Exploring volunteer earns top honor

A longtime volunteer for the Black Swamp Area Boy Scout Council has received one of Scouting's highest recognitions. Dr. Stan Doty, with Doty Dentistry, of Findlay, has been awarded the William H. Spurgeon II Award for his leadership in the local Exploring program. Doty has been a volunteer in the Black Swamp Area Council for over 20 years. He was a past council president, and currently leads the only dental Exploring post in the council. He is also very active with the Exploring group, serving as committee chairman. As chairman, he attends every meeting, and in most cases leads the meetings. The Doty Dental Exploring Post will soon begin its eighth year. Doty is joined by his son, Dr. Aaron Doty, to mentor the group, one of just six dental posts nationwide. Dr. Aaron Doty has been practicing with his father for over a year now. Stan Doty is the father of two Eagle Scouts: Aaron and Kevin Doty. BSA Exploring provides a platform for businesses and business leaders to help educate and train local youth, as they work to develop a career path and many go on to pursue a career they explored in their post. Doty said he learned of the recognition during a virtual Explorer event held in September and was surprised by the honor. He said many "wonderful young people" sign up for the Explorer post because they hold an interest in dentistry, if not the Scouting program itself. At least two of the Doty Dental Exploring Post's members have received a scholarship from the BSA Explorers. Scholarships range from $500 to $1,000. Doty said being a leader in Exploring is rewarding. He said it's good to see members set goals and go after them. "And we have a lot of fun," he said. The Spurgeon Award is the highest recognition for individuals and organizations contributing to the Exploring program. The award was developed in 1971 to honor Spurgeon, a business executive at the Irvine Company in Southern California, who died in 1970. Spurgeon was a major leader in the development of special interest Exploring. He personally organized many special-interest posts in the 1960s, and devoted much of that time promoting Exploring. He is remembered as a dynamic speaker for the Exploring Impact Plan luncheons across America, and his many years as a member of the National Council Executive Board and National Exploring Committee. The Black Swamp Area Council was founded in 1991 and consists of 13 counties in northwest and west-central Ohio. The service area includes Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Seneca, Van Wert and Williams counties. The council is comprised of four districts: Arrowwood, which serves Hancock and Seneca counties; Chinquapin, which services Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding and Williams counties; Great Oaks, serving Allen, Putnam and Hardin counties; and Old Sycamore, which serves Auglaize, Mercer and Van Wert counties.