Early Days of the Boy Scouts, by Edgar M. Robinson
Description:
This piece, titled “Early Days of the Boy Scouts”, gives a unique first hand account of how the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) originated. It was written by Edgar M. Robinson 40 years after the founding of the BSA. In the piece, he details every aspect of how the Boy Scouts was founded, and even includes a time line in which every major event is noted.
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Prior to his days doing work for the BSA, Edgar M. Robinson was a student at the YMCA Training School, which is now known as Springfield College. While he was a student at Springfield College, he worked for the YMCA, and was named the Boys' Work Secretary of the International Committee in 1900. One report states, ”at the time he took over, there were twenty Boys' Work Secretaries and 30,000 boys as members nationwide. Thirteen years later, there were 363 secretaries with over 120,000 youth in membership”. In April, 1910, he was named the managing director of the BSA. In 1926, he received the Silver Buffalo Award, for his efforts in helping to get the BSA off the ground. Robinson joined the faculty of Springfield College almost thirty years after graduation and served as the Honorary Director of Boys Work Courses and the Adviser in Methods and Principles in Work with Boys at Springfield College from 1927-1937. In 2000, he was recognized, yet again, and named to the YMCA Hall of Fame.
At the top of page number 1, the words "Return to E.M. Robinson" appear in pen.
