October 1993
Letter from the President's Desk
Dear friends,
To those of you who attended our Third Annual Meeting and
First Annual Auction, thank you for coming. To those of you who
were unable to attend, we hope to see you there next year because
we had an extremely productive meeting and a great time at the
auction. Since the meeting, we have heard from a few members who
said they didn't know or couldn't remember when it was. Just in
case you want to start planning early, the meeting and auction
are always held on the first Saturday in August at Camp Squanto.
Therefore next year's meeting and auction will be held on August
6th. We would love to see you there.
The main reason of the meeting was to review the activities of
the Camp SQuanto Alumni Association and renew friendships with
former staff members and old friends. In addition to raising
funds for the preservation of Camp Squanto, the Alumni
Association is sponsor and overseer of the Edward Christophers
Memorial Fund, the Casoni Center Museum and, as of the Annual
Meeting, Explorer Post 25. During the meeting Joanne Christophers
Carpenter spoke about the Christophers Memorial Fund; Paul
Chapin, the curator of the Museum, reported on the status of the
museum; Kevin Guarino, the newly elected Advisor of Explorer Post
25, detailed some of his ideas about the new Post; and, not
surprisingly, yours truly asked for money to fund all of these
activities. With that in mind, we closed the meeting and began
the First Annual Auction.
There was a slight murmur of disappointment in the crowd when
it was announced that our guest auctioneer was unable to attend.
However, the murmur changed to a buzz of anticipation when our
very own Trustee, Mike Warner, took over the gavel. In fact, a
few attendees were seen clutching their wallets or attempting to
hide their checkbook from their significant other. Their attempts
to protect their personal finances went for naught however as
Mike charmed his way into their hearts and had family members
bidding against each other. When the dust finally settled and
Mike had finally stopped talking, we had raised over $800 for the
Alumni Association with only twenty items on the block.
We are already looking forward to surpass this effort next
year. In that vein, we are already asking our members to
contribute any items they may be able to contribute for next
years auction. Items may be sent to us at our mailing address or
left with any Trustee. We hope to have at least forty items by
June of next year and need contributions from as many members as
possible. The auction proved to be such a successful fundraiser
and we need to better our efforts each year in order to sponsor
all of the activities we oversee.
As I mentioned earlier, our newest activity is the sponsorship
of our Explorer Post at Camp Squanto. The creation of the Post
was ratified by the voting members at the Annual Meeting and
since that time Post Advisor Kevin Guarino has wasted not time in
getting it up and running. The Post members chose number 25 in
honor of the fact that Camp Squanto was founded on Bloody Pond in
1925. Currently there are 32 youth members and 7 adult members of
the Post making it the largest Explorer Post in Old Colony
Council. The Post has already held its first meeting, elected its
officers and planned its first campout. More information is
included in this newsletter.
Finally, many of our members enjoy hearing about each camping
season. We have prepared a brief article entitled Summer Camp
Recap, which may be of interest. Please take a moment to read
through the various articles and announcements in this newsletter
and, if you get the urge, send us a note about your activities
with suggestions for the Association. As always, I look forward
to hearing from you and hopefully seeing you before next summer.
Very truly yours,
Thomas J. O'Brien President
Third Annual Meeting Report
Another fine day greeted the Third Annual meeting of the Camp
Squanto Alumni Association. On Saturday August 7th the members
came together to hear the annual reports and share in some fun
together. The Treasurer reports that we have more than doubled
our income again this year, but we also spent more than twice as
much as last year.
There were presentations made by Paul Chapin, the Casoni
Museum Curator, in which he presented the current inventory of
the museum. This list has more than 3000 items on it, and Paul
says there's another 3000 to add to the list. There was another
presentation from the Edward Christophers family explaining their
goals and their wishes to work together to achieve these goals
for Camp Squanto.
After the meeting there were doorprizes, food and the auction.
After the meeting there was the Auction, a good laugh and some
excellent items made this an event to remember. The meeting ended
with the members attending the Dedication Ceremonies of the Ed
Christopher's Village.
Again it was a wonderful day with over 42 friends and their
families in attendance. For those of you who missed it we will be
meeting next year on Saturday August 6th at Camp Squanto. Hope to
see you there.
