Steve Sarver

Ever since the 2006 edition of the camp history was published, many people have asked for more information about me and how I came to write the camp history. The best explanation that I can give is that the printed history (as well as the Web sites and other work that I have done) is an expression of the deep personal feelings that I have for Camp Lowden. It is the outcome of my desire to have a way that everyone can see what a wonderful place Camp Lowden is. If you have been to camp - whether as a camper or staff member or both - you will definitely understand. But even if you have never been there, reading the history book will help you understand why many of us have strong feelings for Lowden.

To fully understand my personal perspective, it might be helpful to know more about my experiences at Camp Lowden, which began more than 40 years ago.

At that time our district had an annual "Scout Show" at a local mall, where each unit could have a booth, displays, etc. It was a way to put Scouting on display for the public and also for promotion. One year, some tents were set up outside and some boys were camping (roughtly where Cliffbreakers is located today). That’s what I wanted to do too, but I was told that Cub Scouts did not go camping because "that was what Boy Scouts did." After hearing that, I could hardly wait to get to Boy Scouts so I could go camping.

Everything was great...until my parents left. Boy was I homesick! But after about ten minutes we started doing swimming and other activities and it was a tremendous amount of fun. So ever since I was ten years old, Camp Lowden has been my absolute favorite place. The next year [as a Boy Scout] I got to do more swimming - which I really loved to do - as well as some canoeing. I also got to shoot guns, which I thought was great!

I do not remember a lot from those first couple of years, but I do remember my father explaining that Dale Smith was the camp director and that he was training Bruce Small to take over, probably the next year. I also remember that I simply could not wait to get to camp each summer, and that the saddest day of the year was the day we had to go home. My father still tells the story that - before I passed through the gate at the end of each summer - I had already decided which merit badges I would earn the following summer.

One other thing that made a huge impression on me was when Bruce gave a speech about littering, that he "would not sacrifice the beauty of Camp Lowden to a bunch of litterbugs." So even as a pre-teen, I developed an appreciation for "the beauty" of Camp Lowden, something that I still have to this day.

In my three summers on staff I was certainly not the best staff member - not by a long shot! But the opportunity to serve alongside some of my boyhood heroes - Bruce Small, Tim Gaston, and Dan Reilly - plus others whom I respected such as Tom Heintzelman, Bob Wienke, and Mark Wallace - was a huge honor and a privilege. Those three summers solidified my love of Lowden. I learned more from these people than I could have possibly learned elsewhere. There is no better training course than serving on a camp staff.

I once had to write a term paper on the place that I wished I could be. My choice was easy! All the time I was in college, and later as an adult, Camp Lowden was never far from my mind. I knew that I wanted to return someday, but had no idea how, or in what capacity.

Looking back, I would have to say that coordinating the troop reunion and doing the troop history was what sparked my interest in doing the camp history. It definitely planted the thought in my mind that not only could I do it, but that I should do it. Success at the troop level definitely translated into the confidence that I could do it on a larger scale.