Mowglis Memories

Adrian West came to Mowglis in 1985 in Cubs and remained through the Den in 1980 and was staff one year in 1981. His grandfather Charles Bird had attended in the mid-1930s where he had been friends with Wah Pah Nah Yah - W Richard West Sr. His uncle Matt Bird was also a member of the Staff in that first year.

His fond memories of Mr. Bob Bengton and Rick Bengton as well as the Merrill brothers, Richard Morgan resound in his brain. He remembers being read to by another favorite, Pete St John - who read the Jungle Book and the Don Fendler adventure "Lost on a Mountain in Maine".  

Mowglis introduced him to rowing and he would go on to row at the Head of the Charles and Henley on the Trinity College Crew. In his first year at Trinity they won every race, just as he had done in his Mowglis crew days. The next year led him to Henley.

Andrew Berkey came to Mowglis in 2000 in Baloo and was in the Den of 2003. He rose to be Tripmaster at Mowglis and much of our discussion focuses on the challenges of running the trip department at Mowglis and the goals of the program that drive it. 

 EP 99 Jeff Shaw: The Quiet Power of Example & Competence

Listen here:

Watch on YouTube

Show Notes:  https://mowglismemories.blogspot.com/2023/08/ep-99-jeff-shaw-quiet-power-of-example.html

Jeff came in 1977 as Crew coach, recruited by Mr. William B Hart Sr with an interview conducted by Assistant Director Phil Hart at Jeff's residence. Jeff was rowing crew himself at Wesleyan University.

In 1978 Mr. Hart elevated Jeff to both Crew Coach and Watermaster. He served in this capacity for the next 4 years and may be the only Crew coach who presided over a win for both crews and a tie.

Jeff quickly established a reputation as a genuine Mowglis man; a fellow you could always count on and a counselor who would - as Dave Concannon would say, always push you to say "Yes" to a challenge.

Jeff welcomes email from old friends! See the show notes for details!

"I don't want to go . . ."

Those were the words of Greg Goss at his grandmother's home in Alexandria, NH only minutes before they would leave to drop him at Mowglis. The next day he rescued half his team from jail in capture the flag and became the hero and mascot to campers from Toomai to Den and he was forever changed.

Greg came to Mowglis in 1975 and graduated from the Den in 1979

Largely due to the influence of Mowglis and the love he developed for the mountains of New Hampshire he became a member of the 4000 Footer Club.

Please note, there were some sections where we had technical difficulties with the recording but they do not last long and it's well worth bearing with them.

Scot Gibbs came to Mowglis in 1965 for his Panther and Den years with a bit of a family edge.

His father, Carter Gibbs, had been a legendary Tripmaster at Mowglis and was even honored with a trail named for him in the Cardigan Range. He had gone on to a distinguished career in the leadership of the US Forest Service.

His Grandmother Irene Gibbs and her brother Myron Braley (Scot's uncle) and his grandfather George Gibbs were fixtures at Mowglis from the Elwell to the Hart years at Mowglis. Even his uncle Ivan Gibbs was famed for his Gun Shows at the Gibbs farm where he demonstrated many weapons and the power of an arrow in the hands of Jim West vs a bullet. . . the bullet lodged in a bucket of sand, Jim West's arrow's head went clear through both sides!

But enough of Scot's back story because he built his own reputation at Mowglis as "One of the best marksmen I ever saw." according to Phil Hart. "He could drop to a knee and shoot a target almost flawlessly." He was also a member of the Gopher Squad in Panther and Washington Squad in Den; and, according to him received the singular honor of being the Graduate chosen by the staff for a pre-reville trip, while still in his bed, to the waterfront for an inpromptu dip! According to Scot this was done to a denite of whom the staff were especially fond.

He was a member of the Den that had some very big Mowglis names: the Late Doug George, Worthy Johnson, Peter Punderson, Jeff Gilfoy, along with a "fellow of few words but a great sense of humor", Chris Howard. 

Bruce McKelvy came to Mowglis in 1956 and had the good fortune of experiencing Moglis under Colonel Elwell and Darwin P. Kingsley III as well as John Adams. He has been a loyal Mowglis for all the years since . He says he learned about his ultimate career as a civil engineer from his dam-making work on the Toomai dam. He is also probably the only Mowglis who followed up his crew experience rowing Yole deMer 4-man boats in Europe!

Frank Hubbard came to Mowglis as the result of a conversation between his father and Bill Hart Sr. He joined Mowglis as a member of the Cub staff but in the next year Bill Hart Sr sent him to Water Safety Instructor (WSI) training and promoted him to Watermaster.

Two Love Stories Merge

Adam came to Mowglis in 2002 as a member of Panther. A Florida boy thrown into the NH Wilds he jumped into the experience with both feet and has never looked back. What he didn't know as he went through his two years as a camper and then a number of years on the staff that his love for Mowglis was not the only love story that he would be able to tell of his Mowglis days - but you will have to listen to the podcast to learn more.

Today he lives in Saugerties NY 

John Harmon

Father of Former HEMF Board member Eve Bould

Grandfather of Thomas Bould Den 2020

John Harmon came to Mowglis in 1963 at the Urging of former Tripmaster Gaius Merwin Jr. 1963 was the very first year of Mowglis under the watchful gaze of the Holt-Elwell Memorial Foundation and Mowglis Director William B. Hart.

As a first-year counselor John quickly established himself as a talented and respected member of the staff. In fact, in 1964, Mr. Hart promoted him to Tripmaster. A position that he takes great pride in even to this day.

He was tripmaster on the Washington Squad trip in which David Rittenhouse was hurt when a refrigerator-sized boulder broke loose and trapped David's arm beneath it. His cool-headed handling of that emergency prompted Mowglis nurse Roberta King to tell him that he was meant to be a doctor, not a lawyer, and it was this life-changing event that would lead him to a distinguished career as a surgeon. 

Jim Westberg came to Mowglis in 1965 from East Longmeadow Massachusetts. His parents had been introduced to Mowglis by the Punderson family. At Mowglis Jim was soon known by the most unique nickname: "Iggy" a moniker by which he is still lovingly referenced. Listening to the podcast you will discover the source of the nickname. Jim went on from his camper experience to being on the staff and years later he would serve on the Holt-Elwell Memorial Foundation's Board of Directors.