I knew him when he was Kitchkenet

I remember the first year I worked with John Meckley. We worked with Brian Zimmerman in Scoutcraft. It seems to me that it must have been 1985.

Camp Freedom

So . . .

I've been checking out the Camp K Alumni Facebook Group.

Via a conversation about James "Fly" Rider, I end up getting in touch (briefly) with his mom - Inge. I had to dig out an old album to find something to post. I found our Camp Staff photo from Camp Freedom (1988).



In an attempt to get all the names - here is what I remember:

First Row (L to R) - Don't Remember, Don't Remember, Bob (or Robert?); Second Row - Ludwig Heussner, Kevin Leahy, Andy Zybia (Zabay?), Tim Clyde, Jeff Pavlick, Tom Clyde; Third Row - Jerry Olsen, Alan Something, Eric Patton, Sam Walser, George Jarvis, Enos Seyfried, Ron Snodgrass, and Something and Something Demaris (brothers); Fourth Row - Shannon Rodgers, Kevin Disanto/Disano?, Mark Something, Dave Kent, I'm lost on the center of this row, and (on the end of the row) George Provencal; Back Row - Thad Bookman, James Rider, Kirk Cannon, Kurt Eck, Dwyne Rogers, The younger Finch, Chris Finch, and John Rider.

Obviously, I'm missing some names and butchered the spelling of others. Please e-mail me or leave comments with corrections and I will adjust accordingly.

T-Boomer Scrapbook page 2

Here is page two of the scrapbook. We never did get a picture of Charlie.

ThunderBoomer Scrap Book Page

We always made a scrapbook at Thunderboomer (Girl Scout Camp). It made for a great memories each season when we returned to camp and could look through scrapbooks from years past. I don't own any of the scrapbooks. I did manage to grab a page out of one of the scrapbooks when I left my last Thunderboomer.

Heidi (now married - Heidi Leofsky) added me on her facebook. Got me thinking about Thunderboomer and I pulled out my page from the scrap book. Here is the first side.

Return to Posting

As seems to happen with many Blogs, I took a long break.

My brother (Todd) has motivated me to start posting again. Checking the history for the site, I have noticed that, even without new posts, many people still check out the site.

My personal goal is to post every Wednesday. It would be great if others would volunteer to help with posting. I am willing to share authorship of this blog. Contact me. kurteeck@gmail.com.

To restart - a picture from a Conclave.



I really need JC to help with the names (or Kay Trick, she is the person who found this photo).

First Row - Mike Meckley, Chris Evans, Mr. Meckley (John), Alan Franz, John Meckley, and me (Kurt Eck).
Second Row - Dick Dingle, Brian Zimmerman, Eric Heberlig, (I don't remember-help out), Dan Daneker, Steve Giest, and Glenn Bunce.
Third Row - (I don't remember-help out), Ron Balchunas (sp), (I don't remember-help out), Russ Klugston (maybe), Kurt Evans, Ray Dirk, and Jim Berkebile.

Please comment back with any info. I don't know the year. My best guess would be 1982 or 83 at Camp Lavigne.

Order of the Oar and Wooden Snipes

I remember when the word came down from Williamsport that we were no longer allowed to have Order of the Oar initiations. There was a fear that we might emotionally or mentally harm the Scouts who were selected.

If you look to the right of the pictures, you might catch a glimpse of Ed McCollin (sp). He was the Camp Director from 1982 to 1984 (maybe 1985). I still use many of the management skills that I learned from him. Ed was the first person to teach me 'plan your work then work your plan'. He had a large influence on my thinking and the way I have learned to relate to people.

These pictures are from 1982. Todd Smith was the Program Director. Dan Danaker was the first waterfront director for Faylor Lake. I was still working in the kitchen.

also in the pictures, you can see Alan Franz, Shawn Spock, Glen Courtney, and Jeff Feidler. Use the magnifier to get a closer look.

Get Your Own!

Eric Heberlig

Thanks to an e-mail from Jeff Jones, formerly of Lewisburg, I have an update on the Pirates pictured in an old post (http://camp-k.blogspot.com/2007/02/even-more-pirates.html).

