The Council Room

[DavidAyars]

Hey, it was his camp. He was the boss.

And as bosses go, n my memory, BMB was an especially strong one.

Imagine the challenge of being the boss of a summer camp. You've gotta hire a large staff of top notch people for as little money as possible. (In 1969, I think camp tuition at Wyanoke was about $800 for 8 weeks of camp, about $100 per week per camper. Today, fees are closer to $1000 per week per camper in similar camps.) There wasn't a lot of money to pay people, especially in hourly-wage terms. Most Wyanoke staff could have made more money doing something else with their summer, so they had to want to be there.

Then-- further challenges-- if (when?) your screening and instincts as boss have let you down and you've hired somebody really bad, and if something goes seriously wrong because of that, you could have a lawsuit on your hands that could cost you leadership or ownership of the camp. And during any one summer, you have to keep your staff happy and engaged. If you have staff turnover midsummer approaching anything like the nearest fast food joint, you have a serious coverage problem on your hands. You don't want to be hiring replacements midsummer because there's no one left qualified to be the councilor in J-9 or because there's no one left who knows how to teach riflery.

All this came to mind this morning when I heard a news story that cited a book (Love 'Em or Lose 'Em; Getting People to Stay) by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, now in its 3rd edition. They write, and this is supported by a recent Gallup poll, that most people who quit a job do so not because they didn't like the job-- they quit because they didn't like their boss.

The authors cite certain boss behaviors that cause serious problems in many workplaces:
1. Belittling people in front of others
2. Lying
3. Being condescending
4. Humiliating and embarrassing others
5. Micromanaging

David Bentley recently made the point in a post that when you have overall very pleasant memories of a place as most of us do with Wyanoke, many bad memories get erased, and time of course has a way of erasing memories anyway... but I can never remember BMB doing any of these things with his staff. Which is part of why he was a rarely good boss, and helps explain Wyanoke's relatively low staff turnover, especially midsummer. When somebody left midsummer, there was always a very good reason for it that made it best for all involved.

Mr. Bentley told everyone what was expected of them, and then trusted them to do it. When a staff member needed correction or a kick in the pants, he'd call them over for a quiet chat at the Little Guest House, or to his corner of the dining room when others were elsewhere. I could always count on his word and his personal respect, and he could count on mine in return. Good leadership gets good results.

Nobody, including BMB, could get along and work well with everybody, and nobody, including BMB, was perfect all the time. It's likely there were some issues and some stories that could be told from a different point of view. But all things considered, he truly did a very good job leading the camp staff.
_________________
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

[Mike Freeland]

Hi Dave,

You bring up some points I'd never thought about. I never really thought of BMB as a "boss" in the ususal sense. He was indeed very even-handed, as well as even-tempered. I always thought of him as being extremely soft-spoken in even the most difficult situations, and when I heard him scream "HERE IT IS! TAKE IT!" for the first time, I thought he'd stepped totally out of character. He might as well have put on a dress and danced a jig, to my 9-year-old mind.

He made me feel like a goofball one time with his calmness in the face of catastrophe: in 1964 or so, someone flicked a cigarette butt out the front door of the Midget Chapel and it landed on an old mattress. After a while the mattress started smouldering and the fire started working its way into the porch itself. I spotted it and, thinking with razor clarity, ran all the way from Cabintown to the dining hall where I found BMB seated at his corner table. I breathlessly told him what happened and that the mattress was on fire. "Well, put it out.", he said.

The liabilities involved with a summer camp must cause a huge amount of stress, and BMB's composure never even suggested that to me.

I've always wanted to have a peak into that notebook he carried in his back pocket. Hey Dave, do any of those notebooks still exist?
_________________
'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]

Great insight and topic Dave A! I will always remember BMB as a cool, calm and collected leader that we all had a great deal of respect for. Only today can we realize all of the "behind the scenes" hard work that he did to keep Wyanoke running smoothly. We just took it for granted when we were campers and councilors as everything seemed to run smoothly.

One of his most difficult decisions must have been in '58 or '59 when he had to relieve 4-5 councilors of their duties mid-season due to their involvement in a panty raid on Kehonka. I don't remember how Brad filled those positions so quickly, but as a senior camper at the time I lost my councilor. Whatever he did it seemed like a "seamless" transition and everyone moved on to enjoy the summer!

The one situation that I clearly remember was when I confronted Brad in '59 as to why I should have been an Aide, rather than a 1st year Senior. I walked up to the little guest house and presented him with my case since a couple of other Aides were in my high school class. Although they were a year older than I, I felt that being in the same H.S. class should qualify me to "jump a grade" regardless of age! Brad said, "I'll give it some thought. Come back next week and I'll let you know my decision." Well I went back the next week and he turned down my request. I was so ticked off that I left camp mid-summer in protest! I called my mom to come pick me up and she did! Actually I can't believe to this day that I did that as a 13 year old! I still can't believe my mom allowed me to leave camp!!

