Category Archives: Boxwell Centennial

From the Archives, May 17, 2026

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Boxwell Greats: Pearl Schleicher
(repost from February 17, 2019)

While we have posted about Mrs. Schleicher before, we have never given her a proper vetting. It is time to change that oversight. Pearl Schleicher is absolutely worthy of the title, “Boxwell Great.”

In her regular life, Pearl was a dietitian with Metro Schools. Her school principal recommended her for work at Boxwell, where she began working in 1962. Schleicher continued as the Reservation’s head cook until 1994. Along the way she brought her husband, John, and her sister, Estelle Langford. Because “Schleicher” proved so difficult pronounce, the trio were usually referred to as “Mrs. Pearl,” “Mr. John,” and “Ms. Bea.”

Physically a small woman, Pearl Schleicher was a big personality. There were strong kitchen directors at Stahlman under her tutelage–Jerry Barnett, Tommy Roussin–but the kitchen was hers. And she ran a tight ship, not tolerating shenanigans. Still, shenanigans happened.

Perhaps what is most important to remember is that Pearl and her crew cooked virtually everything themselves. There were some exceptions, but most everything was made from scratch. Scrambled eggs in the morning for Camps Stahlman, Parnell, and Murrey? That’s upward of 2000 eggs, all cracked by hand. Sheet cake with frosting for Friday night dinner? All mixed, baked, and created from scratch. Those amazing buttery rolls? Hand made by Estelle.

And, for better or worse, the Schleichers kept a fairly stable menu. Every summer you could expect roughly the same meals. Sunday night was ham, green beans, and a roll. Eggs were most mornings except Thursday. Thursday morning, at least in later years, was Krispy Kreme doughnuts and canteloupe, just to give everyone a break. Other meals included bologna sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ravioli (one of the few pre-packaged meals). And, in the years when being Catholic meant no meat on Friday, the Schleichers cooked fish. And when Ward Akers wanted chicken for the Scoutmaster’s Supper, Pearl and her group cooked that too.

Pearl and staff were up at 5:30am every morning (Saturdays too) preparing to feed the reservation. Unlike many of the cooks today, Pearl lived on site. The cooks’ cabins were in fact the cooks’ cabins. The Schleichers moved in and stayed all summer. During Bull Crew weeks, they acted more as short order cooks, preparing smaller, more specific meals. When camp was over, Pearl and John went back to their schools in the Metro system.

Pearl (and John and Estelle) retired from her real job almost 20 years before she retired from camp, which happened in 1994, Tom Willhite’s last summer. For Pearl, she had been on Boxwell’s staff for 32 years, the longest serving staff member EVER on Boxwell’s staff. She lived for another 10 years before passing away on November 11, 2004 at the age of 95.

Pearl Schleicher was a Boxwell institution. She lived through three Council Executives, four Reservation directors, at least twelve Stahlman Program Directors, and upwards of 20 Stahlman kitchen directors. For over 30 years, no one said “Boxwell” like Pearl Schleicher.

Schleicher

Pearl Schleicher, ca. 1975. Pearl’s run on camp staff ran from 1962 to 1994, making her the longest serving staff member, period.

From the Archives, May 12, 2026

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Boxwell Greats: Jerry Barnett
(Repost from September 17, 2015)

One of the great towering legends of Old Hickory Boxwell is Jerry Barnett. For several generations of Parnell-Craig staff, Barnett WAS Boxwell. Along with Tom Willhite and Ernie Ragsdale, Barnett was a driving force in the “Silver Age” of Boxwell, better known as the 1980s and early 1990s.

