History of the “Good Scout” Award Statue

The Good Scout Award statuette is patterned after the statue of a Scout that stands before both the Loren S. Riggins, Jr., Scout Resource Center in Millville and the Rowan Scout Resource Center in Westampton. Here is the story behind the sculpture and its significance in Scouting History.

The sculptor was Dr. R. Tait McKenzie. In 1914 at the request of Dr. Charles D. Hart, President of the then Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America, McKenzie created a statuette of the “Ideal Boy Scout.” His model, selected in a competition of Scout parades, was 12 year-old Franklin Williamson Hoover. Ten bronze 18 inch-high statuettes were cast as part of the Boy Scout Friends of Scouting Program. The edition was closed and Dr. McKenzie presented the copyright to the Philadelphia Council.

Plaster, bronze and epoxy reproductions were sold, beginning in 1916. Later, smaller copies, suitable for desk ornaments, were made available and are highly popular. In 1930, when the Philadelphia Council moved from 916 Walnut Street to 22nd and Winter Streets, it was hoped Dr. McKenzie would create a life-size statue to stand before the new building. He obliged, not by reproducing the small figure, but with a restudied statue with many changes, incorporating the new Scouting insignia.

Scout Douglas Shannon was the “Model in Chief” with Scout Joseph Straub in reserve, but several other Scouts also served as models for head, body and various detailed studies. The statue was unveiled June 12, 1937, Dr. McKenzie making the presentation address. Many life-sized copies are exhibited throughout the United States and in other countries around the Scouting world.

Garden State Council presents “The Ideal Boy Scout Statue” to the Distinguished Citizen because it embodies the meaning of Scouting found in the Scout Oath and Law. These same principles are found in this year’s honorees.