The Council Room

[Jim Culleton]

Wyanoke offered each of us so many opportunities to learn new skills and experience activities not experienced before. I'll name a couple that were a surprise to me and I'm sure that all of you will have a few of your own. I think Dana mentioned that swimming was foreign to him before entering Wyanoke but then excelled in it.

My four are:

1. Running the 100 Yard Dash in '61 and winning! I wasn't even entered into the Meet that year except for the pushing and shoving of my tent mates to enter the meet to start with. Don Badger was quite a role model as he had been the fastest "camper" up to that point. I believe that we were both JA's that year.

2. Routinely swimming naked at the Jr/Sr wharf during the late 50's during morning and afternoon swim. No swim trunks allowed and all those naked kids, including myself, running up and down the HILL to and from the wharf! Man, we could just sail through that water without trunks on.

I'm not sure when the rule changed for mandatory swim trunks . . . . . . . maybe in '60 or '61? . . . . when the boats became too close to the wharf and with the advent of binoculars . Mike and Dave would know. We did wear trunks during swim meets and water skiing lessons.

3. The Farewell Banquets! . . . . . . . always a classy affair filled with mixed emotions as we remembered summer memories balanced with our transition to going home. Hoping that we all would make "Honor Camper" for that season.

And last, but not least, the honor of having been a camper, Aide, JA, JC and councilor at one of the best Camps ever.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jim
_________________
'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]

As I remember it, the "clothing optional" policy was in place right up til the arrival of the girls in '74, but only at the Jr/Sr wharf. The Midget Beach always required trunks because Mrs. Bentley (BMB's mother) lived at Pinecone. Of course it was suspended during visiting days.

The innocence of the 50s and 60s is gone now. People want to find demons everywhere they look, so skinny dipping is probably a thing of the past just about everywhere. They don't even have showers in schools any more.

My favorite memories are from Sunday mornings at Wyanoke. The late reveille, slow, languid pace of inspection and the chapel service, then the spectacular dinner of turkey and real mashed potatoes. The only thing I didn't like about that meal was the canned peas. I dont know what they were, but they sure as hell weren't peas.

As a Midget, I loved the time just before Taps when the light was going twilight and we brushed our teeth and hit the pines for the last time before the Navy floated (I was in the Navy). The myriad smells of the Cabintown Chapel -- wood smoke, moss, urinal cakes, 4-legged ambience pee, old mattresses, Pepsodent and generic floating soap still come back to me, though I don't think I'll ever experience them all at the same time again.

As an older camper, I would take a canoe out solo and paddle quietly along the shore, about 4 or 5 feet from land, just watching the microcosm of tiny beaches, 2-leafed saplings and wintergreen plants and the occasional crayfish. It's still one of my favorite things to do.

And the thing Wyanoke provided which really changed my life: The White Mountains. The smell of balsam pines and forest floor and wet rocks above timber line added to the thrill of a cloudy day above timber line. Those experiences are what led me into Geology as a profession.

As you can see, it was the quieter times which left me with the happiest memories, and I thank Wyanoke for recognizing that I needed and thrived on them.
_________________
'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

[Dana Russian]

One of my fondest memories of Wyanoke was learning how to play and compete in tennis on those junior courts. During the tournament finals there would be a referee sitting on the courtside "high chair" just like a "big time" event, and he would call out the score using "Mr. So and So" instead of the camper's first name. It was so gentlemanly!

When I was twelve, Steve Allen was my doubles partner in the tournament, and he carried me all the way to the finals, where we met Tommy Mott. Tommy's partner was sick or injured, so it was ruled that he had to play us alone and play the doubles alleys by himself! He still totally kicked our butt, as he was so much much better than either of us! How humbling! I continued playing in high school, and still play for fun now. Wyanoke definitely got me hooked on tennis.

[DavidAyars]

[David Bentley]

There is no question about the fact that Tommy Mott was a great tennis player; but, let us not forget that R K Irons was able to bring to Camp some of the notables of the 40's and 50' to put on demonstrations and clinics.

