The Boone Award statue is a small replica of a famous original called "The Boy Scout", sculpted by
Dr. R. Tait McKenzie. The sculptor, a longtime Scouter, portrayed in his statue the grand traits of
character he knew the movement instilled in a boy. To Dr. McKenzie, the uncovered head represented
reverence and obedience; the ax on which the hand rests was a symbol of George Washington's truthfullness.
Later this statue was redone life size, a copy of which now stands in front of the Boy Scouts of America
national office in Irving, Texas.
Dr. R. Tait McKenzie was a surgeon, physician, educator, artist and sculptor (1867 - 1938). He was a
personal friend of Sir Baden-Powel, the founder of Scouting, and served on the Philadelphia, PA council from
to 1938. When asked in 1914 to create something tangible "that would stand as a symbol of what Scouting
stood for", Dr. McKenzie sculpted his beloved statue portraying the "ideal Boy Scout".
