Hogan keeps Boy Scouts 'doing what we're supposed to do'

Dale Hogan, of Sedalia, has witnessed boys turning into men through leadership, community service, citizenship and camping.

Hogan started working with the Boy Scouts of America about nine years ago, when his son Kinser joined Cub Scouts.

“It was one of those deals where they needed leaders. Jim Schreiner said ‘It’s only going to take an hour a week and it won’t cost you any money,’ ” Hogan said. “I still laugh about that because I spend a lot more than an hour a week on it. I enjoy it though.”

He liked Cub Scouts because the boys were excited about everything.

“The Pinewood Derby was my favorite part of the Cub world — the dads and the boys building the cars,” he said.

When Kinser crossed over to the Boy Scouts, Hogan continued on in a leadership capacity. He is now an assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 61 that meets at Christ and Trinity Lutheran Church.

“He does a lot more hands-on with the younger kids. He has to keep track of where they’re at,” said Dale Soendker, another assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 61. Soendker works with the older boys, who are responsible for keeping track of themselves.

Hogan thinks of himself as a cheerleader and motivator for the boys. Dustin Belsha, a Tenderfoot Scout, agrees.

“He keeps us doing what we’re supposed to do, but he’s not strict about it. He’s not a dictator,” Dustin said.

“To me the whole Scouting program is kind of like a game with a purpose,” Hogan said. “The game part of it is Scouting’s fun. Everything we do is based on keeping it fun because if it’s not, the boys don’t have to be there. They could do other things — football, video games, what have you.

“The purpose is Scouting helps instill good values, good character traits and also helps to teach these young men citizenship, service, leadership and so many outdoor skills that they can use throughout their life.”

His volunteering doesn’t stop with the troop. He also is the chapter advisor for the Sisilija Chapter of Order of the Arrow, advisor of Venture Crew 216 and associate lodge advisor of the Nampa-Tsi Lodge.

Order of the Arrow is the honor society of Boy Scouts. Boys must be a first class Scout, have 15 nights of camping under their belt and be recommended by the Scoutmaster. The boys do a variety of service projects but also plan a lot of activities where they can have fun. Hogan is proud that the Order of the Arrow has started a color guard. Craig Silvey came up with the idea and Joe Cochran from American Legion Post 642 Color Guard is mentoring the boys. Every month the OA Color Guard posts the colors at the Sedalia Dinner Club meeting.
The Venture Crew is for older Scouts but isn’t limited to boys.

“The highlight is that each year we take a high adventure trip. In 2010 we went to the Grand Canyon and took 32 people. Next year, we are getting everything lined up to go to Yellowstone, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse,” Hogan said.

He sees a lot of growth in the boys during these trips. On the Grand Canyon trip, they walked down a nine-mile trail filled with everything from rock slides to rattlesnakes. The temperature started off at 40 degrees and by the time they made it to the floor of the canyon it was 112.

One boy came up and said, “Mr. Hogan, my legs hurt, my back hurts, I hurt all over. I just cannot go anymore. There’s no way I can hike out of here.”

Hogan told him he was going to have to dig down deep to find the inner strength to help him climb out. That same boy was the first person to sign up for the trip to Yellowstone.

“He was at the end of his rope at the Grand Canyon ... and now he’s looking forward to going to Yellowstone. That’s what makes this program worthwhile — to see these boys grow and just mature in so many different ways,” Hogan said.

Though his son has achieved the rank of Eagle, the highest rank in Scouting, Hogan plans to stay involved. Since he recently retired from UPS, he spends about 20 hours a week on the different Scouting programs.

“It’s really become a big part of my life,” he said.