Ray O. Wyland
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ray Orion Wyland (April 15, 1890 – October 26, 1969, Los Angeles, California) was the national director of education and national director of the Division of Relationships for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). He was a founding advisor to
Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...
.


Early life and career

Wyland was born in
Jewell County, Kansas Jewell County (county code JW) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,932. Its county seat and most populous city is Mankato. History Early history For many millennia, the Great P ...
. He moved to Ringwood, Oklahoma, in 1902. In 1908 and 1909, he attended the high school in Greenville, Texas, later moving to Danville, Illinois, where he graduated from high school in 1911. Four years later, he graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a degree of A.B. and honors in psychology. He then attended the Garrett Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and received his B.D. degree in 1918. Taking postgraduate courses, he received his M.A. degree in 1929 and his Ph.D. in 1934 from Columbia University. His family included his wife, the former Miss Ruby Arnold, and their son, Ray O. Wyland Jr. As managing director of the United American in Illinois from 1919 to 1922, Wyland conducted a training school in Americanization work which resulted in the naturalization of 20,000 aliens. He helped to "Americanize"' several hundred thousand foreign-born citizens.


Boy Scouts of America

Wyland became affiliated with the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America on August 1, 1922. He started as national director of relationships for what was first called the "Bureau of Church Relations" then later the "Relationships Division". He became acting director of education in 1925, then director of education in 1930. He held these positions until 1952. As director of relationships, Wyland co-ordinated the work of Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Latter-day Saint and other religious groups in their scouting participation, as well as educational institutions, civic groups, service clubs, fraternal bodies and parent institutions which sponsored scout troops and cub packs. As director of education, he edited ''Principles of Scoutmastership'' (the first training material for scoutmasters in the early 1930s) and other publications. His doctoral dissertation was ''Scouting in the Schools: A Study of the Relationships Between the Schools and the Boy Scouts of America''. His dissertation advisor was Dr.
Elbert K. Fretwell Elbert K. Fretwell (1878-1962) was an American academic and early leader in the field of youth development through recreation and extracurricular activity. He served as the second Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), serving ...
, who became the BSA's second
Chief Scout Executive The Chief Scout Executive is the top professional of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In most similar non-profit organizations, this is equivalent to the position of CEO, national executive director or secretary general. Roger ...
. It was first published in book form in 1934 by Teacher College Press, part of Columbia University. In 1937,
J. S. Wilson Colonel John Skinner "Belge" Wilson (1888–1969) was a Scottish scouting luminary and friend and contemporary of General Baden-Powell, recruited by him to head the International Bureau, later to become the World Bureau of the World Organiz ...
met Gunnar Berg and Wyland at Balboa, Panama, on his way to
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
, for a conference about mixed-race scouts in the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
, who claimed British and not Panamanian nationality. It was agreed that they should be taken under the wing of the Canal Zone Council of the Boy Scouts of America but, in 1947, they were transferred directly under the International Bureau as the International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone.Wilson p. 134, 233


Other positions

Wyland was a trustee of the Washington Square Methodist Church in New York City, president of the New York
Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
, president of the Strathmore Association of Westchester County, gave leadership in Red Cross, United Service Organizations and Community Chest campaigns and was a captain in the Auxiliary Police in World War II.


Alpha Phi Omega

Wyland was a charter member of Alpha chapter of
Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...
, having been scout advisor from the inception of the fraternity. He played a large role in the development of the operating policies, constitution and bylaws of Alpha Phi Omega and devising the fourfold program of service for Alpha Phi Omega. His attendance at all of the national conventions until at least 1951 helped with this endeavor. In 1930, when application was made for approval of Alpha Phi Omega by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Wyland worked hand in hand with Dr. H. Roe Bartle in presenting the facts which brought about a favorable decision and gave Alpha Phi Omega the official sanction of the
Scouting Movement Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
. Alpha Phi Omega honored him by dedicating the 1951 Fall Pledge class to him and awarding him the National Distinguished Service Award in 1956. He represented the national fraternity at the chartering of a large number of chapters in the northeast in the 1940s and 1950s. He was a signatory of the Alpha Phi Omega articles of incorporation in 1968.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyland, Ray O. Alpha Phi Omega founders 1890 births 1969 deaths People from Jewell County, Kansas University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary alumni Columbia University alumni