Chuck McCann
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
I guess you could say that Chuck McCann and I go way back. All the way back to July 29, 1980, when he asked me – an eight-year old at the time – to borrow my pen so that he could sign something as he registered for the Sons of the Desert “Hollywood ’80” convention. I knew two things about Chuck at that time: that he had portrayed Oliver Hardy in a series of TV commercials (opposite Jim MacGeorge), and that he had been one of the founding members of the Sons of the Desert (as officially outlined in the Sons Constitution). Read the rest of this entry »
It shouldn’t be too hard for you to picture me as an annoying, young boy – running around and pestering a group of counselors at summer camp. Well…as easy as you find it, Dean Garrett will find it even easier. Although he was never officially my counselor at Camp Woodland Altars, he was one of the staple counselors for all three years of my Junior Lodge days from 1981-1983. He is also part of my memory landscape that encompasses my very first Summer at Woodland Altars. I’ve already talked a bit about that particular week and you can read about it 
As a bit of a chubby little whippersnapper and obnoxious twelve-year old, I hadn’t yet had an official ‘girlfriend’ as I moved into the summer of 1984. You can bet your bottom dollar that I liked girls – I had since kindergarten – but I lacked the gumption and self-confidence to ask any of them to ‘go’ with me. However, this all changed when I went to Camp Woodland Altars during the summer following my sixth grade year. Actually, it was relatively easy to find girls here. 
The Christmas of 1981 was another one of the really, really good ones. I was inching my way out of childhood and toward adolescence. But whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was still a kid susceptible to the magic and allure of Christmas. Still full of excitement and anticipation of the moment that the gun would signal the opening of the gifts. This was a very pleasant time in my life. As a fourth grader, I was kept very active by my Mom, participating in several extra-curricular activities. December was a busy month, as it yielded the fruits of these many clubs.