Ingersoll Scout Reservation Staff Alumni

I've performed another arcane bit of digital organization on the ISR staff website. Hi ho.

Some of you know about the wiki, which I've used for years to post the Ingersoll Scout Reservation/Wilderness Camp rosters and to celebrate all you -- all of us -- staff members that worked there. I don't want to tell you how much time it took me and others to collect and correct that information, but it was immense -- incomplete, but immense. It was a small slice of history for us to enjoy.

I'm not linking to the wiki in this post because soon the wiki will be croaked. The staff rosters are now posted at isrstaff.org/history.

Also, the old photo gallery was removed but replaced with a new gallery, which is still located at isrstaff.org/gallery.

I'm telling you about these developments because, as always, I rely on you to make the site work. There are still blank rosters and missing bits of information. And I know that some of you out there have photos -- or videos or memorabilia or whathaveyou -- that document the history of camp and its people.

I'd like you to help. Here is how you can do it.

Rosters

First, if you have information about rosters, the scheme for adding and editing is different.

• To add a new entry to a roster, check out this guide: HOWTO add staff roster information to the site.
• To edit an existing roster entry, go to either (a) the roster page for a particular year (see isrstaff.org/history) or (b) an individual staff member's bio (see the list of staff at isrstaff.org/history/list). On either the roster page or a staff member bio -- assuming you are logged in -- you will see an edit link beside each entry. Yes: click edit.

It's not that difficult, just remember that one staff member's experience at one year of summer camp is an individual entry. Each entry will be displayed on both the staff member's bio and the corresponding staff roster year.

Speaking of biographies... find your own page and add a little extra biographical information from your time at camp.

Photos

Uploading a photo is easy. Assuming you are logged in, you will see a link on the right: Create content > Picture. Yes. Nice work. You just earned Basketry Merit Badge.

If you need help with uploading a photo, see this guide: HOWTO upload photos.

There is a new feature to this photo gallery, and I'm very eager to see one of you test it. Let's take this picture of Andy Hobin and I from 2005 as an example:

Damn, we look good. But that's not the point.

The point is that by uploading this picture and noting on the upload page that (a) it is from 2005 and (b) it is a picture of Kirk Kittell and Andy Hobin, the photo will be displayed on both the 2005 roster page and my staff biography like so:

How about that? Please, one of you, all of you, upload a photo, edit your biography -- tell me how it works, what's good, what's bad, whatever, whatever.

Recently Tom Cusick, a camp veteran, sent me a few of his memories from working at camp in 1970 and 1974. That makes two consecutive weeks (three if you were at the reunion) of hearing stories from the people who saw a different camp than I saw in the 1990s and 2000s. Maybe I'm a sentimental fool, but I like that.

So, read below for Tom's thoughts. Here's a tip: if you want to hear more, leave a comment, ask questions, etc.

I worked at Wilderness Camp in 1970 for Mike Coleman and in 1974 for Joe Bender.

In 1970 I was the Commissary Manager, in 1972 I was hired as a Commissioner and later ran the Waterfront when George Phillips became a Camp Roofer. I also worked on the OA callout team. I still remember having to change in the old ranger's house where the pipes were bent from the untimely demise of his wife. We never lingered.

In addition to working at Wilderness Camp, I also worked at Camp Wokanda in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971.

It has been a long time, but I have a lot of fond memories of both camps. Here are the ones that come to mind for Wilderness Camp:

1. As Commissary Manager, we had to deliver food to the outer campsites in a truck that could barely get up the hills, especially when it rained. I remember having to go fast enough to make the hills without running down any of the campers. Luckily my record was spotless.

2. As Commissary Manager, I ordered ice cream and specified cases when I should have indicated cartons. They delivered about 3 years worth of ice cream. We put it on sale, and later had to transport some of it to Camp Wokonda just to get rid of it. Maybe that is why I was only Commissary Manger for one year?

3. During Staff week in 1970, a tornado ripped through nearby Abingdon. We watched it from in front of the Camp Office as it skipped over the camp. Being from Peoria, I never knew how Galesburg got it's name until that summer. We had one big storm after another one go over the camp. To this day, lightning does not bother me.

4. I was the Aquatics Manager at Camp Wokanda in 1971 and had gone to Camp School. In 1972, George Phillips was the Aquatics Manager and I was hired as a Commissioner. About half way through the summer our enrollment dropped off and they were going to have to let some staff go. George and one other member volunteered to become roofers so they could stay on and we did not have to lay anyone off. I took George's place at the lake.

5. George Phillips and I used to go looking for arrowheads near the corn fields over by the new Ranger's cabin. We found what was probably an arrowhead production facility. Most were broken, but each of us found about 2 good ones. I would guess that pieces of arrowheads still appear every time they plow.

6. Bill Littel taught me how to fly fish in Lake Roberts. I never knew how much fun it was to hook one until I got a good size bass on my fly rod. If the lake is still there cast by logs in the water and watch the fun.

7. In an effort to save money, Joe Bender hired his son's best friend (I think he was about 12 years old) as the staff cook. Unfortunately, no one ever asked him if he could cook. The staff food was typically really good - except that year. We ended up having to take turns cooking, and let him make the bologna sandwiches that became an unappreciated lunch tradition. It got so bad that we would take turns sneaking out of camp to buy burgers and bring them back from the tavern up the road.

I left the Peoria area in 1978 and moved to DuPage County. I have been active here as a Cubmaster, and as an Assistant Scoutmaster. During this time, I have been able to visit the camps they use up here: Camp Freeland Leslie in the middle of Wisconsin, and Owassipie in Michigan. Neither one has the volunteer base and community support that I saw in both of the Peoria area camps. I tried to get my troop to come down to ISR, but could never talk them out of Owassipie. Too bad. They missed a great time.

Would you like to tell your own story? The correct answer is yes, sir. You can post your own: log in, then create a blog entry.

Not sure you want to tell a public story? I understand. I have a few of those. Consider posting in the Staff Row forum, which is only visible to staff alumni.

Or you can just email your story to me. I will grumpily happily post it for you.