Existing comment:
19th Annual Government, Labor & Management Award
National Capital Area Council, BSA
Richard J. Durbin
Government Honoree
May 16, 2006
The McKenzie Statue
In 1914 at the request of Dr. Charles D. Hart, President of the then Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America, Dr. R. Tait McKenzie created a statuette of the "Ideal Boy Scout." His model, selected in a competition of Scout parades, was 12 year old Asa Franklin Williamson Hooven. Ten bronze 18 inch-high statuettes were cast and subscribed at $100.00 each, by the friends of Scouting. 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 now highly popular. In 1930 when then Philadelphia Council moved from 916 Walnut Street to its 22nd & Winter Streets location, 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 one 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. |