The Council Room

Guest · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 12:34 am Post subject: Summer of 60

1960 was my last summer at Wyanoke. I just lost interest. After reading all these posts I wonder how life would have been for me if only........
But, to the point: I was in S-6 with Pete Leavitt, who I thought was great, and who was one of the desaparecidos. My cousin Mike Lenehan was in S-7 (?) with Frank Avantaggio, also great, also gone.
Years later, say around 1970, I was passing through (I think it was) Damariscotta, Maine on my way to Newfoundland. I was staying with a friend of a friend, and went out for a walk along the water one morning. Passing in front of a large, beautiful Colonial home up on a rise above the road, I glanced at the nameplate on the mailbox and saw "Dr. Frank Avantaggio." You and me and the bird up in the tree just know that this was the same guy. I hadn't known him well enough, I thought, to go knocking on the door, and I kept on with my walk. I've been pleased over time to think that he ended up doing just fine, and that the black cloud of disapproval from Mr. Bentley and dismissal from Wyanoke didn't utterly ruin his life.

Jim Culleton · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 1:14 am Post subject: Re: Summer of 60

Tom Shirley · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:01 am Post subject:

Thanks Mike, If I recall correctly there was still some talk of a "Panty Raid" when I was there which would have been 10-15 years later. It was more of a legend than what we thought was a real story. Maybe I'm getting stories mixed up but I vaguely remember something was raised up the flag pole too.
_________________
J-1 1970, Marc Liddle from Scotland
J-1 1971, Bob Vaughn
S-3 1972, Steve McDavitt
S-2 1973, Charlie Thomas
JA-2 1974, Dan Mannis
JA-1 1975, Dave Ayers

Proud to be Gray

DavidAyars · Founder W. H. Bentley Joined: 01 Mar 2006 Posts: 263

Was it supposedly a Kehonka bra that got run up the flagpole... as part of the legend the way the story was told by the 1970s, anyway? I suppose they also blew Retreat and blasted the cannon in salute at two in the morning! Wink

_________________
Camper: J-8 1965 (Kevin Ryan), J-8 1966 (Mike Freeland), S-6 1967 (Russ Hatch), S-3 1968 (Jeremy Cripps), and JA-2 1969 (Dan Mannis).
JC: J-2 1970 (Bill Bettison) and J-3 1971 (Gene Comella). Councilor 1972, J-5 1973, and JA-1 1974 & 1975

David Bentley · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 1:20 pm Post subject: Summer of 1960 vs Camp Kehonka

Mike has presented the situation very clearly, especially the comment about camp directors/owners being responsible for other people's children. The Ballentines and the Bentleys had great mutual respect, and shared the same philosophy with respect to the camp's position vis-a-vis parents. My father liked the Ballentines, personally, very much, and, professionally, held them in very high regard. Mrs. Ballentine (Althea) took an almost parental position with respect to "her girls" (and there was nothing wrong with that), while my father took a more "counselor" position with respect to "his men" (which I guess is most easily described as a 'gender thing').

Although my father never discussed the details of the situation with me, I can only surmise that the end result was the product of negotiations between Dad and Althea designed to eliminate the problem from Althea's life while at the same time not putting a blot on the lives of these men. What they did when they got home, how they explained their personal situation, and what they did about it later in life was all up to them.

And, yes, each of them was a fine person who made (collectively, I'm sure) a dumb decision. Haven't we all (and some of us still do !!).
_________________
C-1 49 J-7 52 S-3 55 J-10 58
C-7 50 J-7 53 S-2 56 J-8 59
C-8 51 J-4 54 S-7 57 (JA) J-8 60 - 64
1965 - 1968 Military service
Pine Cone 68 - 75 (with wife,Sherry,
and daughter Tracey)
Wolfeboro - full-time since 1997

Alec Stansell · JA Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 24 Location: Wellfleet MA

Thanks for the kind words re: the fly. Fishing was a real love of mine at camp - still is, and Winni still gives up beautiful fish. For those interested, Jim Warner had a shop in Wolfeboro where he offered beautiful flies back when I was at camp. He is a well known and revered tier, and has developed several well respected patterns. Wofeboro Bay Outfitters is now under new ownership, but if you go to the fly display in the back of the shop, you can still purchase flies tied by Jim.. he has been offering them there since 1955.
Chris - consider me in the contest! Pics to follow this summer!
Mike - that's a bluegill caught here on Cape Cod, not Winni, as you surmised.
Here's a picture of Jim's shop as he opened it in 1955...

