Boxwell Greats: Farmer Bush
(repost from October 4, 2020)

Boxwell’s history is full of fascinating characters. Some are great leaders who left indelible impressions upon us. Others are those figures who weren’t “official” leaders in title, but were such charismatic figures, you were better for having known them. And then there were some, some who were so unique, so irascible, they almost defy description. Farmer Bush was one of these people.

Farmer Bush–and that was his real name, “Farmer”–joined the ranger staff in or about 1967. Bush had previously been a tenant farmer in Laguardo, working the farm of a Mr. Odom. Odom’s farm was the large field on the left on the big hill just before arriving at Tyree Access area. His son was killed in Vietnam around 1966 and Bush received compensation from the government for the loss. The bridge at Laguardo is named for his son. Bush and his wife used this money to buy and build a small ranch style home over on Purnell Road. His house was the home right at the mythical “back entrance” to Boxwell, today on the backside of CubWorld. He was an old school, country farmer. He couldn’t read or write, and he didn’t like signing things or the government.

Because of his background at Odom’s farm, Bush was initially hired to help with the farm. Repairing fences, doing work on the various crop experiments, and looking after the cattle was his primary responsibility, but of course, the farm went away at the end of 1975. Farmer’s responsibilities changed.

The back entrance was important for Farmer because he used it to enter the Reservation to come to work. With the farm shuttered, during summer camp at least, most people saw Farmer in his pick up truck when he came to the dining halls after the meals to pick up the slop cans. His truck was instantly recognizable as it had a siren and Bush was not hesitant to use it. Regardless, he would pick up the slop and take it back to his small farm where he would feed his pigs with it. Thus, it was important that no paper trash or silverware ended up the slop cans!

When he started Farmer Bush was also a big beer drinker and a smoker. If you find an old rusted Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can off in the woods at Boxwell, it was probably Farmer Bush’s. He rolled his own cigarettes too, likely from tobacco grown on the reservation. In the early 1970s, once after a car accident and again later after a regular doctor’s visit, the physician told Farmer he had to quit drinking and then that he had to quit smoking. He quit both cold turkey. He gave away all of his beer and his beer refrigerator; he threw out all his cigarettes. Just like that. He was still irascible, but he was a kind hearted son-of-a-gun once he got to know you and trust you.

Farmer loved collecting guns and knives. He would periodically fire his gun off around camp. Kerry Parker tells this story of one day when Reservation Director Bruce Atkins drove into compound and found Farmer sitting at the shop, waiting for his afternoon marching orders. Atkins yelled, “‘Farmer! I’m going to fire the hell out of you if you don’t get up and get to work!’ Farmer hollers back at him, says, ‘Hell, I was looking for a job when I found this one.’ And he took his gun out of his pocket and he shot it up in the air four or five times! Just straight up in the air!” Atkins took it as a joke and drove off.

Farmer stayed on the Boxwell Ranger staff for almost 30 years. He worked for Bobby Smith, Norman Patterson, and Willie Claud. He retired in the early 1990s, about 1993 or 1994. He passed away Monday, March 20, 1995 of a heart attack at age 84. For those who knew him, Farmer Bush was someone you would never, ever forget.

Seen here is Farmer Bush with his cow Susie and several piglets. Note the 1973 red staff hat introduced by Ed Human.

Farmer Bush with his pigs and cattle in August 1974

Boxwell Greats: Chester LaFever
(repost from March 6, 2022)

One of the critical players in Boxwell’s history was Chester LaFever. Indeed, LaFever was important not only for his time at “new Boxwell” but for his time at the Rock Island camp as well.

Born about 1926, LaFever was a native Nashvillian and one of five children. He graduated from East High School on Gallatin Road and enlisted in the Navy. He served in the Pacific theatre in WWII until war’s end. When he returned to Nashville, he attended Peabody College, where he not only received his training to be an educator, but met his wife June, with whom he would be married for 60 years. He would eventually serve as Principal at Two Rivers High School and was the first principal at MacGavock when it opened in 1971.

