Small World

I work in the construction business, and I meet lots of people. My Outlook contact list has more than 1200 entries. On one project I was calling for bids for structural steel, and a man came in to look at the drawings.

He worked for a while, and then gave me his business card. I noticed his last name was Hornback. I remembered a Fred Hornback from my early staff member days at camp, maybe first year councilor and CIT. Fred had introduced me to British rock and roll, and loved the band called the Kinks.

We were good friends. He even drove a couple of times when we went to movies, or double dates. He had a red (I think) Volkswagen Bug. That was a fun car to go running around in.

So I asked Mr. Hornback if he was related to Fred.

Mr. Hornback got the funniest look on his face, and asked how I knew Fred. I told him about Fort Scott and the Bug, and how we had been friends.

Mr. Hornback listened quietly and then told me that Fred had been killed in a car accident some years ago.

He has never come back to quote any other work for us.

My world got a little grayer that day.

Bob

Letter to Beth- Sept. 18,

Dear Beth,
I have purposely stayed away from the "whys" regarding why Camp really was closed. I don't think we will ever know for sure, but I will go to my grave believing the following:

1. The air, soil, and water at Fort Scott Camp were clean
2. The insurance company "requirement" of a disclaimer in our brochure was suggested, not mandatory.
3. The low pre-registration numbers that were blamed for Fort Scott's closing were either deliberately mis-stated, or else could have been corrected with a minimal PR effort.
4. Fort Scott was an asset to be sold in exchange for cash to pay for settlements to children abused by priests.

As I have grown older, I have become deeply distrustful of lawyers, insurance agents, and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. In my heart I believe that this all was carefully orchestrated among the three parties in order to deal with the scandal that they knew was coming.

I also find it revolting that someone would use names of Fort Scott icons to try and sell houses built on desecrated ground, and I intend to write to them and tell them so.

Bob

A letter from Beth- Sept 18, 2007

Hi Bob...

I saw it.
I didn’t want to see it.
I didn’t know I was going to see it when my husband told me he was taking me and the kids over to an “Open House,” where some of his builders would be – they would have hot air balloon rides, face painting, burgers and hot dogs, ice cream...fun for all. (my husband’s company does theatre rooms and security systems, and he wanted me to meet some of the folks about whom he speaks.)
I couldn’t believe it when we pulled in.
I know my husband didn’t give it a second thought – he knows my past from FSC, and said afterwards he didn’t realize how profoundly I would be affected by being there.
I stood outside the beautiful model homes, walked by myself past the Ben & Jerry’s cart, and took myself to the top of the dirt mound. I figured out exactly where I was by the sun in the 3:00 sky...and as I revolved, I saw the old rickety barn with “Fort Scott” still painted on its side. And then, exactly what I feared would happen, happened. I bust into absolutely uncontrollable tears... and could NOT stop (in fact, I was still crying on the drive home...)
Even the names of some of the streets – Bugle Way – made me weep. Most of the area is unrecognizable...although I did stand on what I’m sure was the “Girls Lodge” hill.
I will not go on and on about it. It is what it is. What angers me is that, like most things, it all comes down to the “almighty” dollar.

But *no one* can take away our memories...

This hurts me at least as much as it hurts you

My friend Bruce sent me these pictures in response to my post from last weekend.

I never thought I'd be able to buy a house and live next to the 8 1/2, the tennis courts, the Senior Cabin, or the Play House. But it's open house this weekend at Fort Scott.

Thumbnails below were from Fort Scott construction site on 1 July 2006. I have a full set of about 160 full size hi-res pictures I can send on CD if anyone wants them.
That's the Boys Flag on the first row left. They left it up during construction, maybe to have a known marker for laser surveying reasons while doing the grading and sewer pipe installation.

Bob

A Walk in the Woods

I was a camper and a staff member at Fort Scott for 12 years. In all those years, I only was on the property one time out of season. Once was during a preview session when I was first wanting to be a camper, and the other was during a High School retreat. Oh, and I seem to remember a Christmas party at Wagner.

But as the weather cools, and the leaves start turning, I really wish that I had walked the woods in the Fall and Winter. I can imagine what the trail leading away from the Indian Village would have looked like with a brilliant canopy of maple and oak leaves overhead. A soft breeze blowing through the trees would make the leaves rustle, and perhaps at the far end of the trail a buck would stand there looking at me.

And I would laugh at the irony of it. The woods that had only a month before that had been ringing with shouts from campers having the adventure of their young lives, or been filled with the sights and sounds of horses, and the pungent aroma of last nights campfire, had now become a wildlife preserve and sanctuary. As busy as we always were, it was easy to overlook some of the wildlife unless it ran over your foot.

My goodness, what have we lost?

Bob

Sell out

I didn't feel much like posting this weekend.

Every radio station I turned on was playing the same advertising....

"Come walk through our model homes. Bring the kids. A great time for the whole family. Take a balloon ride to get a real perspective of your new neighborhood. Close to the interstate, and local mall. South Western school district. Homes starting at $295,000.00"

I would post a link to the adds, but I am not gonna help them.

Holy ground sold to the highest bidder.....sigh


Bob

They were called Feather Dancers or Fancy Dancers

Every so often, FSC would bring in guests to put on presentations for the campers and staff. These guys really blew me away. The amount of work that had to go into costumes like these just boggles my mind.

Bob