Also, in an unparalleled demonstration of determination, during the Senior Singles finals in the mid-fifties, Jimmy Moulton fell during a point and broke his playing arm. The match was suspended, Jimmy was taken to Huggins Hospital, his arm was set and casted, and he returned that afternoon to win the match and title using his other arm.
_________________
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

[Bob Kennington]

[David Bentley]

The discussion of swimming without suits always reminds me of two points. In August, sometimes the weather could be cooler, and the wind a little stronger, combining to make the Lake look colder than it really was; however, when a camper was procrastinating and rebelling about getting into the water during required swim time, it was amazing how quickly said camper would enter the water at the sound of BOAT.

Secondly, some of the less-strong swimmers, those who enjoyed being near the docks in not so deep water, all of a sudden became nearly Olympic class swimmers when they felt it necessary to swim to the raft, hold on to the edge, and 'hide' from the occupants of said bOAT.

I will not mention Barr Kayser by name, but his grandfather used arrive by boat to pick him up on a visiting Sunday, and sometimes there were ladies in the boat, and this caused quite a commotion on the docks!!

Speaking of commotion on the docks, and not related to the above at all, this weekend (September 18 & 19) is the biennial classic boat regatta in Wolfeboro. Quite a large number of classic (old) boats will gather at the Town docks and put on demonstrations on Wolfeboro Bay. These boats range from triple cockpit speedboats to 12' hydroplanes with huge engines capable of 125+ mph speeds. The boats follow a triangular course in Wolfeboro Bay, well defined, and heavily patrolled by NH Marine Patrol and volunteers. The boats use the docks are pits, and the entire parking lot is devoted to pit areas as well. As the two days go on, some of the 'demonstrations' become a little more 'competitive', and, even though it is NOT billed as a race situation, the difference between what they are doing and an actual race is indistinguishable.

Quite a few of these boats are only in the water while moving, and they are launched using a large crane, and immediately taken out when finished, otherwise they would sink.

The owners are more than happy to talk with spectators and explain all about their boats.

So. those who remember participating in Sunday morning war canoe races just let you imagination go wild and picture a war canoe with 1100 hp, 16 cylinders burning hyper-hyper petrol, and Tom Falcon urging his team on. It is a great event in Wolfeboro.
_________________
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

[Mike Freeland]

What a great resurrection of a now 7-year-old thread, Dave!

The nude swimming at Wyanoke was so routine and second-nature that it taught me that being naked was just fine, no shame in it at all. I still feel that way, but the rest of the US seems to think differently.

Some years ago, Garth and I were on the Agawam property in the Fall, and he was showing me the remodeling efforts on some of the "Pines" there. The new showers were all well-fortified - walls all around them, with doors and little slide bolts for extra security. Toilet stalls were similarly modest.

Contrast that with the Senior Pines (under the chapel mind you), and the truncated stalls in The Row. I'm sure that situation was uncomfortable with some men and boys then, but after New England Boiled Dinner, there was no time to worry about modesty or propriety. If only Sloc would get off the far-end pot and let someone get in there...

Anyway, back to nudidity on the waterfront. Here's an anecdote I've never committed to text before:

Before I was allowed dispensation to avoid the wharf, I was on the raft between the Jr-Sr docks on guard duty, bamboo pole in hand in case of an emergency, and as naked as the kids. Junior swim. A horse fly, about the size of its namesake started to buzz the kids, which of course, made them screech and head straight for the water. This thing was literally about an inch from front to back, and getting bitten by it would have made the Infirmary's supply of Witch Hazel dry up in a matter of minutes.

"Whoa," sez I, "Just watch it, and when it lands on someone, just take this flipper and whack it!" That was the plan, and the kids were all game. So, we watched it circle and dive and circle some more, and it finally landed. Guess where.

I have never jumped in the water so fast in my life, before or since.
_________________
'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]

Has it been 7 years since I originated this post? Wow, how time flies!

Mike, you are so right about the demeanor in the Senior Pines. I don't think any of us gave a second thought about sitting in a stall sans door. I'm trying to recall that it was also a similar situation in the Midget Pines . . . . . . . . no stall doors! We all survived didn't we with no ill effects. Frankly we are probably better off and stronger for having experienced life in our "birthday suits" during those summers where swim trunks were forbidden at the Jr/Sr Wharf. Sunday swims may have been the exception and perhaps Parents' Weekend.