Barnett began his run on Boxwell staff at Stahlman in 1964 in the Activity Yard as a Program Aide, the 1960s equivalent of the modern CIT (counselor in Training). About halfway through his second year in 1965, he became the Kitchen Director at Stahlman, a position to which he returned to in 1966. Barnett then left Boxwell for a few years to serve in the US incursions in Vietnam. After completing his tours in Vietnam, Barnett returned to Stahlman in 1970, again serving as Kitchen Director under the Schleichers. This run continued until 1971 when Barnett became part of the short-lived Commissioner System. Barnett left Boxwell for several years, serving on the Tennessee Highway Patrol, but returned in 1980 as Activity Yard Director at Parnell under Perry Bruce as Program Director.

It was in 1981 though that the Barnett legend was born. From 1981 to 1992, Barnett began a long, stable run as Program Director at Parnell-Craig. He took a year off in 1986 for alcohol rehab, but overall had a long sustained run at Boxwell as Program Director.

Barnett’s years were ones of stable, quality program. He emphasized uniform, appearance, and the good of the group. His primary focus was always program. Indeed, he often spoke of “what was good for the program,” convincing young staff members to do work they never would have considered, but were guilted into for the good of the group. In later years, he would say he had a socialist-like “Five Year Plan” for each of his two five year runs as Program Director. But at the end of the day, Barnett always saw himself as a teacher. He wanted to impart knowledge, skills, or experience to whomever would listen.

Stories about Barnett are legion and legendary. Barnett could be erratic, often exploding into a rage. His staff called these “Barnett Panics,” or BP’s. But at the same time, he could be a father figure. Parnell-Craig staff often referred to themselves as “Jerry’s Kids,” a reference to Jerry Lewis’s Muscular Dystrophy telethon, but also a more personal reference to the influence of Barnett on their lives. Talk to a staff member who worked for Barnett in the 1980s and he will likely tell you Barnett was either the father they never had or was like a second father to them. He cared for his staff and they cared for him.

Indeed, perhaps one of his most powerful and memorable legacies came at the end of camp. Every year, Barnett gave a speech to his staff. He told them the “circle was broken. This staff, this group, will never be together again.” In short, Barnett instilled a feeling a family amongst those who worked for him.

Barnett left Boxwell Camp Staff after the summer of 1992. His departure was abrupt and unexpected and for many years, those who had worked for him wondered what happened. Barnett is alive and well and occasionally comes back to Boxwell, bending the ear of any of who will listen of years gone by and still trying to teach a new generation.

Jerry Barnett

In typical Barnett fashion, here Jerry Barnett lectures to a group of Scouts at the Parnell Dining Hall.

From the Archives, May 11, 2026

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Boxwell Greats: Ernie Ragsdale
(repost from January 15, 2023)

Ernest Lee “Ernie” Ragsdale joined the Boxwell Staff in 1976. There are conflicting stories about how he arrived–either on a motorcycle or in a jeep with his wife and son–but the stories agree that Ragsdale simply showed up, having recently been discharged from the Army. Ragsdale had served in Vietnam and in fact was the only survivor of an Viet Cong ambush on his unit. Now, he was looking for work.

With his experience in the Army, Ragsdale was a natural fit for Field Sports Director, a program area that at the time included all the shooting sports. The job was great for Ragsdale as well for his new position at Stahlman lined him up with a man who almost immediately became his new best friend, Jim Barr. The two shared a competitive spirit and similar sense of humor.

Ragsdale returned to Boxwell in 1977, this time as a Program Director (back when Program Directors, not Camp Directors, ran the camps). Setting up shop at the new Camp Craig, Ragsdale built a reputation for amazing campfires and unique awards, either created by himself or Barr. There was a loyalty and powerful espirit d’corps among Ragsdale’s staffs as well.

When Stahlman closed in 1979, the Stahlman Staff led by Russ Parham, moved to Parnell, while Ragsdale remained firmly ensconced at Craig. But in 1980, given the choice of Parnell or Stahlman, Ragsdale and Barr chose Stahlman, flipping the Camp Craig staff to Stahlman Staff. The reasons for the move were in part about geography–Barr liked the waterfront better–and in part personality. Both men were interested in building a better and stronger relationship with the Schliechers, the Reservations’ cooks.