Eric Heberlig is a Professor at UNC Charlotte. He is in Political Science and swapped his red pirate shirt for a red tie (I don't know what that means?).




















I e-mailed Eric and did get a response back. He has been teaching at UNC Charlotte for 7 years. He has married and he and his wife Tracy are planning on adopting a child in the near future. You can find information on Eric at the UNC-C site. Or check out his Curriculum Vitae!

It is always exciting to hear from scouting friends. Especially when they (like Eric) refer to their experiences in Scouting as "The Glory Days".

Jeff - Thanks for the lead on Eric. Eric - Thanks for replying and giving us an update. It was great to hear from both of you.

Scout Potraits - Part Four

JOSH BOWER

Josh Bower. Where to begin? He was part of the last group of staff members I worked with. His enthusiasm and energy was unmatched. He was ADHD personified. Like Tigger - bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. . .

He and Argus (previous post) were buds from Montoursville. Josh also spent lots of time with Jack Willliams, Kieth Yiako, and Chris Barsis.

Any updates on any of the m would be appreciated.

Scrapbook 1996

The Scrapbook is slowly coming together. I am not happy with the size or detail. I would like to be able to click on an image and have it blow up for closer scrutiny. For the meantime, I have placed each page in a Snapfish Album. If you would like access, e-mail me (kurteeck@gmail.com) and I will send you an invite in return.

Flip Book of 1996 Scrapbook

I am trying to get a flip book to work on the bottom of the blog. Zip down to it to see how it is working. I seem to have some difficulty with some of the pages.

Portriats - part three

The internet does not do the blue sky justice in this picture. The subject is Dave Barsis and he is sitting in the Lifeguard chair at the pool.BABY BARSIS

Scout Portraits - II

Argus was is from the Montoursville unit. He was a good friend of Josh Bowers. This picture was taken for part of a slide show. If I remember, the song for the slide show was "Where Eagles Fly" by Sammy Hagar. I don't believe that Argus ever served as a staff member.

"ARGUS"

Scout Portraits

Over the years I have spent at Camp Karoondinha, I took many pictures. They were often for slide shows. Some were for promotions. Others contribute to my scrapbooks and provide me with triggers for my many memories of Camp Karoondinha.

A few 'portrait' type pictures have been blown up used as 'art' in my home. I will share some of these pictures over the next weeks. First up - one cool Staff member -

"Zeph"

Big Towers for Thunderboomer

One of the best programs I was involved in after I returned from the Navy was Thunderboomer Girl Scout Camp. Thunderboomer was held at Camp Karoondinha after the end of regular scout camp.

A few select Boy Scout Staff Members had the chance to serve as staff members at the Girl Scout Camp. In this picture, Jack Williams and Eric Erdman have climbed into our tower. The male staff always kept a site on the far side of camp. The cooler the site, the better. It was a one week no-holds barred scoutfest. The Boy Scout Staff was responsible for a lot of the camp functions and we were always on the go.

More on the antics of Thunderboomer in the future.

Hi Steve! (G type)

Steve Geist and manual typewriters! I remember that Smith Corona. It used to be what we typed meal cost sheets on in the dining hall. Steve was the Steward in 1980 and Don Geise was the cook. Steve's enthusiasm that year is largely responsible for bringing me back to camp the following year and starting a 10 year run as a staff member.

Camp Kline and Red Cross Canoe Course

I wish I could get a date on these pictures. I know they are from Camp Kline and were taken at a Red Cross canoe course. I can tell it is Camp Kline because of the Dining Hall in the background. The Dining Hall is no longer in existence. It was falling apart and a few years ago it was leveled and the wood burned.

The large flat on Pine Creek in front of Camp Kline made it an ideal place to learn to canoe. The current is minimal. But you can paddle up-stream just a short distance and you are on the down side of the Ramsey Rapids. This gives new paddlers the opportunity to experience some basic white water skills in a low skill area. Camp Kline is still a good place for this. You jut have to bring your own canoes now.

I was surprised to see who I think is Stan Sieple in this picture. Just to the right of the man in the green jacket is who I think is Stan. I am almost positive that the man in the green jacket is Dave Haas. He was the Ranger at Camp Kline until he was basically driven off by Jerry O.

