Help Us Honor the Three Newest Inductees on the Camp Cachalot Wall of Fame
On Saturday, July 14th, 2012, beginning at noon, the Camp Cachalot Alumni Association will celebrate our newest Wall of Fame honorees at Camp Cachalot for our eighth annual Homecoming Day. As in years past, Homecoming promises to be a great day at camp with old friends, and we hope you’ll be able to come out and join us!
We’ll start off with a cookout in the pine grove across from Tom Cullen Field, with lunch consiting of burgers, hot dogs, and the customary side dishes, to give everyone a chance to catch up with the other alums in attendance. At 1:00pm we’ll have an informal update on what the Association has done in the last year and what we plan to do over the next year, followed at 1:30pm by the Wall of Fame Induction. After the induction ceremony concludes, you’ll have until 5:00pm to mingle with your fellow alumni, have a look around camp, or maybe even cast a fishing lure into Five Mile.
About the Wall of Fame
The Camp Cachalot Wall of Fame is modeled after other “Hall of Fame”-type institutions, and is intended to be a lasting memorial to the people and organizations that have been instrumental in the success of Cachalot and the experiences of those who have attended Cachalot over the years. Nominees must have had their first involvement with Cachalot at least 20 years prior to their nomination, and are subject to a strict vetting process that concludes with voting by the members of the Alumni Association. More complete information on the Wall of Fame, including the nomination process and our plans for a permanent memorial, can be found here. A roster of past inductees will always be available on this web site.
The 2012 Class of Inductees
Our third class of Wall of Fame honorees includes three individuals and organizations that easily match the high standard set by the inaugural group (the site for our Wall of Fame already carries the name of one of them!). Each and every one is deserving of our heartfelt thanks for their efforts over the years, and we give them our heartiest congratulations on their induction!
John "Jack" Byrne, a retired Boston firefighter, was known by all as the face of the Cub-o-Ree at Cachalot, and one of the strongest advocates for Cub Scouting and for getting Cubs to camp in the Moby Dick Council. Jack led the planning, promotion, and execution of the Cub-o-Ree for many years, and was a strong advisor to the Cub Day Camp leadership at Cachalot. He also worked more directly with youth in his role as Assistant Cubmaster and then Cubmaster of Pack 55 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, as well as serving on the Commissioner and Pow-wow staffs. Innumerable Cubs will remember Jack, either handing out blue ribbons to the winners of the days events or getting up at a campfire with a spirited presentation of “Herbert the Bear”. An avid amateur videographer, Jack recorded many events for the Council and for the Scouts it served, many of which provide valuable documentation to the Association's effort to record the history of the camp and Council.
Jack firmly believed that Cubs should spend time outdoors, at Cachalot, and his tireless efforts ensured that hundreds, if not thousands, of Cubs, did. He was also a frequent volunteer at camp, spending countless hours helping to maintain and repair the program materials and facilities for all of the Scouts who enjoyed the use of Cachalot.
Scouting was a family affair, and Jack’s son and grandsons were active in Scouting as well.
During his tenure, Jack was recognized with the Silver Beaver, the District Award of Merit, and the Vigil Honor of the Order of the Arrow. As a Boston firefighter, he was the recipient of an award for heroism.
For his many contributions to the Scouting program at Cachalot, and for his stellar example of enthusiastic service, Jack Byrne merits a spot on the Wall of Fame.
Roland Deneault started his service to the council in October 1945, in the role of Assistant Council Executive under Richard Molby, after leaving the service. In this capacity, he was heavily involved in the search committee that located and acquired the land that would become Camp Cachalot and open for its first season mere months later.
Mr. Deneault would go on to serve as Cachalot’s first–ever Camp Director, spending four years in that capacity. He and his staffs built the first summer camp programs at Cachalot, and he worked with many volunteers from multiple companies to build the facilities used by all those early campers. Almost as significantly, he left a brief history of his time in that role, as well as detailed camp reports, for future Scouts and Scouters to refer to for a record of those early years.
Mr. Deneault eventually left professional Scouting, returning to a career in military service. He currently resides in Falls Church, Virginia.
For his work in helping establish Camp Cachalot, and for his professional service as its first Camp Director, we honor Roland Deneault on our Wall of Fame.
Armand Guilmette received his 20 year service award at the Cachalot Council’s annual dinner on October 27th, 1967, at the age of sixty. While this made him a relative latecomer to Scouting, placing his first year in Scouting at the age of 40, those had been prolific years, and were just the lead-up for what was to come. In those first 20 years, Armand had been a Scoutmaster, had helped lead a crew of Scouts and Scouters to the National Jamboree at Valley Forge in 1950, to working with so many others on the restoration of Camp Cachalot after 1964’s devastating fire, and served on the Council’s executive committee.
Armand’s biggest mark on Cachalot began in 1969, when, soon after he and (previous Wall of Fame honoree) Fred Prefontaine completed the construction of the ranger’s residence, he became Cachalot’s first full-time, resident Camp Ranger. He was responsible for prodigious and varied work at camp during his tenure, ranging from building renovations to conservation projects. Armand retired as Ranger in 1975, but that wasn’t the end of his Scouting career. He travelled cross-country for a number of years, volunteering at other Scout camps as he went.
The ranger’s residence at Cachalot was dedicated to his memory in 2007.
For all Armand's service, both volunteer and professional, to Camp Cachalot and its Scouts, we again honor Armand Guilmette.
Homecoming Info
Homecoming 2012 is a free event for members and non-members alike. Lunch is optional, with a suggested donation of $5 to help us defray the cost.
The Wall of Fame dedication and induction ceremony will begin at 1:30pm, in the Bill Joyce Memorial Flag Field. While we'll have some seating set aside for our honorees, if you'd like to be able to sit down during the ceremony we strongly suggest bringing along a camp chair for yourself. We expect the ceremony to take about an hour. Camp will remain open after the induction ceremony until 5:00pm. If you'd like to have a look around but don't quite remember the way, members of the Alumni Association will be on-hand to help you find your old haunts.
As always, our History Committee will be on-hand to scan your photos and slides or photograph any memorabilia that you'd like to show off. Bring along your items to be scanned, or bring your digital pictures in almost any format. Contact curator@cachalotalumni.org if you have questions about this. If you have a large number of photos or slides, we may not be able to handle them at the event but would still like to make arrangements to capture them, so please contact us at that email in that case.
Registration Details
Even though this is a free event, we'd still appreciate it if you'd let us know you're coming, especially if you plan on joining us for lunch. If you're a Facebook® user, and would like the event to show up in your events list there, you can RSVP via the event’s page on Facebook®, otherwise you can:
Click here to register online right now!
There's no need to register via both methods. If you do register on Facebook, please be sure to let us know if you'll be dining with us (a comment on the Event's wall is fine.)Additional Information
If you have questions that aren't answered here, please drop us an email message at homecoming2012@cachalotalumni.org. The Narragansett Council office may also be able to answer some questions via telephone at (401) 351-8700.
We hope you’ll be able to join us and help us recognize this years Wall of Fame honorees and their efforts to make “the place we know so well” what it is today!
See you in July!
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