Fall 1994
Letter from the
President's Desk
There is no Letter from the President this issue. Tom has
requested that we reprint the letter of resignation from Camp
Director Ken Palladino to the Scoutmasters of the Old Colony
Council.
"It is with great regret and saddened heart that I am
reporting to you that I will not be serving as your Camp Director
at Camp Squanto for the 1995 Summer Season.
As you may recall, I promised all of you that I would write to
you to explain my decision as to whether I would be returning as
your Director. All that has transpired these past months have
weighed heavily on my even contemplating returning to what was
once the finest camping operation in the East.
As you know the Supervisor of Camps was forced to resign after
30 years of service because of the direction being forced upon
the Camping Operations. I was almost dismissed myself several
times because I was bold enough to take a stand against staff
reductions. It seems that the Executive has been given unlimited
authority to do as he sees fit. He certainly does do this and in
the process leaves you and me out of the decision that directly
affect us.
The Plan which was recently voted by the Board is nothing more
than a rehash of the plan of 1991 designed to eliminate the
previous Executive and President. This present plan calls for the
destruction of the only significant money making operations in
the Council. Simply stated the Camps over all these years have
been forced to subsidize the Central Office with their better
than average salaries rather than being funded by the Central
Office as Nationally mandated.
This past summer was one of pure frustration for me. It saw
the destruction of the Greatest Food service ever available to
any Scout camp. The High Elements were ordered removed in
anticipation of staff reductions. The new Staff Village was
closed by the Executive (NOT THE BOARD OF HEALTH) because he
insisted on not spending a penny on the Leader/Staff latrine(The
Ed Swirbalus Memorial). Money for this facility as well as new
Winter Cabins at Child and Squanto and improvements for the
Training Facility at Child were supposed to come from the modular
gift monies which were explained by Joe Piche as last summer. The
Council decided that these projects were secondary and not one
penny of the $180,000 gift to the Camps was ever spent on the
Camps.
To compound matters, Camp Squanto just suffered one of its
greatest losses in its history. Our Ranger and good friend, Brian
Bishop, resigned and is no longer at Camp. You only have to see
what happened this past summer to realize why he could not
continue to accept what was and what was not happening.
The horrific manner in which the staff was treated before Camp
opened, coupled with the fact that our Camp Ranger is no longer,
Mr. Briggs our Camp Director of 22 years is no longer, our dear
friend Woody is no longer, our Supervisor of Camps is no longer,
and the list goes on, can only lead me to believe that my tenure
as your Camp Director could only be one of constant battle with
the Council Executive and his chosen few. My purpose is to
conduct the best Scout Camp possible and not simply have you and
your Scouts or my Staff be considered nothing more than a huge
milk bag on the Camp cow to be milked anytime the Council needs
money. This is totally unacceptable to me.
I would never ask you not to attend our beloved Camp. I do ask
you, however, to demand and insist that we return to the high
caliber operation to which we are accustomed. Also demand that
all the negativism generated by the lies and deceit be reversed.
Demand Communication. Demand that Brian be returned as Ranger.
Demand that the Staffing pattern which is necessary and to which
you are accustomed be held and maintained. Demand that those
responsible for the huge cuts in food be kept back at the Council
Office. Demand that the Camp that has taken so many years to
achieve greatness with all its new records be restored to its
greatness.
I deeply regret that I will not be your Camp Director in 1995.
I wanted this in the worst way for all our Scouts and Staff and
the Council.
I will be more than happy to discuss anything with any of you
at any time. You can well imagine that this letter will generate
a response from Council Officials but the truth is easy to
defend.
My prayers and best wishes are for all of you to continue with
the wonderful work you do for our young men and women.
The 1994 Staff of Camp Squanto thank you very much for the
support you have given them. Let's hope that something can be
done to restore the confidence and Programs and growth to our
beloved Camp Squanto in the future, Right now, our Scouts and
Programs are at serious risk and I ask you to try to understand
the reasons for my not returning.
Thank you.
Ken "
Ed Christopher's Awards
Each year there is an essay writing contest at Camp Squanto.
The essay must describe your views on what makes a good leader
and what the "Spirit of Squanto" means to you. This
years winning essay was created by Jen Burton. Congratulations
Jen!
