CAMP LEWIS

A Bayonne camper goes back in time

Stories and photos Pat Bonner

Camp Lewis recently celebrated its 75th birthday. For years, it was a big part of the civic life of Bayonne and also of the lives of the thousands of Bayonne boys, like me, who camped there. How has it weathered? Are the Boy Scouts still relevant and worthwhile? How does the actual camp compare with my memories of it? I went up there on an overcast day, 58 years after I fi rst camped there, to look for answers to these and other questions.

On December 30, 1943, the Bayonne Boy Scouts purchased a 189-acre tract from the Union Council of Boy Scouts for $1. Ida and William Rosenthal, founders of Maidenform, the famous bra company, donated funds to set up a Boy Scout camp on the site. The camp, which opened in 1944, is named for their son Lewis, a Columbia University student who died at age 23 from pneumonia and meningitis. A plaque with a likeness of Lewis is on the parade grounds. The Rosenthal Family as well as other Bayonne businesses have been strong supporters of the camp.

Scouts Honor As I turned into the camp from Upper Hibernia Road in Rockaway, New Jersey, I began to see signs in the woods with the words trustworthy, loyal, helpful, and friendly. I remembered the 12 points of the Scout Law. It began to come back, the quiet forest, so different from the streets of Bayonne, the fun things we did here, a sense of freedom, nothing but good memories. I realized that it would take a lot to make me dislike this place.

Today the camp is owned and operated by the North Jersey Council of Scouting. The Boy Scouts now are called just

Scouts of America, and the troops are open to girls. Camp Lewis is used primarily by Cub Scouts in the summer. Older scouts use the camp on weekends during the rest of the year. Last summer, 490 Cub Scouts of both genders and parents camped during the three-week summer session. It’s no longer limited to Bayonne kids, but 13 Bayonne Cubs camped this summer.

On the Waterfront The centerpiece of the camp is still Lake Good Turn, named for the Scout slogan: Do a good turn daily. It is much smaller than I remembered but just as picturesque. There was no lake on the site when the camp opened. At that time, Bayonne businesses pitched in to make improvements at the Camp. Exxon and its union laborers constructed the lake and

pumped water into it for that fi rst season. It has fi lled naturally since then. The fl oats were pulled out of the water when I was there this summer, and there is a new swimming pool. Scouts are still taught to swim there, as I was in 1961. Fishing, boating, and canoeing are also offered. Food Stuffs The dining hall also looked smaller, but it’s the same fi eldstone building, opened in 1948, a gift of the Rosenthal family. Scouts still sing at most meals, and the Three Jolly Fishermen live on to entertain another generation of children. The food selection is much more varied than the hot dogs and burgers we lived on, and there are options for most diets.

Traces of Bayonne throughout the camp include plaques in the dining hall commending the Bayonne Order of the Arrow; my pack, Pack 25; and the

UNICO plaque on the wall of the shower structure it donated. Exxon put a tiger in the camp’s tank by donating the Tiger Villa as well as two campsites, Tiger Heights and Upper Heights.

The names of the campsites were familiar—Frontier, Pioneer, Wilderness— but the distances between them seemed much shorter. The campsites have not changed much with two-person platform tents, a campfi re pit in the center, and scary noises in the night.

The More Things Change … It was refreshing to see no cable wires around the campsites. Nature walks remain popular, but there is more emphasis on STEM than on crafts. While I was proud of a plastic basket I’d weaved, the STEM sessions this year focused on how a pulley works, using a microscope to look at critters, and the engineering process, subjects more relevant to the modern day. The camp is in the middle of the woods, and there is exposure to various creatures, such as turtles, snakes, raccoons, and possums, which you don’t often encounter in Bayonne. Scouts also learn about plants and bugs, how to use a compass, read a map, build a fi re, and other outdoor skills. For most of us, Camp Lewis was our fi rst time away from our families. Naturally there was some homesickness. Today, the Cubs can camp with a parent. This is good on many levels, especially considering the longer working hours of many parents today. This gives the parent the chance to get away and spend time with the child.

Target Practice The first and last time I shot a BB gun or used a bow and arrow was at Camp Lewis. These facilities have been upgraded, and the equipment is new. These activities are done under adult supervision, and strict safety rules are followed. There is an athletic field with a backstop and a basketball court, but I wondered who would play baseball or basketball when there was so much more to do.

As I left, I was in an upbeat mood. Camp Lewis had weathered well. I know my grandchildren would enjoy it just as much as I did when they get older. I think the Scouts are still worthwhile and relevant. A few of the counselors had mentioned that two of the most popular activities for the Scouts were fishing and frogging. I can’t think of a better place than Camp Lewis to look for frogs.—BLP

Madeline Fiadini LoRe

MADELINE FIADINI LORE FOUNDATION FOR CANCER PREVENTION.

In 2008, Madeline founded and became the Chairperson of the Madeline Fiadini LoRe Foundation for Cancer Prevention. A three-time cancer survivor, Madeline is passionate about preventing cancer. The foundation provides free cancer screenings to those individuals who “fall between the cracks” and are not covered by insurance.

Madeline’s career of volunteerism began as a board member of Women Rising in Jersey City. This was followed by being a trustee of the Bayonne Medical Center Foundation for 16 years and a founding member of The Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic. As a result of her volunteer efforts, two major centers were opened at Bayonne Medical Center: The John C. Fiadini Outpatient Oncology Center, and the Madeline Fiadini LoRe Women’s Center.

Madeline has been recognized for her community commitment countless times. Among her honors are Concerned Citizens Civic Achievement Award, The Girl Scouts of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties Woman of Distinction Award, the American Cancer Society’s Crimson Ball Honoree, Women Rising Award, All Saints Catholic Academy Community Leadership Honoree, Historical Society of Bayonne Leadership Award, and the Royal Hero recognition at Robinson School. She was named the GFWC Peninsula Women’s Club Woman of Achievement and Jersey City Council’s Woman of Action in 2015, Bayonne Chapter of UNICO 2016 Humanitarian of the Year, and was honored at the UNICO National Convention as the 2016 Cianci Humanitarian Award recipient. In 2019 Madeline received the Daryl Harrison Rand Leadership Award at the Hudson County Legends Ball and was the honoree at Metropolitan Family Health Networks 2019 gala.

“With God’s Help We Go Forward” Trinity Parish in Bergen Point An Episcopal congregation “With God’s Help We Go Forward” Trinity Parish in Bergen Point An Episcopal congregation

Holy Eucharist – 9:30 AM each Sunday Children’s Sunday School and child care

Knitting Ministry–2nd & 4th Saturday of each month Columbarium on site Mass on The Grass & Annual Parish Picnic

Music Lessons through our mutual ministry with Grace Lutheran Church, Hand in Hand Music School All Are Welcome & Invited to Our CommunionTable

Trinity Parish is the sponsor of the Windmill Alliance, Inc. Corner of 5th and Broadway Plenty of on-site parking 201-858-4460 201-858-4460 | www.trinityparishbayonne.org Trinity Parish is the sponsor of the Windmill Alliance, Inc. Corner of 5th and Broadway Plenty of on-site parking 201-858-4460 201-858-4460 | www.trinityparishbayonne.org

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