Tim H. Gaston

Tim was the "cool dude" at camp and everybody wanted to be around him, largely because he was just so darn funny. I will never forget 1982 when the staff was marching down the path to the Dining Hall, singing "We Are Camp Lowden Staff." One time Tim followed the rest of the staff by about five steps and said the words to the song, in a bewildered, quizzical manner, totally calling attention to himself. It was priceless.

The next year, every time he made an announcement to the campers, he would always "introduce" himself by saying, "I’m Tim Gaston..." and the rest of us would have to respond (in a flat, drawn out drone), "...camp commissioner." This would happen literally at every gathering.

In the Dining Hall and at campfires, Tim would lead us in all sorts of crazy songs, and whenever he was introduced to lead a song we knew we were in for a treat. Years later, I arranged to have Tim lead the guests at my wedding reception in the singing of "The Unicorn Song", but we ran out of time before this could take place (much to my regret!)

Tim Gaston has made quite an impact on the standards and values that have become a vital part of the Camp Lowden staff tradition. Even today, Tim continues to model the character and high standards to which Camp Lowden staff members are expected to adhere.

Tim is the kind of person that you can meet for the first time and five minutes later swear that he has been a lifetime friend. I could always count on Tim to make Scouts and leaders feel right at home. His congenial personality and his ability to really listen to what you had to say made him a valuable asset. One of the things that I admired the most about Tim was that he was always able to somehow take the worst situation and turn it into a positive learning experience.

One of my favorite incidents that I most remember involving Tim occurred in the Dining Hall at lunch time. Tim and I would entertain the group by constantly bantering back and forth each trying to outshine the other. Admittedly he was very hard to best, and I usually lost since the campers were always on his side. I finally got the last word when one afternoon I ended our session by stating, "The rumor that an island is forming in the pool is completely unfounded. It is just the aquatics director, Tim, doing the back float!" The laughter was at a fever pitch, tears from laughing were rolling down cheeks, and all Tim could do was stand there and shake his head. He was finally totally speechless!

Right after that occurred, I dismissed everyone from the Dining Hall so they could be on their way to afternoon activities. Tim and I were standing together laughing and talking about the incident when a young Scout came up to us and said, "Bruce, if you do not like Tim, why did you hire him?" We were both flabbergasted, and went to great lengths to let the young man know that it was only through our strong friendship that we were able to joke around like we did. He was convinced and understood before he walked away. We walked away having learned one of the most valuable lessons we could ever have learned: what you think is funny and obviously a joke, someone else may not. You have to be careful to not be misunderstood. That is still a lesson is taught to the staff every summer because of that incident.

Tim continues to help Camp Lowden in any way that he is able. Through his continued contact with camp, he shares his Scout spirit with current staff members, helping them to make sure that they, too, live up to the expectation of excellence and to the Scout Oath and Law. Tim has been one of the most significant contributors to the pride, tradition, and excellence that embody the Spirit of Camp Lowden.

Tim H. Gaston Camp Chronology