On September 15, 2001 we lost the physical presence of
our
friend Arthur Boland at the age of 87. However, "The Squire" will
always be with us in Spirit and memory. The Fates had somehow moved Art from his
youth in Brooklyn through WWII to the Adirondack Mountains just in time to have
him become the first
Camp Ranger for what was then Camp Curtis S, Read. Where he and his wife Shirley
served at his side for 18 years. No better choice
could have been made to begin to build the physical plant and the Heart and Soul
of what has become the Read Scout Reservation.
One of Art's favorite pieces of Wisdom was that
"Everything Was Program" that included fixing water pipes, stuffing
straw mattresses, moving latrines or just walking down the road with a camper at
your side. An as many of us who know Art he WAS PROGRAM himself! He was the
inspiration for numerous campfire skits, songs, gags as well as being the
"Great and Exalted Pobah" for the fourth period Shrunken Heads game as
well as well as many others. The fourth period games were a plan to increase the
number of camper during the last period as well as having more boys exposed to
the positive influences of the Camp and its staff that Art had inspired to give
their best to see that each camper had a positive and FUN experience while at
camp.
Many of us have shared personal experiences with Art
that have molded our lives and as a result like ripples on a pond influenced the
lives that we ourselves have touch. Hopefully, some of you reading this will
take the opportunity to share those memories with
us on this web page so that those who didn't know Art as well as we did can
share and smile or be inspired as we all were.
Let me share one situation that may summarize Art's feel
of what Program should be. One summer, I don't remember which one, we had a Camp
Direct who throughout the Staff Training keep pushing the point of how important
Merit Badge Classes and Advancement Classes were. Art felt that we didn't need
"Classes". What we needed was a Staffman and a boy working together
one on one and sharing and learning form each other. So as a result with the
usual tongue in cheek we began to refer to everything in academic terms and we
established our own Institute of Higher Learning. And is often the case it
became Program. At the Fun Fire the first period the staff arrived in caps and
gowns. Arthur appeared in High Academic garb sashes and all. As the DEAN of the
Institution he awarded Doctorate Degrees on the staff. The Handicraft Director
became Doctor of Manual Arts, Maintenance became Doctor of Garbology and Dan
Rile became Doctor of Y&.ology and from
that point on to be known as "Doc Rile".
Many of the things and ways of Art can still be seen and
felt
in what is now the Read Scout Reservation. More important many of the influences
that Art provided have become and continue to influence those who knew and
worked with and love him and to be part of the lives that we now share with
those we know and love.
For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to know
and meet Art let me suggest that you get a hold of a copy of Art's book
"From Early In The Morning". I believe that there are some copies
available at the Council office or you can write to:
The
Red Fin Press
P.O.
box 6
Adirondack,
NY 12808
And in the meantime Until Late At Night we will think of
Art and Shirley Boland and smile and say Thanks friend.
Jim Smith