In the early 1950s though, LaFever was still making his way in the world. By mid-decade he was Assistant Principal at Donelson High School. But his father ran a landscaping and nursery business, giving LaFever a background in conservation. Thus, he came to Boxwell at Rock Island as part of program by the State Game and Fish Commission, which staffed 15 camps with conservation counselors. The exact date is unclear–LaFever remembered 1956, the printed record confirms 1957–but regardless LaFever was at the Rock Island Boxwell by 1957.

In 1958 and 1959, LaFever was running Rock Island Boxwell for its last two years. LaFever was listed as “program director” in 1958 and “camp director” in 1959. It is unclear what these titles meant at this point in time, but what is clear is that LaFever was running Boxwell. Two things point to this. First, a July 15, 1958 Nashville Banner article interviewed leFever as the leader of the camp when the Assistant national Director of Camping David Dunbar said boys were “going soft at ‘sissy Scout camps,’” a phenomenon that resulted for more modern conveniences at camp. LaFever fessed up to owning a potato peeler, but otherwise denied the charges.

The second evidence came from interviews. LaFever himself remembered running the camp under professional Richard Parker in a 2001 interview. Scout Steve Eubank remembered being caught cussing during his summer in 1959. It was LaFever who gave Eubank “the talk” but allowed the boy to remain in camp.

In 1960, LaFever moved to the new Boxwell with everyone else. He was initially listed as Stahlman’s Camp Director for 1960, but by 1961 he was the Program Director and remained in that position through 1969. By 1970, his school contract moved to 12 months and he was unable to return to Boxwell.

Nevertheless, LaFever influenced a generation of Stahlman staff. Those youth remembered a program director who held staff meeting every day, after every meal, for 30 minutes. His staff would make big productions out of troop vs. staff volleyball games. Of LaFever, Parnell Program Director Jimmy Joe Jackson simply said, “not a better man every walked.”

Chester LaFever returned for first staff reunion 1983 and never, to our knowledge, returned to Boxwell again. He passed away at age 87 in February 2011.

Stahlman Program Director Chester LaFever in the 1964 staff photo

Boxwell Greats: Pat Deugaw
(repost from November 2, 2014)

Pat Deugaw is one of the most unique of Boxwell staff members.  A retired enlisted man, Pat joined the Boxwell staff at Camp Craig in 1987 as the Field Sports Director.  In addition to running Field Sports, which at the time included the shooting sports as well as the “athletic” merit badges now found in the Activity Yard, Pat also ran the Rifle Range.

In these first years, Pat made a name for himself for two things.  First, during Staff Week, Pat drove his yellow pick up truck, complete with camper top over the bed, all around the loops carrying Kool-Aid (or “bug juice”) to work crews.  He became known as “The Kool-Aid Man” and the sight of his truck meant relief and a welcome break!  Second, he was known for was Friday night packets.  Back when virtually all troops stayed through the campfire because packets were not available until afterward, Pat made sure all the troop packets were in order.  He was a taskmaster!

As time went on, Pat eventually gave up the Director’s position and focused solely on the rifle range.  By the early 2000s, Pat had established an NRA Light Rifle program that ran out Parnell’s Rifle Range.  As Parnell’s last year as a full running camp was 1998, Pat jokingly referred to himself as “Parnell’s Program Director.” By this point, others now knew him as “Old Soldier.”

Pat served on the camp staff from 1987 until 2009, with only one year off in 1996.  Indeed, so great was Pat’s influence that Craig held a “Patrick Deugaw Day” on July 6, 2009 and the whole reservation flew flags at half-mast upon news of his death in June 2011.

Shown here is Pat’s Staff ID photo from 2008.  Photo by “Big John” Kasper.

Pat Deugaw, aka The Kool Aid Man, aka Old Soldier. Pat served on camp staff for 21 years, one of the longest serving staff members ever on staff.