Spring 1997

Letter from the President's Desk

Dear Friends,

I sit down to write my first letter as the new President of the Camp Squanto Alumni Association. In February, our founding President Tom O'Brien stepped down, due to his change in responsibilities as a State Representative. His hard work and unwavering devotion to both the Camp and this institution have brought us where we are today. He led us through some very difficult times, particularly with the issues at Council. Tom will still be with us and we should all thank him for his ground-breaking efforts.

As a past Camp staffer of 14 years and having served as the Camp Director for 3 of those years I have an intense interest in making this Association truly serve the Camp. In order to accomplish this goal we have attempted to open communications with Old Colony Council and they have responded very positively to us. As a result we have begun a dialog with the new Council President, Executive and Commissioner, and they have agreed to allow us to meet in Camp Squanto again this August. This is great news and is only being seen as a new beginning! I can now look forward to continued growth and interest in our Camp and our Association.

As most of you realize, the number of people who have attended Camp Squanto each year is quite large, well over 3000 during the year-round operations. Now when we consider that number over the last 30 years ... it really is amazing the number of lives touched by this Camp. Our mailing and membership lists began with 100 people; today it is over 700. Most of these members are still active in Scouting and the Camp. Some are not able to remain involved directly. We hope that the Camp Squanto Alumni Association allows these folks to keep abreast of what is happening in Camp Squanto and when they are able to return we hope that not everything will be a surprise.

I look forward to seeing you at camp throughout the summer and at the annual meeting in August.

Sincerely,
Michael Warner

Annual Meeting

As you noticed on the front page, the next Annual Meeting of the Camp Squanto Alumni Association will be August 2nd at Camp. The meeting this year has a wonderful difference from recent years, we will meet at Camp Squanto! Among the agenda items for the day are the election of a Trustee, discussions about projects to undertake for the 1998 camping season, and what activities the CSAA will be undertaking over the next year.

Remember however, that the most important part of the meeting is getting together. We need your input and help; the Association has come a long way thanks to you. We want your ideas as to how to make the CSAA an even more special and inviting group.

Annual Auction

We are looking for items and assistants with the running of the Annual Auction. We are presently searching for Scouting Collectibles for this year's Auction in August. At this time we have secured some fine collections of Squanto patches and other scouting memorabilia.

With the major changes in how the Association will work with the Old Colony Council, we feel that it is once again appropriate to raise capital. We will be taking on our old roles within the camp-life as well as undertaking work projects. Our mission of helping to develop "Our Camp" is again well within our reach and we hope to seize this opportunity and move forward again.

Position Available

There is an open seat on the Board of Trustees. In accordance with the Camp Squanto Alumni Association's By-laws, we will hold elections at our Annual meeting to fill this position. Any member of the CSAA is eligible to be nominated for this position, as this is an open seat on the Board.

If you are interested in applying or nominating someone for this important position please send your inquiries to:

Camp Squanto Alumni Association
P.O. Box 445
Marshfield Hills, MA. 02051

Election of this position will be by the voting members of the CSAA on August 2nd, 1997 at the Annual Meeting.

CSAA goes On-Line

On May 2, 1997 the Camp Squanto Alumni Association opened its official Internet Website. We are very excited about the possibilities for worldwide communications this offers the Association. As we grow, many of our members join the military or accept positions far away from the cool breezes on Faun Pond. Communication has always been a difficult nut to crack. The Internet has made communications faster (and for some, easier) and allows you access to vast amounts of information. We intend to take advantage of this.

There is a limited amount of information in our site right now, however you will find the President's Message, Upcoming events and back issues of this newsletter

Please visit us on-line at www.geocities.com/Eureka/3314. Also take the time to fill out a survey when you're there so we can make this a place that suits your needs.

A New Beginning

On March 24th, 1997 the Camp Squanto Alumni Association has found itself the possibility of starting anew with the Old Colony Council. Over the past 3 years, our relations have been very strained and we were not seeing any chance to continue the work we set out to do. However, after receiving this letter and subsequent conversations, the Trustees feel that it is now the time to put our differences behind and again move ahead. Please read the letter, I know it will bring a smile to your face as it did mine.

Dear Mr. Warner:

As the Council Key Three, we are writing to invite the Alumni Association to hold its annual meeting at Camp Squanto. This will occur on August 2, 1997, between the hours of l PM and 4 PM. If for some reason the ranger is unavailable, Tom Silvia will be present to insure that all goes well. It was suggested by Mr. Briggs that the dinning hall porch would suit your needs, and if so, we will plan on that location. Also, we invite you to re-institute your recognition program for the camp staff, it is unfortunate that we did not participate last year.

We hope that this will suit your needs, and we wish you a good meeting.

Yours in Scouting,

In Memorium

It is with regret that we inform you of the passing of two of Camp Squanto's and the Alumni Association's members and benefactors.

George Clish
&
Lois Wilde

Please remember them in your prayers.

Social Calendar

Its been a long time since we checked in. This round we have letters sending "Hello" from Richard Carey and Claire Perrotti. There has been a lot of news and we will get a full update next issue.

Skiddy Casoni Scholarship

The Skiddy Casoni Scholarship fund is accepting donations. This fund will be available starting in 1998 to members of the CSAA family. You may direct monies to the CSAA address for the immediate future. More details will be coming as this fund develops.

Camp News

We want to wish the new Camp Director of Camp Squanto a safe and successful first season. Ralph Paine of Brockton is beginning his career as Camp Director of the best Camp in the Northeast. Assisting him this year will be Alex Dunbar as Program Director and Emily Pelton as Assistant Program Director.

Contributions

The Association doesn't just need warm bodies; it needs cold hard cash. As we get older and surer of ourselves, we will be running more events and opportunities to get together, but in the meantime, we are always willing to accept contributions. Any amount you can spare will be appreciated and put to good use, as well as being tax deductible.

Business Space Available

There is still advertising space available in the Alumni News. All proceeds from advertising space will go towards the printing and mailing expenses of this newsletter. Please support those who advertise in the Alumni News, remember that these are the businesses of fellow Association members.

If you are interested in advertising, please contact Mike Warner as to available space and rates.

Submissions

We 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.

A Blast From the Past

As many of you know, I spent 14 years on the Camp Staff, four of those years I was Program Director. Now a good PD can come up with great ideas and programs, he also knows how to use something that was great before he touched it.

Going through some old Camp stuff, I happened upon a Crossword Puzzle. This puzzle was used for a camp-wide scavenger hunt, (I think Paul Morrissey created this thing, but if not I'm sure you'll let me know).

So please sit back and take a crack at a late 70's piece of history, answers next time.

Maintained by John Mileris.
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