Mowglis Memories

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!

John Moukad came to Mowglis in 1969 and he was in the iconic Den of 1973 with the Goehring brothers, Charlie Feuer, John Fay, Bruce MacDonald, Gordon Marr, Jim Lynch. From Manhattan to Mowglis must have been quite a culture shock but he adapted quickly. John shared memories about Greg Coplans, a member of the staff who was especially inspiring to him and other memorable staff members. Like so many others whom I have interviewed, he feels that his days as a member of the staff were just as memorable and nurturing as his days as a camper.

"You're not at the top until there's nothing above you." That's what his mother told Jud when she took him to hike Prospect Mountain in Lancaster NH as a 3 year-old. He's loved hiking his whole life, so becoming a Mowglis man was just par for the course for him. 

Jud first came to Mowglis because his uncle - after whom he was named - had been a Mowglis man in the late 1930s, though Jud never knew him. His uncle Judson Bemis Conant was killed in action only months before the end of WWII. 

Jud would be followed by his brother Harry. Both of them learned archery from ionic Cheyenne brother and teacher Jim West, though Jud makes sure to note that Harry was the rock star when it came to the bow and arrow.

2 years as cox of the winning red racing crew, Mout Washington Squad, Inner Circle and Wolf's Paw Award were among Jud's achievements, not bad for a fellow who was only two years as a camper!

Many a boy from the ensuing years remembers Jud Kendall as a staff member that they admired deeply.

Here's my conversation with Jud Kendall - if you have never heard the full story of "The Full Walbridge" you have to listen to this podcast, Jud Tells ALL!

Perpetual youth notwithstanding, Clarke Wallace - Clarkie as his fellow Mowglis called him - still fits his nickname. He came to Mowglis in 1979 and graduated with the Den of 1982. His family roots, however, go back to his uncle Byrd Davenport, the impetus for coming to Mowglis back in the 70s. Clarke says that he wasn't sure whether he had ever been out of Virginia even when he ventured off to Mowglis but his summer ended with Clarke saying he did not want to leave!

Emblazoned into the memory of every Mowglis, who were contemporaries, are a few images: Jeff O'Rourke or Eric Love as Bubbles, wife of Zep the lead Zamboni Brother and Gaius Merwin as Little Buttercup in a Jerry Hakes production! The mystery of Little Buttercup is finally solved as Gaius Merwin comes clean about just how he was talked into dressing in a beautiful yellow dress and singing "I'm a little buttercup" before a packed Grey Brothers hall on a Saturday night.

Gaius forms one part of the third Generation of Merwins - in addition to cousins Russ and Mike - to play his part in the Mowglis pageant. Younger Mowglis of course will know his son Jason, who we'll soon be interviewing for the Mowglis Memories Podcast. Gaius was Tripmaster in 1969 for an iconic Mount Washington Squad that included Charlie Walbridge as his fellow staff member and Bob Bengtson, Stu Carothers, Ed Mitchell, Dave Scott, John Woods, John Chisholm, Jim "Iggy" Westberg and Wayne King.

Peter Stant Joined the Mowglis Family in 1978, graduating from the Den in 1982. He came because his elementary school friend Bruce Fergusen suggested that he consider joining Bruce. Peter would go on to join the inner circle and stroke the winning Blue Racing Crew. Peter is a fellow who developed a reputation as an empathetic friend, always eager to reach out to his fellow campers, especially those who were struggling.

Jonathan Feuer came to Mowglis in 1958 - the result of a bit of serendipity when his mother learned about Mowglis from her perch on a dentist's chair. Pregnant at the time with another Mowglis icon brother Charles, Jonathan's mom decided that it might be the right time for Jonathan and his brother Robert to spend part of their summer at camp. He graduated from Den in 1966.

As a young camper, Jonathan experienced the transition from Mowglis under the private ownership of John Adams to the inspired leadership of William B. Hart Sr. and the Holt Elwell Memorial Foundation, a foundation that he himself would one day come to lead. . . though he affectionately blames Bill Hart Jr. for roping him into the job.

Jonathan digs deep in his memory bank in this conversation; reflecting on the profound impact that a young Charlie Walbridge had on his life, likewise the impact of crew coach and future HEMF President Bill Hart Jr. He speaks of his admiration for Wes Pullen, Steve Underwood, Stuart Klein just to name a few and laughs at Bill Hart's challenge to balance the crewboat - both in terms of weight and power - with a young and huge and powerful Gaius Merwin.

He speaks humorously and gratefully of his moment - in the doghouse - on "Mr. Hart's porch" and the lifelong impact it had on him.

With three racing crew stripes on his Mowglis hat, Jon is among a very elite group of Mowglis campers. He is pictured above with his Mowglis hat, its ribbons and stripes sewn lovingly by Irene Gibbs during quiet moments in the Jungle House.

There are few Mowglis to whom we all owe such a debt of gratitude but, of course, Jonathan is quick to say that - on balance - the debt he owes to Mowglis could never be fully repaid.