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Camp Kawanhee
A Memory Book
Yes I did drive the hermit back to camp.
Yes I did drive the hermit back to camp. He wanted to come to the main land for a nieces wedding. Bates was on (and stayed on) Monhegan and thought it would be great to have the hermit at camp. Bates- what a weasel staying there when the fireworks went off at camp. We thought it would be very cool also. But what a ruckus it caused with the Franks and even more of a ruckus with his new lodgemates at Skunk ridge. The Hermit, who we thought of as a folk hero, was thought of by the senior staff (sans missing Bateman) as a homeless bum who lived with sheep and hadn't had a real bath since one of the Roosevelt's was president. I won't even mention my jeep broke down (broke a timing gear) and I was stranded with the hermit and Steve Fink on the way to the Skowhegan.
We had great fun driving the 1000 miles from Columbus to Weld in my 1961 Willys jeep (top speed 45mph). One trip with Fred Ball, Mike Altmaier and Tom Taylor we got thrown off the New York State Thruway for a speed violation- we were going TOO SLOWLY.
John Detrick was my first counselor in 1960. He ran a tight but fair ship. If you messed up you got a swift, crisp smack with a ping pong paddle. Well my number came up one night. He made me bend over, grab my ankles and he takes this monstrous swing. Now those arms were pretty long to an 12 year old. They still are pretty long to a 57 year old. Anyway, I must have been shaken' in my jammies. That paddle comes at me with the vengeance of a runaway locomotive. I braced for severe corporal punishment and tap. Yes he did, he just tapped me with that instrument of death. I was saved. What a relief. I have been good for the last 45 years and John Detrick is one of my best friends when he is not playing practical jokes on me.
Do you remember GR's golden boy Kenny Love? Great guy who at the time held a state (Ohio) in the high jump or something. Well Kenny finally got under GR's and Pops skin when he grew a beard. GR told him to shave it off. Well Kenny did but only shaved off the side GR could see in the dining hall. That went on for a couple of days.
Fred Ball chimes in here with:
As I was Kenny's JC at the time, I remember this one well. What actually happen was Kenny grew sideburns that would have made "The King" proud, but it was mid-August, and parents would soon be in Camp. G. R. said "I don't want to see those (sideburns) tomorrow" Kenny said "You won't sir!" and he shaved off the left sideburn before breakfast.
Kenny had the balls to have somehow gotten a key to the sacred camp office. When it got cold at night Kenny would 'borrow' the office space heater and return it in the AM before the Franks got there.
And then there was Herbie Lorenzen (sp?) who burned sterno under his bed in the morning to warm things up.
Fred Ball and I were on Monhegan with Bates one time when Bates showed us one of his "Indian tricks' The dazzling trick involved Bates covering his arm with kerosene, lighting it and with one quick flick of the arm the flame was SUPPOSED to have been separated from the kerosene on Bates' arm. Well Bates must not have practiced much as he started flapping his burning arm like Icarus must have when he was trying to fly. I am still laughing.
And there was the time G R went to Jim Duffey's wedding dressed to the nines including the shoehorn still in his shoe.
And then there was the time Doug Means and I were all alone at Chain of Ponds with 18 kids, no vehicle, and only a big tub of chicken fat instead of hamburger and Doug (aka "the Walrus") announced we would have 'fatsicles' for dinner.
And there always were the times Bates would get a Bouncing Buggy full of kids and counselors to move his pulp wood at his place in Byron by announcing there were candy bars underneath.
And there was the time we thought Bates was an idiot and we could get the docks in via counselors, without his help. And by god we did, except they were 6 feet out of parallel.
Chuck Hoffhine
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