Anyway, did Sloc actually have that 1st stall reserved . . . . . . . . . the 1st one as one entered the Pines? I never saw a name plaque pasted on the wall proclaiming such. Perhaps it was because it appeared that he was always there!


_________________
'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

[Pat Donovan]

Coupla thoughts: On the subject of nudity/no shame, I remember Mr. Berard in the Midget Camp trying to get all of us in and out of the showers (and just how few stalls were there, anyway, 3 maybe?) as quickly as possible: "Come on, now, hustle up, 2 to a stall..." I don't think that would fly these days. Also, I'm still astounded that I actually met Don Budge at Wyanoke. I didn't realize then what a giant he was in the world of tennis, just knew he was someone really, really good.
_________________
1953-1960
4-year Midget (Dick O'Hara, where are you?)
Gold Honor Camper

[Mike Freeland]

Jim, Sloc's own stall was at the far end, the first stall next to the urinals. There was a little drain hole in the concrete maybe 5 feet in front of the commode that he used to sit and flice cigarette butts at. More often than not, he was perched there with his legs crossed and pants on.

I don't know if I remember a time when bathing trunks were forbidden, but I certainly remember that they were optional except, as you say, for visiting day and, I think, most Sundays.

I have to admit that I'm a little more shy than I used to be - after all, we knew everybody in the pines. It always startled me if I were parked there with a magazine and some non-camp person traipsed in - visiting Chapel speaker, parent or someone like that.

This discussion reminds me of the shower room too, especially of the fact that soap was so rare that even the smallest fragment found on the floor or window sill was considered pure gold. If you left your soap box down there for even a moment, it was gone forever. And that there was never enough hot water before a dance (but there was plenty of Old Spice, Canoe, Brut, Noxema and Burma Shave Cream, Pepsodent and Vitalis to cover for even the returning Presidential crew who didn't get a chance for a hot shower.)
_________________
'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

[Bob Kennington]

May 07, 2016. Views 3712

[Jim Culleton]

This is a total guess with little data to substantiate my guess . . . . . Gordy Peil 1957?
_________________
'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

[Bob Kennington]

Obliterating the photo's "watermark" in the process, and as good as I could make them, the fake black swim trunks seemed too "stark". So I cut little pieces of Lake Winnipesaukee's wavelets and pasted them Photoshop-style onto where they seemed needed.

(Except for Jim Culleton)!

Jim, your guess of 1957 is too "recent". (And Gordy Peil doesn't ring a bell).

I don't remember the details in the picture's URL—just the year, the watermarked copyright (?) "Getty Images", the watermarked photographer (?) "Leonard McCombe"—and that Camp Wyanoke was not mentioned. The tree line is very close to one I see every day up here, but I had to compare the wood construction leading to the upper level—with a known photo of Wyanoke docks—to be certain.

[David Bentley]

I don't remember when the wooden Town Class Windabouts were replaced by the fiberglass and plastic Sprites, so dating using that part of the picture won't help. Also, early on in the sailing program there was no 'sailing raft', but, again, I can't remember when that happened, either, even though I do not see a raft in this picture. It seems to me that there was a raft in the mid-fifties because I can remember having class on it with Richard Rothmund.

As an aside, some of you may remember that the Windabouts used to land bow into the wind against the inside of the Senior Wharf. This was done be sailing across the wind from outside the swimming area, aiming at the large rock part-way between the Jr and Sr wharfs, then making a huge into the wind turn and lowering the mainsail at the same time, effectively stalling the forward motion of the boat, and, hopefully, not crashing too aggressively in the Sr wharf.

That being the case, this picture pre-dates mid-fifties. There is absolutely no doubt about this being Wyanoke, whether mentioned in the article of not. No one, absolutely no one, had a tower like this one - no plans, no square cuts, uneven boards size-wise - all the essential elements of 'home-made camp carpentry'.

So many times I have wished that the camp pictures were taken with a camera that had a date/time stamp feature (wishful thinking).
_________________
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