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.

Dave came to Mowglis in 1967. He moved up to Toomai a year, probably because he had been in Cubs for two years and Mr Hart didn't want him to be bored with the routine of the youngest boys. He stayed in Toomai a second year to allow his pals from Cubs to catch up with him. He was in the Den of 1974

He was on the staff as well but spent July during the summer of 1978 hiking in the West - the Tetons and Yellowstone - with Rob Werner and Steve Turnbull, two fellow graduates with whom he has been lifelong friends.

He remembers a lot of the trips from his years as a camper and of course squads but he has particularly fond memories of a trip he took with the Jr. Staff - a real opportunity to feel like they had a new sense of control of their destiny.

A tennis champ in Akela and Den - Scott Frantz was his nemesis on the court - and Scott prevailed in Pather.

Sergio Covarrubias - Mexico's Gift to Mowglis

Sergio came to Mowglis from Mexico (City) in 1980 and immediately captured the hearts of both boys and staff.

Akela 1980, Den 1982

It appears that he was the first Mowglis boy to come all the way from Mexico but many more would follow, a lot of them from his extensive group of family and friends. He came with little English but picked up the language quickly, and the traditions - The Mowglis Way - as we say, that he came quickly to love. He had never hiked before and his flat feet made it a bit of a challenge but soon came to love hiking and camping as well. In recent years he's come to be a bi-national presence in the business community and with Mowglis. 

Henry Coons is nothing if not consistent. Mowglis, Mullenberg College and the Avon Old Farm School where he built a legendary career at first as a coach and teacher and then as the Alumni Director. Henry came to Mowglis in 1965 in Akela and he was in the Den of 1967. His brother Tim came the same year. Barry Beal was his nemesis on the Tennis court but off the court they were great friends, they even dressed as husband and wife for the old Fancy Dress Ball. Jim Hart, Jim Van Schaick, Peter Berking, Steve Punderson were among his friends. Henry says they were the best when they were good and the worst when they weren't! He thinks a comedy movie might be in order about the group, and I agree. 

Den 1982

Part entrepreneur, part philosopher Bruce Ferguson is living his best life in his hometown of Darien, CT where he grew up. Bruce recently joined a group of his fellow Dennites for a zoom reunion in addition to his reunion this past summer on the shores of Newfound Lake.

At Mowglis Bruce was a fellow of accomplishment - including his very sophisticated contraband stashing strategies. He jokes that it was a summer-long game of cat and mouse with the counselors, who had just as much fun at the game as the boys!