Ragsdale embraced the larger Middle Tennessee Scouting program as well. He served on the Warioto (Sumner County) Camping Committee for at least eight years and worked with the Council Scout-O-Rama for at least a decade. He led the Council contingent to Philmont in 1980 and he and Barr were part of the National Jamboree Staffs for three years (1981, 1985, 1989). If you saw a Jamboree Campfire, you saw Ragsdale and Barr at work. He served on at least 4 Wood Badge staffs, was awarded the Long Rifle Award in 1980, and was awarded the Silver Beaver in 1987. And this isn’t even a complete list!

In his life outside Scouting, Ragsdale was a teacher, a high school Chemistry teacher, which helped explain his amazing campfires! He served as a chairman of the Sumner County Tennessee Educators Association (TEA) and was named an outstanding teacher in the Sumner County System. Ragsdale taught chemistry at both White House High School and Beech High School. He built his home in the Shackle Island area of Hendersonville.

Ragsdale continued at Stahlman throughout the 1980s, missing only 1986. 1989 ended up being his last summer. He had plans to return in 1990, but he and Barr took a troop trip with Barr’s son. Upon returning, Barr’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and the two men stayed close and supported each other. And then, in the early morning hours of Halloween 1990, Ragsdale suffered a heart attack in his sleep and passed away.

Staff who worked with Ragsdale praised his ability to let people make their own mistakes and use that as tool to teach with. They praised his parenting, often seeing his approach first hand when his young son David was out at camp. Ragsdale was also remembered for his amazing carving skills; he whittled constantly and getting a Ragsdale handmade item was a true jewel. And of course, every Stahlman staff member in these years had a story about a joke or a prank pulled by the great Ernie Ragsdale.

Ernie Ragsdale, Wood Badge

Ernie Ragsdale at Wood Badge. Collection of Steve Eubank.

From the Archives, May 6, 2026

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Namesakes: James E. Stevens, Jr.
(Repost from April 25, 2021)

A small plaque on a concrete and rock pedestal next to the Stahlman Rifle Range states the following: “James E. Stevens, Jr. Rifle Range. Dedicated in honor a great scouter, executive board member and generous benefactor of the Middle Tennessee Council, Boy Scouts of America, and Boxwell Reservation. 1976-1977 Council President.” And that is all the background you get on James “Jimmy” Stevens, Jr.

Stevens was born in Nashville on January 22, 1926. He was a Scout as a youth and attended the Narrows of the Harpeth Boxwell in 1939 and 1940. In 1941, he was a Junior Leader at the Narrows—one of the youth staff. In fact, you can see a photo of a young Jimmy Stevens building a dock on the waterfront in the June 8th, 1941 edition of the Nashville Tennessean. Stevens went on to complete his Eagle.

During the war years, Stevens served as a member of the Naval Reserve while attending Georgia Tech. He was part of the V-12 program, an officer training program focusing on engineering, medicine, and foreign languages. The program ran from 1943 to 1946. Thus, Steven graduated from Tech with an engineering degree in hand and went on to Vanderbilt, where he was a member of Coach William Anderson’s track team before Anderson’s retirement in 1948. At the same time, his brother L. B. Stevens served as the Council President, the first to serve in the role following Leslie G. Boxwell’s quarter century run.

The 1950s were a mixed decade for Stevens. He married Elizabeth “Blondie” in 1951, a union that would continue for 63 years. In 1955, Stevens’ father drown in Marrowbone Lake on a fishing trip. The younger Stevens spent a few years working for his older brother before striking out on his own. He was the owner of several of several companies, include Laboratory Associates, Specialized Assays, and James E. Stevens and Associates. The last was a construction company. Among other projects, James E. Stevens and Associates was responsible for Camp Craig Dining Hall (1973-1974) as well as most of CubWorld (1995).

