The story is without a doubt one of the most enduring legends in Scouting. And although it is a legend, truth often exists in legends. If anything the story represents the essence of Scouting and portrays an example of the values found in the Scout Oath and Law.

As the story goes, the event took place one Fall morning back in the year 1909. William D. Boyce, an world-traveling publisher from Chicago, was visiting London when he found himself hopelessly lost in an extremely thick fog that blanketed the city. Seemingly from nowhere a boy dressed in what looked like a military uniform approached him and kindly asked if needed assistance.

He explained that he was lost and needed directions. What happened next moved the Boyce in a way he did not expect. Not only did the young man tell the American how to reach his destination, he actually led him there to ensure he found his way without becoming lost again. To show his gratitude, Boyce offered the boy a tip, but he would not accept it. When asked why, the young man told Boyce he was a Boy Scout and taking a tip would negate the good deed he had done and therefore violate his Scouting code.

So intrigued by this, Boyce inquired about the organization the boy belonged to. The Unknown Scout then directed him to the office of Robert S.S. Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting in Britain. During that visit Boyce gathered a trunk-load of books about the movement for British boys, which he then brought back with him to the United States. He was so impressed by the premise of Scouting and the values it instilled in young men that he decided to bring Scouting to America. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was official incorporated on February 8, 1910, about a year after his visit to London.

During organization’s first year in America, Boyce helped finance it by donating a crucial $4,000. Later in 1915, he organized the Lone Scouts of America, which was a way of honoring the Unknown Scout he met years before. The Lone Scouts brought Scouting to boys in rural areas who had no chance to join one of the hundreds of troops that were springing up in cities and small towns.

Despite these significant contributions, W. D. Boyce is a somewhat mysterious figure among Scouting’s pioneers. This is due largely to the fact that he did not take a hands-on approach to Scouting as did Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scout movement in England. Men like Chief Scout Ernest Thompson Seton, National Scout Commissioner Daniel Carter Beard, and Chief Scout Executive James E. West were the public face of the Boy Scouts in America but the role William D. Boyce played in Scouting will never be forgotten.