When Miles Romney submitted ideas for a patch to commemorate the Church's 75th anniversary as a Scouting sponsor, some designs included campfires, pioneering towers and other Scouting activities.
But the design that caught the eye of Church leaders turned out to be a composite of the ideas he had given to John Warnick, national director of Mormon Relationships. The official patch of the Boy Scouts of America is a design symbolizing more than Scouting's activities; the patch also represents the principles that have enabled the partnership between the Boy Scouts of America and the Church to endure for three-quarters of a century.Dominating the patch is a large portrayal of Lord Baden Powell, the founder of Scouting. On the left of Powell is stitched a representation of the Angel Moroni Statue, and on Powell's right is the Scout Emblem. The patch has a yellow border with words "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: inscribed around the top and "75 Years of Scouting 1913-1988" on the bottom.
"We [Romney and Warnick] felt that the Angel Moroni and Scout Emblem really tied it [the patch's design] together," said Romney, Scouting coordinator in the Valley View 11th Ward, Salt Lake Holladay North Stake.
Romney said Powell was portrayed in the design because the precepts of the Scouting program he founded reflect many of the ideals the Church emphasizes in the lives of its young men.
Romney said he has been involved in Scouting for 30 years. A manufacturing representative, he designs patches for a hobby and, of course, like many Scouts and Scouters, also collects patches.
The commemorative patch is available in six-inch and three-inch sizes. There's also a one-inch hat pin. All three sell for $8.50, plus $2 for postage and handling for orders less than $20. For orders more than $20, it's $4 for postage and handling. Separately, the six-inch patch is $5, while the three-inch patch and one-inch pin each sell for $2. Orders may be sent to Mormon Relationships, 525 Foothill Blvd., Salt Lake City, Utah, 84113.