Stevens was extremely active in the Boy Scouts as an adult. He served on the local level as a District chairman for West District. He was on the Executive Board for over 35 years, serving in numerous roles including Council Commissioner, Council Treasurer, and the above mentioned Council President. Indeed, he was the first Council President following the retirement of Ward Akers. He was also on numerous Camp Inspection Teams, a board member on for the Southern Region, chair for the Scout Executive Selection Committee for at least 2 Middle Tennessee Council Executives, and worked on the Wood Badge staff several times, even serving as Course Director. He was awarded the Long Rifle, Silver Beaver and the Silver Antelope. He even helped pilot a leadership program for part of Boxwell’s summer camp program in the mid-1970s.

And what is his connection to the rifle range at Stahlman? As his obituary points out, “Jimmie was a competitive shooter and coached the MBA rifle team for 25 yrs. Also he was a former board member of the NRA.”

Stevens passed away on March 29, 2014 at the age of 88.

Council Portrait of James Stevens

Council Portrait for James E. Stevens, Jr. Stevens was Council President from 1976 to 1977.

From the Archives, May 5, 2026

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Boxwell Greats: Bruce Atkins
(Repost from January 21, 2024)

One of the powerhouse personalities of the early days of Boxwell Reservation was Bruce Atkins. Atkins joined the professional staff of the Middle Tennessee Council in 1960, working as a DE in the Dan Beard district, which served Pulaski in Giles County. He joined early in the year before Boxwell even opened. As many know, the professionals basically performed an “all hands on deck” approach to getting camp ready in ’60 to make sure it opened on time. Legend has it that the newly hired Atkins–described as a “towering” man by Jack Bond of the Nashville Banner–and fellow DE Gene Hensley would each grab a side of the oak tent platforms and run them as far back into the woods as they could go. That’s how they set up sites in the rush to open the Reservation!

Atkins moved up in the Scouting world quickly, as many did under the tutelage of Ward Akers. He served as Quartermaster of MT-7 (1962) and MT-8 (1963). IN 1964 and 1965, he served as Camp Director at Parnell, back with Camp Directors were always professional Scouters. He was promoted to Field Director that year as well. In March of 1966, Atkins was promoted to Assistant Scout Executive and Camping and Activities Director, the third person to hold that position, following Richard Parker and James Johnson. Almost immediately, Atkins came into conflict with the Ranger Coleman Wright and fired him, bringing in Bobby Smith as the new ranger.

Atkins was a man on the move. You spoke to him quickly as he was walking by. The conversation was short and then it was over. He was possessive of Boxwell: it was his camp and his staff. Other than Ward Akers, no one else told him what to do or how things were to be done. Kerry Parker relates a story of how during a Bull Crew week while National Camp School was going on, he and his crew were working on a tractor and trailer when they came to Stahlman dining hall for lunch. A National Staff man saw them and told them to get and not to get on again as this was again national policy. As Parker and the others tried to figure out how to get their work done, Atkins charged by telling them to get to work. Parker explained what had happened. Atkins replied this was his camp and they worked for him. Get back on the trailer and get to work! No one ever said anything about working on the trailers again!

As with many of the professionals in this era of Middle Tennessee Council, Atkins was promoted to a Council Executive. In 1970, he took over the West Tennessee Council headquartered in Memphis. In 1976, he was promoted again, this time to the other side of the state, as Executive of the Great Smoky Mountains Council.

Despite this incredible run over a very short period of time, Atkins died in 1982 at the age of 48. He suffered from a cancer. He had had surgery to remove the cancer in his younger days, leaving a scar on his next, but the cancer returned in the late 1970s. Atkins did not recover. Nevertheless, his 10 years with Middle Tennessee left a legacy of building a powerful Scouting program. For those who worked for him, Atkins was a larger than life figure.

Collection of Archie Crain

Bruce Atkins, 1963

Bruce Atkins in 1963. Atkins would serve as Reservation Director from 1966-1969.