To make a long story short, Brad made the right decision since placement at camp was based upon age and not your class in school. Secondly, if he had made an exception for me he would have had to do it for others . . . . in effect setting a precedent.

Although I missed half of the summer in '59, I did come back the following year as an Aide and continued thru '64 as a councilor. Brad exhibited a great deal of wisdom and I believe that we have all learned from him.

As an aside Brad put a lot of work into planning and executing the "winter" get togethers that I had attended a couple of times in NYC. He would plan a dinner at a NYC hotel in Feb or March for campers and parents. Once dinner was finished he would show film strips of the previous camping season. I believe that he conducted these "winter" get togethers in Boston and maybe Philly as well.
_________________
'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]

The great purge was in 1960. I was in S-8 with Garth and Rick Leavitt was our councilor. All those guys involved in the incident were otherwise rock-solid, just made a dumb decision one night. There was a lot of inter-camp politics and relations at stake so there was no choice but to make them go away.

Pat, I think, was one of those guys who was promoted instantly from JC to councilor, and there were some who went from JA to JC. In short, there was a lot of internal reorganizing (probably giving Bea Stone fits in the payroll department) to keep things running properly and, amazingly, seamlessly. At least for us kids. A very difficult situation was handled quickly and adroitly, and I've no doubt that the turbulence overnight that nignt was severe in the top executive levels. By morning, we kids just had new guys sleeping in the bunk up front.

We as campers were clueless until the rumors started a few days later. Even then, we never thought it was funny, and maybe it was a serious lesson to those of us who would go from camper to staff: This is not a place which looks kindly on irresponsibility or dumb decisions.
_________________
'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

[David Bentley]

I actually sent this to both David and Mike, personally, and Mike urged me to make it public. In a way, as I sit here on Father's Day, this is my present to my Dad, and my thanks to all of you (many of whom are Dads, too).



From: David Bentley
To: DavidAyars
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:25 pm
Subject: BMB as Boss
Well, David, you have certainly taken the wind out of my sails - I am humbled by your post. I have many emotions about BMB as the Boss, not to mention BMB as the Dad. Over the years I have thought about this relationship and it's influences on me, and how this all came about. It finally dawned on me one day that I actually saw my Dad being the Boss, as opposed to someone whose Dad was the Boss, but at a business located in an office building somewhere out there. I would venture a guess that most children don't get to see their Dad (or Mom) in action as a Boss because they (the parents) do their Boss thing out of the house. I got to see Dad in action during the Summer because being Boss of a summer camp is like theater in the round - you have no place to hide. During the off season he was just a man who worked at home, had a secretary come to the home office, and answered the phone and met with people - most of all took place while I was at local schools not getting home until 5-6 PM. Now, during the summer, the fruits of his being a Boss were playing out - staff hired during the off season had to perform. I must say, though, that even though he was THE BOSS during the summer, there were many staff who assisted in this activity. Over the years Wyanoke enjoyed a very loyal staff, and some campers actually went into education following college to allow them the opportunity to continue being a summer camp councilor. These men were the heart and soul of the staff - and the reason why other men grew in their jobs and joined the heart and soul ranks. I'm sure you can think of men who just seemed to be very steady in their performance, very trustworthy in their judgment. Returning staffers became mentors to new staff, and the process fed on itself and grew itself. Of course, as you mentioned, not everyone worked out, and then Dad had to be the Boss, and all by himself. It is relatively easy and pleasant to congratulate a staff member at the end of camp and thank them for their work during the summer, but it is an entirely different story to have to send someone home during the season, usually "on the spot". Even when a staff member was clearly outside the bounds of being a councilor and representative of Wyanoke, and sending him home was the only option, my Dad agonized with the decision. He wondered where he might have missed a clue, and where he hadn't been supportive enough of a man to head off a problem. But, the summer camp business is clearly dependent upon its reputation and an owner/Boss can not afford let something slide which would tarnish his reputation. This type of symbiotic relationship between a camp's success and it's reputation it a long time in the building, but could be damaged virtually instantaneously with long term effects.


An interesting by product of BMB as Boss was that I (David Bentley, personally) never received the full-measure of BMB's enthusiasm when and if I was successful in any athletic events, particularly the individual events. During my camper years I was moderately successful in several sports (swimming and track) and managed to win a number of blue ribbons, but, as a crawled out of the water after winning a swim race BMB the Boss congratulated me as David Bentley - camper - swim race winner, not as a Dad cheering for his son. He spent a lot of time explaining to me the subjective reasoning behind this, i.e., not showing, or appearing to show favoritism toward his son lest it be misconstrued. I will say, however, that later, say up around the Dining Hall, he would speak to me, personally, and congratulate me. He viewed camp as an egalitarian society (during the summer) so that no camper or staff member would feel uncomfortable, or start feeling a little too comfortable, within the "camp populi".