In order to be a good leader, you do not have to be
boisterous, overpowering or overbearing. You must be willing to
listen and have the sound mind to give advise. the best solution
to the problem. You must be an overall person - your personality
should be unique to yourself. You cannot be a good leader if you
continually follow others.
The "Spirit of Squanto" is a feeling that is uniques
to each and every one of us. It lives in our hearts and souls in
every word we speak, every thought we have and every sight we see
here at Camp Squanto. For myself, the "Spirit of
Squanto" became involved when I was 7 years old. I remember
walking up the path between the two deers thinking I just
received my official welcome to Camp. I have so many special
feelings because of this camp that have and will be in my heart
for many years. Today I reflect on the "Spirit of
Squanto" as many feelings that have helped shape myself and
many people into what we are today. When there are troubles in my
life and I need something to turn to for comfort I can always
reminisce about my times here at Camp Squanto.
The "Spirit of Squanto" is a feeling everyone that
steps into camp feels, from the time they enter until the time
they leave. But, it does not end there, each and every person
that carries the spirit inside of them uses it in everything that
they do no matter in or out of camp.
The "Spirit of Squanto" is passed onto each person
by another. For the staff and the many people that have dedicated
themselves to Squanto, they are the ones that pass the spirit on
to others in their own unique way.
"Take only your memories, leave only your spirit" so
that the "Spirit of Squanto" will always live on.
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the CSAA was held on August 6th at Camp
Squanto. the meeting was called to Order at 2:16 PM. The
Secretary's and Treasurer's Reports were read and accepted. There
were several reports from committees and they are each recounted
below.
Curator Paul Chapin reported that the Casoni museum is still
growing and he has been keeping up with the delivery of items.
Kevin Guarino, Post Advisor, reported that the Post has taken
on several projects for the Camp. Among them were the
Scoutmaster's Dinner, refurbishing camp signs and various group
activities. Kevin presented the CSAA with the Post's Charter.
Bill Gilbert and Tom Walsh received the Silver Deer for their
continued support and work for Camp Squanto
Camp Director Ken Palladino reports that to date there have
been over 1350 campers attending Camp Squanto this year. He
thanked the Staff for all their support and help.
Tom O'Brien announced that there are 3 main goals directing
the CSAA:
· Long term planning for the future of Camp Squanto
· Raise funds for projects at camp
· Provide an information vehicle for Alumni about Camp and
each other
Tom explained the introduction of the Plan to cut council
costs and his involvement at the May 19th meeting. Presently we
have 3 objectives
1. Keep Ken Palladino as Camp Director
2. No reduction of Staff or operating budget
3. Keep both Brian Bishop and Joe Piche at Camp
Door Prizes were awarded at the close of the meeting. Those
remaining partook of snacks and the Annual Auction.
The next Annual Meeting will be on August 5th 1995, see you
there!
Election Results
There were three candidates for the open Trustee position in
the CSAA.
Bill Bassett
Dana Billings
Fred Wickles
Each candidate was afforded the opportunity to speak about
their qualifications and desire to help Camp Squanto. By a vote
of the voting members of the CSAA, Bill Bassett was elected to
the five year Trustee position.
Congratulations Bill, we know you will make significant
contributions to the Camp Squanto Alumni Association!
T-Shirts
This year marked the first year that CSAA T-shirts were
available for sale.
We ordered 100 of these T-shirts and have completly sold out.
Thanks to those of you who purchased one, we'll surely do this
again next year.
Each year there are several awards presented to individuals
who show Scout and Squanto spirit. These awards are voted upon by
the entire staff and as a Peer to Peer award, it demonstrates who
goes the extra mile for others. These awards are funded by the
Edward Christophers Fund and disbursed by the CSAA. This years
winners are:
Staff Leadership and Squanto Spirit Award
Chris Emord
Leading Scout Award
Dan White
Leadership Essay
Jen Burke
Congratulations for a job well done to these exceptional
people.
Museum Closed
Citing "reasons of security" the Old Colony Council
has ordered the Casoni Museum closed and its contents removed.
Curator Paul Chapin has found temporary storage for the more than
3000 items formerly housed in the museum, but this is only
temporary!
It grieves us to think that the donations and history of
Scouting now sits in boxes. There was no discussion about
security measures despite the fact that new doors and a security
system had been installed. We felt that our Council would be
pleased to display so much memorabilia about Scouting.
