Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute

Last updated
Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute
Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scout Memorial-27527.jpg
Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute in 2006
Artist Donald De Lue
Year1964 (1964)
Type Bronze and granite
Dimensions430 cm× 300 cm× 260 cm(168 in× 120 in× 104 in)
Location Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates 38°53′37.93″N77°2′3.38″W / 38.8938694°N 77.0342722°W / 38.8938694; -77.0342722
Owner National Park Service

The Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute is a public artwork by American sculptor Donald De Lue, located on The Ellipse within The White House and President's Park in Washington, D.C., United States. The monument and fountain are maintained by the National Park Service. Sometimes referred to as the Boy Scout Memorial or Boy Scout Fountain, the Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute serves as a monument to the Boy Scouts of America. [1]

Contents

Description

The sculpture consists of three bronze figures: a Boy Scout in the center wearing a uniform stepping forward and carrying a walking stick in his left hand. Flanking him are two larger allegorical figures of a man and woman. They represent "American Manhood and Womanhood and the ideals they will pass onto the youth." To the Boy Scout's right side is the male figure, nearly nude, who carries a bundle of leaves and drapery in his left arm. Part of the drapery blows across his middle as he strides forward with his right leg. To the Scout's left side is the female figure who holds a torch in her left hand that has a gold-colored flame. Her left hand extends slightly and her palm is facing upward and she strides forward on her right leg. The three figures are mounted on a hexagonal-shaped base (62 x 92 x 98 in.) and in front of the sculpture is a circular pool of water.

A panel on the base is inscribed with the Scout Oath:

On my honor I
Will do my best
To do my duty
To God & my
Country and to obey the
Scout law to
Help other people
At all times
To keep myself
Physically strong
Mentally awake
And morally
Straight

Inscription at the foot of the monument explaining the meaning to visitors Inscription - Boy Scout Memorial - Washington, DC - DSC06077.JPG
Inscription at the foot of the monument explaining the meaning to visitors

The rim of the pool is inscribed:

This memorial was authorized by the Congress of the United States and directed in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America in grateful tribute to the men and women whose generosity devotion and leadership have brought Scouting to the nation's youth and to honor all members of the Boy Scouts of America who in days of peace and times of peril have their duty to God and their country. [1]

Information

The three figures represent various concepts. According to the National Park Service the Boy Scout "represents the aspirations of all past, present, and future Scouts throughout the world. The male figure exemplifies physical, mental, and moral fitness, love of country, good citizenship, loyalty, honor, and courage. He carries a helmet, a symbol of masculine attire. The female figure symbolizes enlightenment with the love of God and fellow man, justice, freedom, and democracy. She holds the eternal flame of God's Holy Spirit." [2]

The sculpture was founded by Modern Art Foundry in New York. [1]

Acquisition

In 1959, the 50th anniversary year of Scouting, Lyndon B. Johnson, then Senate majority leader, introduced a measure to establish the memorial. [3] Upon approval, funds for the sculpture were raised by Boy Scouts collecting dimes throughout the country, therefore no government spending was used. The names of all the collecting Scouts are inscribed on scrolls that are placed inside the base of the unit. [1]

The sculpture sits at the location of the 1937 National Scout Jamboree, the first jamboree. It was dedicated on November 7, 1964 and accepted by Associate Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark who celebrated his 50th anniversary of being an Eagle Scout on that day. [2]

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed by Save Outdoor Sculpture! in 1993 and was described as "well maintained". [1]

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boy Scouts of the Philippines</span> Scouting organization in the Philippines

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) is the national scouting organization of the Philippines in the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The Scout movement was first introduced in the Philippines in 1910 during the American Occupation. It was granted "Recognition as a Member Organization of the Boy Scouts International Conference with effect from October 31, 1936" by virtue of certification signed by J. S. Wilson, Olave Baden-Powell, and Daniel Spry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney</span> American sculptor, art patron and collector (1875–1942)

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the wealthy Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolph Alexander Weinman</span> American sculptor and architectural sculptor (1870–1952)

Adolph Alexander Weinman was a German-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorado Taft</span> American sculptor and writer (1860–1936)

Lorado Zadok Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Part of the American Renaissance movement, his monumental pieces include, Fountain of Time, Spirit of the Great Lakes, and The Eternal Indian. His 1903 book, The History of American Sculpture, was the first survey of the subject and stood for decades as the standard reference. He has been credited with helping to advance the status of women as sculptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Washington, D.C.</span>

Scouting in Washington, D.C. has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Ingersoll Aitken</span> American sculptor (1878–1949)

Robert Ingersoll Aitken was an American sculptor. Perhaps his most famous work is the West Pediment of the United States Supreme Court Building.

<i>Columbus Fountain</i> Public artwork in Washington, DC

Columbus Fountain, also known as the Columbus Memorial, is a public artwork by American sculptor Lorado Taft, located at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States. A centerpiece of Columbus Circle, Columbus Fountain serves as a tribute to the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The unveiling in 1912 was celebrated all over Washington, DC over the course of three days with parades, concerts and fireworks gathering tens of thousands of people from all over the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenos Frudakis</span> American artist

Zenos Frudakis, known as Frudakis, is an American sculptor whose diverse body of work includes monuments, memorials, portrait busts and statues of living and historic individuals, military subjects, sports figures and animal sculpture. Over the past four decades he has sculpted monumental works and over 100 figurative sculptures included within public and private collections throughout the United States and internationally. Frudakis currently lives and works near Philadelphia, and is best known for his sculpture Freedom, which shows a series of figures breaking free from a wall and is installed in downtown Philadelphia. Other notable works are at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, the National Academy of Design, and the Lotos Club of New York City, the Imperial War Museum in England, the Utsukushi ga-hara Open Air Museum in Japan, and the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.

