Be prepared, Boy Scouts are told. You could save someone's life.

Not many Scouts ever have that opportunity. But Brendan McWilliams, 11, and Robbie Roberts, 12, did - and the lessons they and their scout leaders learned helped save a man from drowning.

The boys were on a raft trip down the Whitewater River near Brookville last month when a man's canoe capsized. The man had been in the water nearly two minutes, and was floating face-down when the scout leaders pulled him into the raft.

Boy Scouts Robbie Roberts, 12, (left) and Brendan McWilliams, 11, helped save a man from drowning. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

As Brian McWilliams, Brendan's father, and scout leaders Bill Greenwell and Dave Boes held the victim and steered the raft, Brendan and Robbie paddled furiously across the strong current to a landing area.

"It seemed harder to paddle, but we didn't think about that. We just did it," Brendan said.

When they got ashore, scout leaders performed CPR and used a compass to determine their location, so an onlooker could direct EMS crews to the scene.

The man was breathing when emergency workers arrived and was taken to the hospital. He has recovered.

Brendan and his father received keys to the city at Dater Montessori School last week, where Brendan attends.

Robbie will be honored at Grace Lutheran Church School this week. They live in Westwood and are members of Troop 107 at Westwood First Presbyterian Church.

Aronoff Laboratory

Former state Sen. Stanley J. Aronoff of Cincinnati has another building bearing his name.

It is the five-story, $26 million Stanley J. Aronoff Laboratory of Biological Sciences building, 312 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, on the Ohio State campus.

"It is between buildings named after former Gov. Jim Rhodes and former Speaker of the House Vern Riffe," Aronoff said. "I guess that is a pretty good place to be."

The building was dedicated Friday.