I think the essence of my father as Boss was that somehow he made you want to do well, want to be his friend and have him as a friend, and want to be like and with the other staff members who seemed to already be there. And, since the financial carrot was non-existent (some men went home with $0.00 balances), I just don't know how he did it, but he did. Hardly a day goes by that I don't have a Wyanoke/BMB flashback. Of course, living in Wolfeboro affords me many stimuli for these flashbacks.

Well, Dave, thanks for the listening time, and thanks for letting me ramble.
_________________
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

[Robert Vaughan]

There are so many times as a school administrator that I remember those opening staff meetings when BMB would talk about how each child was the "alpha and omega, the rising and the setting of the sun" to parents, grandparents, etc. While his meetings were the same year after year, the messages from Brass Tacks and the Council Book were and are very powerful.

Many of us went into education to keep our summers free for Wyanoke, and while we often felt that it wasn't critical that we get the same message again and again, good companies do this all the time.

I also use lines from the Camp Prayer many times at morning meetings at school to make important points. There are so many parts of Wyanoke that travel with me all the time and have made a big difference in my life.

Many thanks to Walter and Brad Bentley for the leadership they showed both to all of us who enjoyed the Wyanoke years as well as to the larger New England Camping scene.

[Steve Hood]

WOW !! I just read the posts about "BMB as Boss." Actually, in the thread following my post that "many of you heard me" (as bugler) I commented my my interactions with BMB after Pete Sawin and I played a jazzy version of reveille.

I think this is important, and want to extend the discussion. As I think I said earlier, David Bentley was one of my best and closest childhood friends. BMB was his dad, so my summer relationship as a camper/councilor was not the same as in the winter, when he was my friends dad.

OK-- so Pete Sawin and I screwed up. BMB had told us not to jazz up the reveille on the last day of camp and we disobeyed him. He was rightly upset, But more importantly, he was disappointed. We had let him down.

I always found BMB to be fair, impartial, and objective. More importantly, for now, is his sense of concern and compassion.

My first two years at camp were smooth as glass. No bumps in the road. My third year was different,. Our family has bought a puppy just before camp started and I was homesick. I had several lengthy and teary-eyed talks with BMB, and I remember a phone call from the camp office to my parents. Following that phone call, and my talks with BMB, I decided that I was not going to be a"quitter." It became important that I see things through to the end, and I did. That lesson in "stick-to-itive-ness" has remained with me over the past 66 years. I believe I am a better person because of it.

Another thing about BMB is that he had a special sense concerning when campers and staff needed a special hug and voice of reassurance. I do not mean his routine way of saying "good race, boys" -- I mean that extra show of special concern. Let me give you an example.

It was a wickedly hot and steamy night, and we were treated to an after dinner swim before bed time. David Bentley was in the tower on the junior dock, and I was standing below,looking out toward the raft. there were lots of boys swimming and splashing. Suddenly I heard David yell, "Hoodie -- look toward the raft. Someone need help." And yes, I could see a camper in trouble, I swam out and Chuck DeBurlo was floundering. I do not know the details, but I do remember that he had some kind of an allergy/throat/respiratory type of problem, and he had apparently taken in a large blast of water. He was having trouble breathing. Suddenly, I got scared because I knew I had to get him to the dock. I did, and we got him out of the water. Gradually, he returned to easier breathing, and all had a happy ending. But I was an emotional wreck. This was a close call. I was shaking like a leaf.

It was time for taps, and I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I don't remember who it was, but someone else offered to play taps that night, and I gratefully accepted.

Soon, I got word that Mr. Bentley wanted to meet with me on the porch of the guest house. He spent what seemed like hours, reassuring me, thanking me, and comforting me. I was still scared and shaking. Mr. Bentley was rock solid in handling my needs and fears. I'll never forget this.

I am a graduate of the Belmont Hill School. Chuck also graduated from Belmont Hill. I was especially saddened a while back upon reading that he is now deceased.

I am glad that Brad and Edna lived long enough for my wife to have met them. I wish that my children could have met them also.

So, let me close the way all "logs of the day" used to be ended:

Respectfully submitted ----
_________________
1951: C-9. F. Whitemore, P. Durkee.
1952-53: J-11. E. Wilkins.
1957: S-7 D. Irons, JA
1958: J-4 W.Dann JC
1959: J-1 G.Engstrom JC
1960-61-63: J-6. Councillor
1964: JA-2. Councillor