William D. Boyce
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William Dickson "W. D." Boyce (June 16, 1858 – June 11, 1929), was an American newspaper man and entrepreneur, best known today for founding the Boy Scouts of America and the Lone Scouts of America.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Boyce was born June 16, 1858 in Plum Township, Pennsylvania.[2] In the back-country days of his childhood, Boyce acquired a love for the outdoors and a tremendous work ethic. He attended the Wooster Academy in Ohio in 1878, then went to Chicago to become a salesman. Boyce was both a shrewd salesman and a quick learner, and people were drawn to his extroverted personality. He moved from city to city rapidly, unsatisfied with staying in one place.
[edit] Business enterprises
As Boyce traveled, he left in his wake many things. In Winnipeg, Manitoba he founded The Commercial, a newspaper that lasted for 70 years, and in Lisbon, North Dakota he founded the Lisbon Clipper. In New Orleans he managed the New Orleans Cotton Exposition. Boyce was married in 1883 to Mary Jane Deacon, a woman also experienced in the ways of the outdoors.
In Chicago, he established the weekly Saturday Blade in 1887, an illustrated newspaper aimed at a rural audience and sold by a legion of newsboys. The success of this paper established the W.D. Boyce Publishing Company. He would add additional papers, buying out the Chicago Ledger, another weekly, in 1892. Others established included Farm Business in 1914 and Home Folks Magazine in 1922. Dwindling sales lead to the merger of the Blade and Ledger in 1925 as the monthly Chicago Blade & Ledger. This paper would continue until 1937.
As Boyce's enterprises grew, he insisted on the welfare of delivery boys, and had as many as 30,000 in his employment. Working with them may have helped him gain an understanding of America's youth.
[edit] Foundation of the BSA
By the early 20th century, Boyce was a multi-millionaire. He had traveled the world and lived his dream, but, at 51, Boyce grew weary of financial success and turned his attention to philanthropy. He turned to his childhood as a resource, but could not find the answer until a fateful stop to England while en route to what became a failed photographic expedition to Africa.[3]
[edit] Unknown Scout legend
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For more details on this topic, see Unknown Scout.
According to legend, he was lost on a foggy street in London in 1909 when an unknown Scout came to his aid, guiding him back to his destination.[4] The boy then refused Boyce's tip, explaining that he was merely doing his duty as a Boy Scout. Soon thereafter, Boyce met with General Baden-Powell, who was the head of the Boy Scout Association at that time. Boyce returned to America, and, four months later, founded the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910. He intended to base the program on American Indian lore. This version of the legend has been printed in numerous BSA handbooks and magazines. There are several variations of this legend, such as one that claimed he knew about Scouting ahead of time.
In actuality, Boyce stopped in London en route to a safari in British East Africa.[5] It is true that an unknown Scout helped him and refused a tip. But this Scout only helped him cross a street to a hotel, did not take him to the Scout headquarters, and Boyce never met Baden-Powell. Upon Boyce's request, the unknown Scout did give him the address of the Scout headquarters, where Boyce went on his own and picked up a copy of Scouting For Boys.[6]
[edit] Scouting
After incorporating the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910, Boyce personally donated $1000 a month to keep the organization running. He was not interested in directing the organization, and turned over the construction of the organization to Edgar M. Robinson, who proceeded to recruit the men who formed the permanent executive board of the BSA.
In later years, after clashing with the beliefs of James West, Chief Scout Executive, regarding a program for boys who lived too far from town to join a troop, Boyce started a new Scouting-related venture: the Lone Scouts of America, which allowed geographically isolated boys to experience Scouting. Eventually, the LSA was merged into the BSA.
[edit] Death
Boyce died on June 11, 1929, shortly after his only son died of an embolism. Boyce is buried in his sometime hometown of Ottawa, Illinois, in the Ottawa Avenue Cemetery. A statue commemorating his contribution to the Boy Scouts of America stands near his grave.
Boyce was recognized with the Silver Buffalo Award for his efforts in starting the BSA. The local W. D. Boyce Council is named in his honor. In 2005, the BSA introduced the William D. Boyce New Unit Organization Award, presented to the organizer of any new scout unit.
- See also: Scouting memorials
[edit] Works
- Lisbon and Her Industries (1883)
- A Strike (1894)
- Illustrated South America (1912)
- Illustrated Alaska and the Panama Canal (1914)
- Illustrated United States Colonies and Dependencies (1914)
- Illustrated Australia and New Zealand (1922)
- Illustrated Africa (1925)
[edit] See also
- Diana Oughton, his great-granddaughter
[edit] External links
- Boyce's grave, Ottawa, Illinois
- Ottawa Scouting Museum, Ottawa, Illinois
- Ottawa Visitors Center' Ottawa, Illinois
[edit] References
- ^ William D. Boyce. Points of Light. The Extra Mile (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
- ^ Petterchak, Janice A. (2003). Lone Scout: W. D. Boyce and American Boy Scouting. Legacy Press. ISBN 0-9653198-7-3.
- ^ Scott, David C. (2006). "The Origins of BSA's 1910 Handbook". International Scouting Collectors Association Journal (ISCA Journal) 6 (4): 6-13.
- ^ Peterson, Robert (2001). The Man Who Got Lost in the Fog. Scouting Magazine. Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
- ^ Rowan, Edward L (2005). To Do My Best: James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America. Las Vegas International Scouting Museum. ISBN 0-9746479-1-8.
- ^ Rowan, Dr. Edward (2006). "James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America". International Scouting Collectors Association Journal (ISCA Journal) 6 (1): 11-15.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | William D. Boyce |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Businessman and founder of Scouting in America |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 16, 1858 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 11, 1929 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Ottawa, Illinois |
