honour reflects the high-level of his decades of contributions. Chicago Scots is the oldest registered charity in Illinois, celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, and his promotion of both traditional and modern Scottish culture across the Midwest have further strengthened our Scottish-American ties and cooperation. Additionally, Gus showed tremendous leadership and resolve at Caledonia Senior Living through the COVID-19 pandemic, where exceptional and effective measures were taken to protect residents from the pandemic.”
Gus will have the opportunity to travel with his family to the the UK in the near future to accept his award. This experience will be particularly meaningful as Gus was there with his father Robert Noble when he accepted his MBE as part of the 2002 New Year’s List for service in Agriculture in Scotland.
Every year at our Scottish Festival & Highland Games, the Chicago Scots feature a family or an organization as our Honored Clan. This year, to recognize and celebrate its’ strong Scottish roots, our Honored Clan is Rotary International. We are proud to announce that Rotary International’s Scottish President, Gordon McInally has agreed to lead our Parade of Tartans at 12:30 p.m. Gordon will also receive the Salute to the Chieftain from the Massed Pipe Bands at approximately 6.30pm on Saturday, June 15, 2024.