Roman Reese and Cory Younts

Every “generation” of staff has a handful of people who define their experience.  Sometimes it is program directors, but often times it is staff who are little lower on the organizational chart–the ones who execute the plan and set the camp’s character.  In short, directors matter!

For Stahlman, two of the important figures for the late 1990s were Roman Reese and Cory Younts.  Reese’s tenure began in 1995 in the Activity Yard.  He moved up to AY Director by 1998 and by 2000, he served out his final year as Camp Commissioner.  Younts’ career was a bit more varied, starting in 1997 in the First Year Camper Program (Green Bar).  He was director there in 2000 and 2001 before taking a hiatus.  He returned in 2006 and 2007, serving as Food Truck driver one summer and COPE staff another.  It almost goes without saying for anyone who knew them, but the two shared a love of music, something they have both pursued since Boxwell.

The photo here is from 2000 and Reese and Younts are seen at Joint Campfire Area, or Amphitheatre.  Beginning in 1997 and continuing for at least four or five years, joint campfires were a regular occurrence.  Some summers on Sunday, some on Friday, both camps participated in Joint campfires.  Here, Stahlman staff is clearly finishing up its responsibilities in building the alter fires for the week.

Stahlman Camp Commissioner Roman Reese (L) and Green Bar Director Cory Younts (R) at the Amphitheatre, preparing for a joint campfire.

Boxwell Greats: Kerry Parker

With an active camp staff record dating all the way back to the 1960s, Kerry Parker has had a long career involved with Boxwell.  Parker’s first run at Boxwell began in 1966 on the Stahlman Waterfront before he moved on to become Ski Dock (today’s Boat Harbor) Director.  He was also part of the short-lived “Commissioner system” with Dutch Mann and Jerry Barnett at Stahlman in 1971.

Taking time off to get married and “build his fortune,” Parker returned to staff in 1985 as Parnell’s Field Sports Director and then again in 1986 as Craig’s Program Director, giving Jerry Barnett a break before his return in 1987.

Parker’s third and final run on Boxwell staff began in 1990 when he returned to Camp Craig as Waterfront Director, building a team of nationally recognized Aquatics instructors.  In 1993, he became Program Director at Parnell and remained in this position until 1996, his final year on Boxwell staff.

This second run as program director is particularly important to modern Boxwell. Parker spearheaded a successful and then ultimately unsuccessful return to family style dining.  He was also extremely influential in the redevelopment of Camp Craig in the 1994 Capital Development Campaign.  It was Parker’s plan that moved the Waterfront to the back side of Duck Head, necessitating a shift of camp in general.  Parker’s plan never came to full fruition (the entire lower loop was supposed to shift!), but the road from the Upper Loop Showerhouse to Duck Head is now referred to as “Parker’s Interstate” or “Parker’s Highway.”

As if this wasn’t enough, Parker was part of the group that created and led the first and second Staff Reunions in 1983 and 1989.  He has also continued to be a key player in the third, fourth, and fifth reunions.  AND FINALLY, Parker is one of the men behind the start and continuation of the VirtualBoxwell project!

And all of this is just the short version!

Here is Kerry Parker in his third year as Waterfront Director, this summer at Parnell in 1992. The totem pole was hand carved by Handicraft Director Dutch Mann.

A Kitchen Inspection, 1970

Everyone who has worked on staff is familiar with National Inspections.  These happen every year, usually near the start of camp.  While sometimes these seem to be nothing more than a drive about the reservation, sometimes they are a great deal more hands on.  Pictured here is a National Inspection team at the Stahlman Kitchen in 1970. What makes this photo special though is not that it captures a National Inspection, which is a fairly routine occurrence.  The photo is special because of who is in the photo!

To the far left in the dark Explorer shirt is none other than Jerry Barnett.  Barnett had served on Stahlman staff in the Activity Yard in his first run at Boxwell before going to Vietnam.  After his service, he returned as Kitchen Director at Stahlman and was then part of the now-defunct Commissioners Program in 1971.  Barnett of course would go on to become Program Director at Craig and Parnell in the 1980s for his third run at Boxwell.

The other important figure here is in the center, also in a dark Explorer shirt and holding a pipe (a pipe in the kitchen! My how things have changed!).  This is none other than Reservation Director Ed Human.  1970 was Human’s first summer as Reservation Director, but he would stay on for the next five years, only leaving after camp in 1975 when Ward Akers was forced to retire.

There are also two female cooks here.  While it is impossible to know for sure because we can’t see the faces clearly, it is VERY likely that one of these two women is Pearl Schleicher, the reservation’s cook from 1962 until 1994.

Needless to say, there is an incredible amount of history in this one fairly routine moment!

A photo of greats: Jerry Barnett (far Left) and Ed Human (center) are definitely present for this inspection. The two women in the middle are cooks, likely Pearl Schleicher and her sister Estelle, otherwise known as “Mrs. Bea.”