1st Annual Auction
Going once, twice, three times sold! That was the phrase of
the day at the CSAA's First Auction. Auctioneer Mike Warner and
his lovely assistant Paul Chapin kept everyone entertained and
the bids flowing for the hour long auction. The highlights of the
auction were the patch and neckerchief collections and the signed
prints from Randy Julius. These were truly special items.
A special thanks goes to those of you who donated items for
the auction, the Association raised over $804 thanks to the
donators and the bidders. We are planning on doing this again
next year so mark it on your calendar now.
Camp Director Appointed
After much searching, a new Camp Director has been appointed
for the 1994 season. Mr. Ken Palladino of Weymouth will be
Director for the upcoming season. Ken was the Assistant
Provisional Scoutmaster in 1992 and Assistant Camp Director in
1993. He is a Middle School teacher, is married and is involved
in his community as well as Troop 2232 of Weymouth. Ken is
looking forward to a great year next year and we wish him the
best of luck.
Ed Christophers Awards
Starting this year the CSAA and the family of Ed Christophers
has, began the awarding of several awards to the Staff of Camp
Squanto. The first of these is the Essay Writing Award which was
won by Sefton Caldwell of Brockton. He had to describe the
attributes that make a good leader as well as what the Spirit of
Squanto means to him. He received $100.00 for the splendid essay
he wrote.
The Staff Leadership Award, which is bestowed upon the
staffman who has exhibited the best example of leadership, is
voted upon by the other members of the staff. This year a tie
resulted in the following recipients, Jim Rottler of Randolph and
Joe Poletto of Wrentham who each received $50.00.
The Leading Scout Leadership Award of $50.00 was presented
this year to Austin Glass of Bridgewater.
Upcoming Events
Annual Meeting August 6, 1994
Camp Squanto Recap
Well another summer camp season fades into the sunset over
Faun Pond. It was once again another excellent year for scouting,
advancement and fun at Camp Squanto. The new Kitchen proved its
worth with peak weeks over 450 people, and the new Staff Village
was home to another excellent Staff. Beyond the physical changes
there are always the program and badge offerings, afternoon swims
and the ranges for fun.
The 1993 season was seven weeks long, 1 staff and 6 camper
weeks. During the course of the summer 1216 scouts and explorers
attended. There were 74 Troops attending of which 6 were from out
of council. Brendan Connolly returned to do another excellent job
as Program Director while Woody, Brad Stoddard and Kevin Guarino
were the Commissioners. Bill Webb returned as Brian Bishop's able
assistant. Steve Goveia returned as business manager and his wife
Rita was once again our nurse.
Some other familiar faces this year at Camp were George
Morrissey, Program Assistant; Bill Keefe, Provisional
Scoutmaster; Gary Hyman, Activities Director; Bill Murphy, Range
Officer; Jim Rottler, Waterfront Director and David Saas, Chef.
It is always reassuring that so many Staff return year after year
to keep the Spirit of Squanto alive.
This year many projects were finished at camp. The underground
water system was completed with several fire hydrants placed
around the Central Area. Chippewa was the newest campsite
completed and used along with Deleware. The latrine was a
prototype to be used throughout the camp in the future, one half
can be used by the handicapped as well as females.
The Social Calendar
We heard from many of our members this year.
Matt Bronski came back from Czechoslovakia and visited us at
the Annual Meeting.
Ken Doyon is married and living in Freetown.
Paul Denoncourt of Ellsworth, Maine, is an orthopedic surgeon.
After visiting camp this summer and receiving the large number of
requests from incapacitated staffmen, he is considering a move
because of the tremendous business opportunities presented here.
John Finney is married with 2 children in Carver.
Tim Finney lives in Avon, MA with his wife and 2 children.
Tom Finney, who is a Veterinarian in N.Dartmouth, MA., is married
with a year old daughter Emily.
Jim Kippenhan, stationed on the USS Kennedy visited on opening
night.
David MacDonald of Plymouth is now in the U.S.M.C. located in
Beaufort, S.Carolina.
Jim Olsen lives in Sunderland, MA and is at U Mass working on his
Masters in Hospitality Human Resources Management.
Joe Salvetti also arrived at the Annual Meeting with his family.
