Today the Boy Scouts of America, including those right here in Huntsville, are in the midst of celebrating their centennial.

Larry Fusaro, the current scoutmaster of Huntsville Troop 114, has been a Scout in one way or another for nearly half of the organization’s 100 years.

A native of Splendora, Fusaro’s scouting journey began in 1969, when the Scouts visited his school to recruit students to the organization.

“I started in Boy Scouting in 1966 as a Webelos Scout. I was 10 years old,” Fusaro said. “They had an open house at school for scouting and they were starting a new troop in my town. I enjoyed the camping and outdoors part of it, so I decided to give it a try.”

A year later, Fusaro became a Boy Scout. Four years later, he became an Eagle Scout, and began spending his summers working at scout camps. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy, where his experiences as a scout served him well.

“I think it helped me because I was used to doing things on my own without my parents always being there,” Fusaro said. “I think it prepared me a lot for the military, and for other things later in my life.”

Even military service couldn’t keep Fusaro from scouting. While stationed aboard the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, Fusaro would help local scouting troops in the ship’s home port of Norfolk, Va.

After leaving the Navy, Fusaro ended up in Huntsville to finish college at Sam Houston State University, and began a teaching career at local schools.

In 1984 he began working as an assistant scout master for local troops, and took over as Scout Master of Troop 114 in 1987.

Even with a full-time job as a sixth-grade science teacher at Huntsville Intermediate School, Fusaro has never been able to stay away from scouting.

“I think I just really enjoyed scouting so much that I want to continue being a part of it,” he said. “Helping kids learn the values of scouting is important. I guess it’s just a way for me to reach out to kids and help them learn some basic values like citizenship and taking care of other people. Plus it’s a lot of fun. If it wasn’t so much fun I don’t think I would keep doing it.”

Fusaro’s troop currently consists of approximately 40 active scouts, and he works to ensure that they’re always busy, particularly when it comes to troop trips.

“One of the things I want to do is take them places other than Huntsville,” he said. “I want to show them there’s a whole big world out there.”

With Fusaro as Master, Troop 114 has traveled to dozens of destinations. They’ve hiked in the Grand Canyon, canoed on the Canadian border, sailed in Florida, visited Gettysburg, Virginia, Washington D.C. and spots all across Texas.

The troop, like most scouting troops, is also active in community service, hosting a yearly food drive and assisting in a variety of local activities, including cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

After 41 years in scouting, and more than two decades leading his own troop, Fusaro is celebrating not only the chance to be a part of the centennial, but also the chance to reflect on everything scouting has meant in his life.

“I am so excited about this,” Fusaro said of the celbration. “Seeing it all come together, it has been a tremendous honor for me to be a part of. Scouting is a really important part of history here in Walker County, and for me to be able to share that with our community is very important to me.”