Rover Scouts (1928-52/65)
 

Overview
Rover Scouts were the most senior of all the Senior Scout programs.  Boys could become apprentice Rover Scouts at 17, becoming full members at 18.  Adult leaders had to be 25.  The program was intended as a service and leadership program for the oldest boys, in some ways similar to a college fraternity or service club.  The program was based on the ideas of B-P himself, who developed the program in England for older boys in 1918 and wrote a book for it called Rovering to Success in 1922.  The U.S. Rover program started in New England in 1929, through the efforts of Robert Hale, who produced an early Rover Scout booklet.  In 1928 there were crews in Seattle, Detroit, Toledo, and several other locations.  By 1932, there were 36 official experimental crews, with 27 of them in 15 New England councils.  In May of 1933 the BSA National Council approved the Rover program, and started plans for development of literature and helps to leaders.  In 1935, a Rover Wood Badge course was run following the British syllabus.

The sunsetting of the Rover program is unclear.  The program was never very big. BSA National didn't really promote the program, preferring to promote other Senior programs like Sea Scouts and Explorer Scouts. When much of the literature of the time mentioned Rovers, it was with a few paragraphs or a page or two that sparely explains the program and creating  desire for people to want to join.  In 1952, BSA National stop chartering new Crews, and no longer recorded Rover membership after 1953. BSA National also wanted to concentrate its efforts on the Explorer programs, rather then Rovers, thus its sunset.  In 1965, when several other changes occurred in the Senior programs, BSA National stopped re-registering Rover Crews as Rover Crews.  Rover Crews that continued beyond 1965 where re-registered as Exploring Posts (later Venturing Crews) instead, but continued to use the Rover program.

Scout units using the Rover model continued to exist until around the year 2000.  The B-P Rover Crew of Glasgow, KY, was considered the top unit of American Rovering.  Their leader, Jim Simmons, was involved with the Rover program when it was an official part of the BSA.  Before the B-P Rover Crew ended, they were registered as an Exploring Post.  However, Jim passed away and the crew folded.  Also; there was the Diamond Willow Crew in Chicago and the Kudu Rover Crew in Bardstown, Ky, both started by Jim and his nephew Ted.  Both have also folded.

In Scouting Associations in other countries, Rovers still exist as their most senior section, usually for the ages of 17-25 or so.

In 2200 Ken Pataky founded the Rovering 4 Life Association.   R4LAKen is an independent, international association of adult Rovers and is affiliated with the World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) as a full member chapter of the International Scouting Fellowship (ISF).   It is a voluntary and non-political organization, that is not affiliated with Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Girl Scouts of America (GSA), World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), or the World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), though some current members have been previously or are currently active in these associations as well as WFIS associations.   Two crews are active in the U.S. : Deep River Rovers in Jamestown, NC and Aspen Mountain Rovers, Weber County, UT.

The Rover Program
The program of Rover Scouting was leadership and service among older youth/young adults.  It was 'grownup scouting'.  Crews were expected to do service and leadership work as part of their program.  The highlight of their program was a "quest", which was intended as a large outdoor service work or project. This might include serving as adult Cub leaders for the Cub Pack associated with their Scouting Group and the like.  In many ways it corresponds to the work done by various service groups and clubs, as well as Alpha Phi Omega, a college service fraternity based on scouting principles.

Rover Scout Uniforms
Rover Scouts wore regular scout uniforms, but with a shirt strip indicating Rover Scouting.  Rover Scouts wore red garter tabs with uniform shorts.  During 1935-46, only Rovers wore the red tabs.  After 1946, Explorers wore the red tabs.  Rover Scout insignia existed and was worn on the right sleeve about 2 in below the seam.  There were several versions over the years.  Also lapel pins existed as well.

Rover Scout Advancement
There was no distinctive Rover Scout advancement program.   Rovers worked to earn the Rambler award.   A Rambler award pin with the BSA logo exists, but was not official produced. Rover Scouts could earn any of the Senior Scout/Explorer advancements, as there was no upper age limits for BSA programs at the time.  They could also earn Senior Scout Titles, as well as progress to Eagle Scout if they had earned First Class as a Boy Scout.

Rover Scout Units
Rover Scout units were called Crews.  If units were large enough, they could be subdivided into Teams (some say these were called Sections) around like interests.  Rover Crews were under the leadership of a Rover Scout Mate, who was the equivalent of a Boy Scout Senior Patrol Leader or Explorer Scout Post Guide. There was an assistant Mate, or Rover Second as the position was also called. Teams were under the leadership of Team Leaders.  Another leadership position was Yeoman, which was equivalent to the Explorer secretary. The adult leaders were simply called Rover Scout Leaders.

Literature
There is both a Rover Scout Handbook and a Rover Scout Leader Handbook.  A very earily Rover Scout work is titled Once a Scout, Always a Scout, it was written by Robert S. Hale as a Rover Leader Provisional Program guidebook, and approved by the BSA.  It is heavily based on the Rover Scout program put forth by B-P.  

The book Rovering to Success written by B-P is more of an inspirational volume on Rovering, than a program-focused work.

Starting in 1935, there was a Nationally published Rover newsletter called the "Rover Record".  It produced regularly from Feb of 1935 to 1937, then intermittently from 1938 until the last issue on April 1941.
 

Rover Participation

* These numbers include Senior Scouts in troops. BSA Membership statistics did not break out Rover Participation in years 1944 and 1945.
Rover numbers combined with Explorers after 1953

Source: 1964 Annual Report of the BSA , as shown in Art Hyman's The Scout in Aviation.