The Camp Kline High Adventure Base fell apart in the mid-eighties. Bill Hawkes, Dave McGinniss, Walt Nicholson, and other volunteers were basically undercut by the Council Board members from the southern end of the Council and by the professional staff. Now, with the Rails to Trails program coming through the valley, it is easy to see that the vision that these volunteers had, could have been realized. What a shame.

Check out the following web sites for information on the Pine Creek Valley and the Rails to Trail program --

Tioga County Visitors Bureau
TrailLink.com
DCNR - Pine Creek Trail

The Red Citation and "My Pants are on FIRE!"

We were, in many ways, fearless. I think Dan, Steve, Mark Beck, and many others of us, would have done anything to make the program better - more exciting - over-the-top.

I had mentioned earlier that people would crawl up on to the roof of the dining hall for various reasons. Here is a picture that shows the roost by the chimney.

I don't feel that it was a lack of 'safety consciousness'. It was just that we did not let things worry us when it was not warranted. Sure, sure ... The nay-sayers are thinkin' - "It's all fun and games, until someone pokes an eye out"!

No-one ever fell off of the roof. No one ever drowned on our make shift rafts. We never had anyone stabbed by a toy sword, and, as near as I can tell, we never had a turtle choke on any stray remnants of water balloons. (we did clean-up after the water balloon battles.)

But just in case, we practiced lots of first-aid. In fact, I used to set my pants on fire to simulate . . . well, having my my pants on fire!

When Dan and I weren't trying to burn each other to death, we would crash our cars and run car crash scenarios. What ever happened to that Citation?

Maurice Pap La Rin is in the above picture with serious wounds sustained in one of our mock car crashes. Anything to keep Camp Karoondinha fun.

General Craziness from Karoondinha Staff Alums

Just a little craziness with a few pictures of various Camp Karoondinha Staff Alumni. Enjoy.


| Create Your Own

Arthur Bernstien

This picture is from 1980. 1980 was the year of the baby blue hat with the yellow K. It was my first year as a staff member. To the right is Arthur Bernstien.

I remember Arthur from my first years as a camper. Arthur worked in the Dining Hall and was LOUD. And in my memory, he was mean. As a camper, I was afraid to take dishes to the dish window. He was this big looming figure in the kitchen who ate campers for lunch.

I was fearful of working at camp when I heard Arthur would be Handicraft Director. Was I surprised when I met him and found out how short he really was. As staff week proceeded, Steve Geist explained to me that Arthur actually stood on a milk crate when he worked behind the dish window.

The staff member on the left is Neil Raup. I do not really remember him that well. I remember that we used to sing 'Raup's Turkey Farm'. I think he was the Trading Post Manager.

The staff member in the middle is Andy English. Andy held many positions over the summers he was at camp. Of the three staff members in the picture, Andy is the only one I have heard from since the early eighties. When I came back to direct camp in the late nineties, Andy sent me some stuff from the FBI. He was an agent for the FBI. I believe he still is.

Any updates on these staff members would be appreciated.

Next Challange

Everyone in the 1989 staff picture has been identified. Thanks to those who helped. Here is the next challenge --

This is from 1981. In 1981 some genius decided that Thunderbird needed to be dug up for renovations. These renovations amounted to nothing more than lumbering out the woods behind Thunderbird. The downside to this was that campfires had to be held on the OA field. The OA field is great for Tap-Out Ceremonies (for those who want to be more politically correct, pretend I typed Call-Out Ceremony) but not so hot for traditional campfires.

The Theme for Cub Scout Camp evolved around the history of the American Indians. This was in the day when we still had Cub DAY Camp. It was an action packed DAY. And DAY Camp was held at the Council Camp; Not off-site.

Jerry Olsen was the Camp Director. The Staff hats were Red and White. It was my second year as a summer camp staff member. It was a veteran kitchen crew. Gary Barrett, Paul Hoffman, and myself were the mung men. Mark Scott was the cook. John Seal was the Steward.

To the picture. I won't even try to get the names down. I'm going to wait for John C. and, hopefully, others to post comments or mail me. I will note that you won't find many of the kitchen crew in the picture. We managed to skip out on many of the Campfires. It was a good summer.