News from the Explorer Post
Our Post Advisor Kevin Guarino made an excellent report to the
Association at the Annual Meeting. He reports that there are 32
youth members and 7 adults making them the largest Post in the
Council. The first meeting of the Post was held at Camp Squanto
on September 12th and the following Officers were elected:
President ...........................Shane Varnum
VP Activities .....................Nathan Wood
VP Administration .............Chris Emond
Treasurer ..........................Kim Best
Secretary...........................Jen Burton
The Post will meet once each month at Camp Squanto and their
first campout is planned for the weekend of October 29-31 at
Camp.
Christophers Village Dedication
The Ed Christophers Village was officially dedicated on August
7th at Camp Squanto. It was a fine day and we all had a chance to
see the wonderful adirondacks and campsite that the Christophers
family and the CSAA brought about. Joanne Carpenter, Ed's
daughter, thanked all who attended and those who helped
contribute to the project and remarked that the new village is a
great reminder of the values her father represented; generosity
and leadership. The ceremony concluded with the raising of the
American flag on the new flagpole at the central area of the
village and as we repeated the Pledge of Allegiance, there was a
look of pride in everyone there.
Please stop by and visit the site, the Christophers family
still has more plans and any donations will be gratefully
accepted.
Kitchen Renovation Update
The Kitchen Renovation is close to completion. The inside
kitchen and pantry areas were gutted, rearranged and modernized.
A new stove hood replaced the old chimney that was in the center
of the kitchen. A new Walk-in refrigerator was built directly off
the loading dock, with doors leading into the kitchen and onto
the dock.
Many people donated their time and finances to this
renovation, including the Camp Squanto Alumni Association, but
over $4000 is still needed to pay for the effort. Any donations
you care to make may be directed through the Association towards
the Kitchen Renovation Project.
Wanted: These Folks
Looking through twenty or so years of names of those who
attended Camp Squanto is not an enviable job. Our membership
committee needs a helping hand in this task and has asked us to
see if any of you out there know of the whereabouts of the
following people. Also, if you know of anyone who wants to be on
our mailing list, let us know.
Jack Gardner |
James Alfred |
Donald Banzi |
Paul McCormack Jr. |
David Poudrier |
Robert Bossa |
Bill Jefferson |
Ken Bryant |
Kevin Ruderman |
Frank Casella |
Bill Breen |
Don Cook |
Steve Cote |
Kyle Dowler |
Mike Ramos |
|
Tim Freitas |
|
Silver Deer Awarded
This summer we saw the Squanto Silver Deer awarded to a man
who has, over the years made our camp a more beautiful and
interesting place. Mr. Herb Clark, the Carver Carver, was awarded
the Silver Deer on August 11th for his unselfish donations of
time and energy to the facilities and people of Camp Squanto. Mr.
Clark was responsible for the carving of the three Totem Poles
that are found in both Camp Squanto and Camp Child. His tireless
dedication to the Camp and its attendees is inspiring to all of
us and as such is an excellent choice for this year's Silver
Deer.
Next Year's Plans
The summer has just ended and Brian and Joe have already
planned enough work to occupy their time for next season. Among
the projects planned for next year are:
A Central Leader's Shower facility
Finishing the Miniature Golf course
Leveling and reseeding the Ball Field
Retrofit the latrines for female and handicapped access
Add 24 Lower Elements to the Ropes Course
Begin the Staff and Leader Lounge
Contributions
The Association doesn't just need warm bodies, it needs cold
hard cash. As we get older and more sure of ourselves, we will be
running more events and opportunities to get together, but in the
meantime, we are always willing to accept contributions. Any
amount you can spare will be appreciated and put to good use, as
well as being tax deductible.
Business Space Available
There is still advertising space available in the Alumni News.
All proceeds from advertising space will go towards the printing
and mailing expenses of this newsletter. Please support those who
advertise in the Alumni News, remember that these are the
businesses of fellow Association members.
If you are interested in advertising, please contact Mike
Warner as to available space and rates.
Submissions
We welcome original submissions for articles. Articles should
pertain to Camp Squanto or the Camp Squanto Alumni Association in
general. Articles should be typed
If you have questions or would like more information about the
newsletter, please call Mike Warner, Editor.
Maintained by John Mileris.
Copyright © Camp Squanto Alumni Association. All rights
reserved.