T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY Matt Hill, Scout Executive/CEO of the Boy Scout of America's Mid-Iowa Council, left, presents Tom Apgar of Marshalltown the BSA's North Star award Thursday night at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown.

Over several generations the Apgar family of Marshalltown exemplified a tradition of business excellence and devotion to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) benefitted not only to locals but central Iowans.

Their decades-long commitment to Scouting was acknowledged Thursday evening when the family — represented by Tom Apgar of Marshalltown — received the BSA’s North Star Award during ceremonies at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown.

In remarks, Apgar emphasized the award recognized his entire family.

“I am the last living Apgar, but the award is also for my late mother Dorothy, my late father Pat, as well as my late brother John,” he said.

The award is the highest given to a BSA volunteer or volunteers, according to the organization’s website.

Apgar, and his family’s involvement in the BSA goes back decades, he said.

After receiving his Eagle Scout designation — the highest honor a Scout can attain in 1969 — Apgar and family raised money for the BSA among other assistance.

Fittingly, the Mid-Iowa Council honored the family by recently naming a pavilion at the BSA’s Camp Mitigwa in Boone in their honor.

“The lifelong lessons I learned through Scouting were similar growing up in my family,” he said.

The BSA values of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful and taking personal responsibility were constants in his personal and business career, Apgar said.

“Giving back to the community and volunteering were some of the values I learned,” he said. “Those become life long lessons.”

Matt Hill of Norwalk, the Scout Executive/CEO of the BSA’s Mid-Iowa Council (MIC), said the Apgar family was deserving of the award.

“It is so special that Tom and his brother’s connection with Scouting — his family’s connection with Scouting — I could tell there was a kindred spirit. It is great that Tom and his family are receiving this award,” he said.

Hill said the MIC’s North Star award is made annually to worthy recipients.

Tom Lazio of Ottumwa, the 2022 awardee, was present with his spouse at the event with dozens of others.

Hill, who earned his Eagle designation in 1995, said the MIC is working aggressively in rural communities to promote the Scouting message.

“We think a lot of the rural communities align with Scouting values,” he said.

Hill cited work in Marshalltown reviving a Cub Scout Pack — Cub Scouts is part of BSA and for youth kindergarten through fifth grade.

“We asked one of our employees to spend the month of January working exclusively with the Marshalltown Pack,” he said. “It is now thriving. We are going to emulate that (Marshalltown) plan across our council of 26 other counties.”

Hill saluted Marshalltown’s many youth-oriented programs.

“We want to thank the community as a whole, not only for their support of Scouting, but for everything they do for young people,” he said. “It is apparent when you come into this community that it cares about its young people. It is so positive to see that.”

Before retiring from the photography business in 2020, Apgar’s business was a Main Street icon. He took over the business from his father Pat, who died in 2019.

Dorothy was a revered Marshall County historian and community benefactor who died in 2016.

John died in 1981.

The event was co-sponsored by BNSF Railway, Emerson and Mechdyne.