"Card Backs" (Item #5)
settummanque, or blackeagle (blkeagle@DYNASTY.NET)
Sat, 16 May 1998 21:12:23 -0500
This was a hold-over from the "Official Scoutmaster Startup Kit" string;
nobody took me up on this, so I'm providing the information. Please feel
free to add to this information....
I wrote:
"5. Yet another laminated set of playing cards with Scouting founders
instead of the King, Queen, Jack, Ace and Joker cards. On the backside of
the cards, a copy of Norman Rockwell's "The Scoutmaster" ...Someone would
have to create those..... The "King" would be portrayed by Sir Robert
Baden-Powell; and the "Queen" by his wife, the founder of Girl Guiding (or
if we're looking to purely Americanize this, we could use instead Juillette
Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA); the "Jack" would be
portrayed by our first Chief Scout Executive, James West.
The "Jokers" would be the Unknown Scout and W.D. Boyce, whom brought to
America the British Scouting information in order to incorporate the BSA;
and the four "Aces" would be "Eagle", "Arrow of Light", "Quartermaster" and
"GOLD" Awards, the four current "highest youth awards" in our program; or
any four of the following: Colin Livingstone, Waite Phillips, President
Gerald Ford, Dan Beard, Bill Hillcourt, Dr. E. Urner Goodman, Carroll
Edson, Whitney Young, Jr., Adm. William Keene, President Theodore Roosevelt
and Laura Spelman Rockefeller.
(Someone else care to explain the program significance of each person to the
rest of us *grinning* ???)"
Colin Livingstone, a friend of William D. Boyce and an officer with First
National Bank in Washington, D.C. was the BSA's first National President.
Waite Phillips gave the Boy Scouts of America the largest outdoor gift ever,
Philturn Scout Ranch and Explorer Base (now called Philmont Scout Ranch) in
New Mexico. To fund the ranch's upkeep, he also gave the income from the
Philtower Office building in downtown, Tulsa, Oklahoma to the BSA.
Gerald Ford became President of the United States after the resignation of
Richard Nixon, and before that, Vice President of the United States, and
before that, a politician in Michigan and on Capitol Hill, and before all of
that, an Eagle Scout. He is the first Eagle Scout to serve as President of
the United States.
Daniel Carter Beard was the President of the Sons of Daniel Boone, one of
several fore-runners to the young Boy Scouts of America. Beard brought to
the new program the sense of the outdoors, the study of woodcraft and the
idea tha being outdoors can be a lot of fun using a little imagination and
some skills. Beard was our first National Scout Commissioner, a title he
shared with two other promienent men: Adjunant General William Verbeck and
Colonel Peter Bomus.
Bill Hillcourt, also known as "Green Bar Bill" was probably one of the BSA's
icons and critics all in one. A longtime Scouter, Bill worked on both the
volunteer and professional sides of our program, and is the main author of
several editions of our Boy Scout Handbook, the Patrol Leaders' Handbook and
other publications for volunteers and professionals. When he saw the
movement away from the outdoors in the 70s, he quickly lobbied and created a
way to move us back toward where we -- and boys -- wanted the BSA's Boy
Scout program to be through a program called ALL OUT FOR SCOUTING!! "Green
Bar Bill's many columns in _Boys'_Life_ and within older editions of
Scouting literature are still regarded as the definative way to implement
and work the Patrol Method.
Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll Edson were both staffers at a summer camp
operation owned by the Philadephia Council, when they created a program to
honor Scout campers. This program, based upon the traditions of a First
American tribe, was to be known as the Order of the Arrow (OA).
While the OA was one of several honor camping organizations in the USA which
were a part of the BSA's official or unoffical program, it became the most
promient and soon afterwards, it became an official part of the BSA's
camping and outdoor program.
Whitney Young Jr. was the President of the Urban Leagues of America, and in
1971, pledged to work alongside the Boy Scouts of America to enhance their
urban and rural Scouting programs. It started a new trend within the BSA
whereby the BSA would pair up national fraternal and social organizations to
work alongside BSA divisions to create new programs aimed at youth and to
implement ways of reaching more youth through both programs. The Service
Award bears his name and likeness and is presented to Scouters whom have
done outstanding work in the area of urban and/or rural Scouting.
Admiral William Keene served as the first Director of Sea Scouting, a
program jointly started by the Department of Navy and the Boy Scouts of
America. William Keene was the program's first "borrowed executive", as he
was still on active duty with the Navy at the time of his service to
Scouting in the professional position. Under Admiral Keene's guidance, the
Sea Scouting program reached every local Council and both land-locked as
well as sea-faring Ships were organized. It was the first "older boy"
program developed for Scouting.
President Theodore Roosevelt was heavily involved in the new Boy Scouts of
America, and after the election of William Taft, worked as part of the
Executive Committee of the new Boy Scouts of America program. He became our
first Honorary National Vice-President (Taft became our first Honorary
National President) and also became Chief Scout Citizen.
Finally, Laura Spelman Rockefeller and her foundation made available a fund
to allow the BSA to study and build a program for younger boys.
This program, of course, became known as Cubbing, and today is Cub Scouting.
One other note: In a previous posting, someone asked for information about
something called "Senior Degree Honor Society". The only thing I can find
out is that it was similar to the Order of the Arrow, and was a "secret"
organization only to those under 21 whom were not members. It was rolled up
into the Order of the Arrow in the late 40s.
Hope this all provided some reasoning on why I couldn't pick *just four*
names from the many people who gave us a rich historical basis for what we
do today as Scouters!!
Settummanque!
(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
(settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
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