Baseball at Parnell

From the 1960s through to the early 1990s, there were two great past-times as Boxwell: Volleyball and Baseball.  The volleyball courts are still there, but the baseball fields are all but forgotten.

Shown here is a game at Camp Parnell in 1970.  The game is in Parnell’s Athletic Field, which was located in the grassy area by Sites 16 and 17.  Parnell’s original flagpole was located here as well.  For many years, staff and Scoutmasters would challenge each other to a game after lunch; obviously, the staff went into each summer undefeated!

Part of what makes this particular photo interesting is not just the game, but the background.  You can clearly see Old Hickory Lake here, while today the shoreline is overgrown.

A baseball game in the Parnell Athletic Field.

Staff Vespers Painting

There are some really interesting gems in our Boxwell Archives.  We have photos, songs, interviews… and a few rarities, including photos of wood carvings, plaques, and paintings.

The painting here was done by Daniel Edwards of Craig staff.  While staff circling a campfire is not uncommon, the event this was based on was unusual in a few ways.  As Danny explains, “I think there had been some really serious weather come through that week and the mud and debris had kept us from using our usual “Friday night” campfire area. I believe this campfire ceremony was held in the dining hall, as not to discourage family and campers from attending and leaving [it] caked in mud. However, it was also given to us this week an American flag that needed to be retired. This fire itself was located right below the Craig dining hall, very close to the lake’s edge (smaller fire) [The former Craig Waterfront area]. I think the weather had abated for long enough for some staff members to assemble a quick fire that we might respectfully retire this flag. After the campfire ceremony was finished in dining hall that night, the Staff assembled below for this fire.”

The painting here is the second version of this event.  The first was given to MacKenna Brown–also a Craig staff member–as a birthday present.  A second attempt was made; this is the result.  The painting, done as a high school art project, was entered in the 2005 Scholastic Art Competition at Cheekwood, where it won second place.  This resulted in a scholarship for Mr. Edwards to the Watkins College of Art.

Yet another staff member going on to do good things!

This painting is entitled “Vespers” by Daniel Edwards. It was completed in 2004, won 2nd place in the 2005 Cheekwood Scholastic Art Competition, and was shown at the 2014 reunion.

Stahlman Color Guard, 2000

It seemed appropriate for the first “From the Archives” post for the year to be a photo of a staff color guard.  So, in the interests of keeping it simple, here is a Stahlman Color Guard from the 2000 staff.

Sadly, we don’t have names for the two staff members on the right or left, but in the center is Cory Younts.  Cory started on Stahlman Staff in 1997 in the Green Bar Program.  By 2000, when this photo was taken, Cory was director of the Green Bar/First Year Camper Program.

As a sidenote, Cory Younts is also a member of the Americana band, Old Crow Medicine Show (OCMS).  OCMS was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2013 and winning a Grammy award in 2014.  See? Former staff members do go on to do great things!

Camp Stahlman Color Guard, 2000. Cory Younts is in the center.