Jim Warner at his shop, Main St. wolfeboro, 1955

All the best to my fellow campers! Alec
_________________
72: C-4 (Bob Chase)
73: J-4 (Bob Vaughan)
74: J-4 (Bob Vaughan)
75: S-2 (Jim Yetter)
BLUE

Chris Gill · Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:16 am Post subject: Fishing contest

Alec,

It should be a good competition. The only drawback is that we are both blues, hopefully more people will take an interest.
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1965-1975
C7,C8,J8,S4,S3

Robert Vaughan · Ass't Director Joined: 12 Nov 2006 Posts: 46

If I had to guess who was teaching fly-tying, I'd say Pete Oldak and I think he did it in the cabin by the road, J-12 or J-16. It was usually a rainy-day activity and we were not allowed to wear them in our caps on parade nights but boy were they difficult to get out once you stuck them on your caps.

Mike Freeland · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject:

Great call, Bob. I wasn't really too comfortable with Gunnar Engstrom, but he's the only one I could think of with the manual dexterity for fly-tying.

Pete Oldak was definitely the one. He was in J-3 in '61. I remember him as a really nice guy but there for only one summer, though up to now he has been gone from my memory modules. I'm glad to have that settled.
_________________
'56-C-9 C. Mosher '57-C-9 Bill Feaster
'58-J-14 H. Peavy '59-J-11 G. Wood, C. Duncan
'60-S-8 R. Leavitt, D. Hemphill '61-S-1 E. Slocum
'62-JA-1 H. Dunbar '63-C-2 (JC)
'64-C-5, (JC) Councilor
'65-C-9 '66 - '72-J-8
'73-JA1 '75-J-6

Jim Culleton · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:38 pm Post subject: Fly Tying

Thanks, Bob! Maybe it was Pete Oldak in addition to Gunnar. I was a JA in '61 so I probably saw Pete endlessly fly tying as I made my way down to Cabintown and passing J-16 . . . . . which seemed like luxury living in a camp environment given that it had electricity and a linoleum floor! J-16 had a lot of windows in the front as I remember and perhaps only housed 4-5 campers plus a Councilor. J-16 would have been complete if it had a "john"!
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'56 - J-9 J. Moulton
'57 - J-11 J. Moulton
'58 - J-4 E. Web Dann, S. Hood
'59 - S-6 P. Leavitt
'60 - S-2 F. Avantaggio
'61 - JA-1 RK Irons
'62 - C-9 JC with P. Freeland
'63 - C-1 JC with S. Borger
'64 - C-6 Councilor

Mike Freeland · Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject:

"Pines", Jim, "Pines". It did have one. Actually it had two: One we called the "Lower Junior Pines", and the other we called "back of the cabin".

The only drawback to living in J-16 might have been that the bugler positioned himself right in front of it to blow Reveille for the Midgets. J-1 wasn't much better. I was most envious of the fact that it, J-10 and all of C-town had screens.
_________________
'56-C-9 C. Mosher '57-C-9 Bill Feaster
'58-J-14 H. Peavy '59-J-11 G. Wood, C. Duncan
'60-S-8 R. Leavitt, D. Hemphill '61-S-1 E. Slocum
'62-JA-1 H. Dunbar '63-C-2 (JC)
'64-C-5, (JC) Councilor
'65-C-9 '66 - '72-J-8
'73-JA1 '75-J-6

Jim Culleton · Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:06 pm Post subject:

Robert Vaughan · Ass't Director Joined: 12 Nov 2006 Posts: 46

Gunnar was a wonderful woodworker and taught us how to make wooden boats starting with a pretty good hunk of wood. I don't believe he ever did any fly-tieing.