What Is Green Bar?

The Green Bar Web Site is named for William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt. Mr. Hillcourt wrote many of the best resources for Scouts and Scouters starting with handbooks for Scoutmasters and Patrol Leaders in the 1920's. For many years he had a column in Boy's Life Magazine for Patrol Leaders, and that is where I first discovered him.

As a Scout, I had two major heroes. The first was Robert Stevenson Smythe Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement. Scouting was a very important part of my life, so it was pretty natural for the man who created the movement to be a hero. The second was "Green Bar Bill." Through his column in Boy's Life and several of his books, I learned a lot about how Scouting actually works, and that lead me to an even greater appreciation for the movement and my participation in it.

Largely because of that deep appreciation for Scouting, I have spent much of my adult life working to develop the same sort of appreciation and excitement for Scouting in both youth and adults. I haven't always been successful, but the successes have far outweighed the failures. Like most adult leaders I thrive on seeing the look on a Scout's face when he succeeds at a difficult task. I also thrive on seeing the look on a Scouter's face when he or she sees Scouting work. This web site is just one more way for me to experience that.

If you'd like to know more about William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt, you can't do much better than another site dedicated to and inspired by Green Bar Bill. Take a look at Terry Howerton's article Scoutmaster to the World at Scouter.com.