If you know of any locations which might serve as a museum of
Scouting history, please contact the Paul Chapin or the Trustees
of the CSAA. It truly is a shame to have all this history locked
away from the Scouts who so enjoyed it.
Annual Auction
We had a fantastic showing at this years Auction. There were
many items donated from our generous members to help raise
capital for the CSAA. Once again Mike Warner and Paul Chapin sold
anything that wasn't nailed down as well as some things that
were.
Thanks to those of you who attended we raised enough money to
continue to fund things like this newsletter. Especially with the
happenings at camp recently this communication is extremely
important. Thanks to all and hope to see you there again next
year.
Post News
The members and officers of Post 25 have been keeping very
busy. It remains the largest Active Post in the Council and is
always looking to grow.
The Post is very active and has several overnighters planned
for the coming months. They really contributed this year to
making the camp more beautiful and ready for the scouts by
holding several "work days" at camp. This year the
members donated their time repairing, painting and remaking the
direction signs around camp.
Happenings at Camp
The Trustees of the Camp Squanto Alumni Association are
distressed at the resignation of Ken Palladino. We believe that
Ken did an outstanding job of running the camp this past summer
and that his resignation will have a devastating effect on
camping activities next summer.
We are even more distressed at the apparent lack of concern
from the Council Office over several issues. The closing of the
Casoni Museum; the resignations of the Director, Supervisor of
Camps, Ranger and others; the registration of only 11 troops for
next years season at this time all indicate a disastrous turn of
events.
We will continue to keep you informed of happenings at Camp
over the winter. We will continue to strive to keep Camp Squanto
the quality camp we are all so used to.
Social Calendar
Still bringing you more hellos from our friends at Squanto,
here are some more folks who have been spotted at Camp recently.
Tom McDonough and his father joined us once again. Tom went
looking for Handicraft but found it had moved across the street.
Brendan Conolly finished another splendid year as Program
Director and made it to the Annual Meeting to help Kevin Guarino
spend some of his money.
Todd Edwards arrived in time to outbid all others for an original
Squanto Squaker Neckerchief. Todd is working in the computer
field, no surprise there!
Ken Doyon flew in to the Annual Meeting. He's doing great and
sends his hellos to all.
Bill Gilbert brought the family down to Camp at the meeting. He
joined in the fun at the Auction. How much did you bid?
Skiddy Casoni once again appeared with a carload of handcrafted
items for the Auction.
Dave Casoni was there with a "Taste of the Sea". He
brought two lots of lobsters in for auctioning.
Al "Woody" Woodman was there kissing all the women and
keeping the rest of us in line!
This is not a complete list and there will be more next time.
It really was a pleasure to see and talk with these folks. Hope
to see you there next time!
Silver Deer Award
The Silver Deer has been a long standing tradition at Camp
Squanto. This award, delivered on behalf of the camp, recognizes
the dedication and achievement of those who work to better the
camp and its attendees.
Each year some are chosen to receive this medal which requires
the individual exhibit the following qualities:
· Set the Example for scouts and scouters to follow. One
who lives the Scout Oath and Law.
· Exemplary service to the betterment of Camp Squanto.
· Leadership and demonstrating the skills of leadership to
others.
This year we have three recipients.
Bill Gilbert
Kevin Pelton
Tom Walsh
Each of these people have given of themselves over the years
in each of the above described ways and more. Please join us in
congratulating them on receiving an award they most richly
deserve.
Membership
We had an incredible response over the summer of people
wanting to be a part of the CSAA. Although we thank all of you
for responding, our membership committee is rather, ahh, swamped
(and that's putting it mildly!).
Please keep those responses coming and we will be posting
names next time of those we can't find.e welcome original
submissions for articles. Articles should pertain to Camp Squanto
or the Camp Squanto Alumni Association in general. Articles
should be typed.
If you have questions or would like more information about the
newsletter, please call Mike Warner, Newsletter Editor.
Contributions
The Association has more need than ever to raise capital. With
the drastic changes at camp we hope to be able to assist in many
ways to return the quality program to Squanto. Any amount you can
spare will be appreciated and put to good use, as well as being
tax deductible.
Maintained by John Mileris.
Copyright © Camp Squanto Alumni Association. All rights
reserved.