 Edward Urner Goodman ( May 15 , 1891 – March 13 , 1980 ) was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America ( BSA ) movement for much of the twentieth century . Goodman was the national program director from 1931 until 1951 , during the organization 's formative years of significant growth when the Cub Scouting and Exploring programs were established . He developed the BSA 's national training center in the early 1930s and was responsible for publication of the widely read Boy Scout Handbook and other Scouting books , writing the Leaders Handbook used by Scout leaders in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s . In the 1950s , Goodman was Executive Director of Men 's Work for the National Council of Churches in New York City and active in church work . 