<i>Dante Alighieri</i> (Ximenes) Statue by Ettore Ximenes in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Dante Alighieri, is a public artwork by Italian artist Ettore Ximenes, located at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C., United States. Dante Alighieri was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1994. The monument is a tribute to Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

<i>John J. Pershing General of the Armies</i> Statue in Washington, D.C., U.S.

John J. Pershing General of the Armies, is a public artwork by American artist Robert White, located at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.. John J. Pershing General of the Armies was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1994. The monument is a tribute to United States Army general John J. Pershing.

<i>Nuns of the Battlefield</i>

Nuns of the Battlefield is a public artwork made in 1924 by Irish artist Jerome Connor, located at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue NW, M Street, and Connecticut Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C., United States. A tribute to the more than 600 nuns who nursed soldiers of both the Union Army and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, it is one of two monuments in the District that mark women's roles in the conflict. It is a contributing monument to the Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1993, it was surveyed for the Smithsonian Institution's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dupont Circle Fountain</span> Artwork by Daniel Chester French

The Dupont Circle Fountain, formally known as the Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont Memorial Fountain, is a fountain located in the center of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. It honors Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, a prominent American naval officer and member of the Du Pont family. The fountain replaced a statue of Du Pont that was installed in 1884. Designed by Henry Bacon and sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the fountain was dedicated in 1921. Prominent guests at the dedication ceremony included First Lady Florence Harding, Secretary of War John W. Weeks and Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial</span> Public artwork by J. Massey Rhind

The Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial, also known as Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, is a public artwork in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization for Union veterans. The memorial is sited at Indiana Plaza, located at the intersection of 7th Street, Indiana Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood. The bronze figures were sculpted by J. Massey Rhind, a prominent 20th-century artist. Attendees at the 1909 dedication ceremony included President William Howard Taft, Senator William Warner, and hundreds of Union veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Boy Scouts, Troop 1</span>

International Boy Scouts, Troop 1, Japan's first Boy Scout troop, was founded in 1911, with Clarence Griffin as Scoutmaster. Despite its early multinational character the troop's original registration was with the London headquarters of The Boy Scouts Association as "British Scouts in Foreign Countries". This initial charter was due to there being no international Boy Scout office and the "nationality requirement" that was in effect at the time. In 1918, the troop's character changed considerably when the new Scoutmaster, Bro. Joseph Janning, received approval from Lord Baden-Powell to officially reorganized the troop as a mixed-nationality, or "international", troop. B-P subsequently brought the Troop's situation before the 3rd World Scout Conference where the newly formed Boy Scouts International Bureau received approval to directly register Troop 1 and, in the future, other such "international" groups. The troop was then directly registered by the Boy Scouts International Bureau and was issued the Boy Scout movement's first "mixed nationality" charter, dated October 30, 1925, signed by Baden-Powell as Chief Scout and Hubert S. Martin as Director of the new International Bureau. Within a few years the nationality requirement was abolished and, even though the Bureau maintained the direct registration of Troop 1 and other groups already registered, new groups were requested to join the national organization of the country in which they were located and no new groups were chartered. Over the years the directly chartered groups one-by-one and for varied reasons slowly disbanded and by 1955 only Troop 1 remained. The troop has been continuously active, including war years, since its first meeting held in Yokohama, Japan on October 16, 1911, and currently consists of coed sections of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Senior Scouts, and Veteran Scouts.

<i>The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution</i>

The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution is a sculpture located beside Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., United States. Dedicated in 1929, the sculpture was created by artist and socialite Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in honor of the four founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR): Mary Desha, Mary Smith Lockwood, Ellen Hardin Walworth, and Eugenia Washington. The sculpture is one of three outdoor artworks in Washington, D.C. by Whitney, the other two being the Titanic Memorial and the Aztec Fountain at the Pan American Union Building.

George Aarons was a sculptor who lived and taught in Gloucester, Massachusetts, for many years until his death in 1980. He designed Gloucester's 350th Anniversary Commemorative Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Jamboree</span> Quadrennial event organized by the Boy Scouts of America

The First National Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America took place in 1937. Originally scheduled to take place in 1935 to celebrate their silver jubilee, an outbreak of polio in Washington, D.C. and the neighboring states, caused it to be canceled and pushed back, finally taking place from June 30 to July 9, 1937. Twenty-five thousand scouts attended the event taking place on the National Mall at the foot of the Washington Monument using equipment loaned by the United States Army. Scouts from all around the United States arrived by train, while representatives of several foreign countries' scouting groups traveled by boat and even by foot. The event was celebrated by the entire city with Federal buildings being opened for visits, Mount Vernon offering daily visits, and many local residents volunteering their time. U.S. President Roosevelt took part in the celebration and a special message from Lord Baden-Powell was broadcast from London to the scouts during the jamboree calling for International Friendship. It was a display of American patriotism with American flags on display; the event took place in the American capital in front of the White House during the week of the 4th of July.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Smithsonian (1993). "Boy Scout Memorial, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture. Smithsonian. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Explore the Southern Trail". President's Park. National Park Service. 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  3. Tabitha Preast (2008). "Boy Scout Memorial". Northwest in Washington. The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved January 2, 2010.