Honoring Our Newest Class of Camp Cachalot Wall of Fame Honorees
Homecoming this year will kick off our second decade as an Association, and pay tribute to our 6th class of Wall of Fame honorees.
Homecoming will take place on Saturday, July 11th, 2015, from noon until 5:00pm. We’ll begin with a cookout down by the pine grove across from Tom Cullen Field. As usual, you’ll have some time to catch up with old friends and swap some camp stories over lunch. At around 1:00pm, after you’ve had a chance to eat, we’ll have a quick update on what’s been going on with the Association and some plans for the future. At 1:30pm, we’ll move over to the Bill Joyce Memorial Flag Field for this year’s Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where we'll welcome our three newest honorees. Once the program for the day has concluded, Cachalot will remain open until 5:00pm, to give you more time to catch up with other alums, get in a little fishing, check out the newly-completed renovation of the dining hall, or pay a visit to one of your favorite spots in camp.
About the Wall of Fame
The Camp Cachalot Wall of Fame is modeled after other “Hall of Fame”-type institutions, and is intended to be a lasting memorial to the people and organizations that have been instrumental in the success of Cachalot and the experiences of those who have attended Cachalot over the years. Nominees must have had their first involvement with Cachalot at least 20 years prior to their nomination, and are subject to a strict vetting process that concludes with voting by the members of the Alumni Association. More complete information on the Wall of Fame, including the nomination process and our plans for a permanent memorial, can be found here. A roster of past inductees will always be available on this web site.
Our 2015 Honorees
Our sixth class of Wall of Fame inductees consists of a long-time volunteer and matriarch of a local Scouting family, a former volunteeer camp ranger who provided a lot of service to Cachalot, and a local volunteer whose service contributions even inspired a service award in his name.
For the last 36 years, Brenda Pomfret has served Cachalot in multiple roles, most notably as the long-time Program Director of Cachalot’s Cub Scout Day Camp program (from 1979 through 1996), the Field Sports/Rifle Range Director for Boy Scout Summer Camp for over a decade, the frequent assistant chairman of the Cub-o-Ree program run by Wall-of-Famer Jack Byrne, and Rifle Range “Mayor” on more than 10 Klondike Derby staffs. She was a founding member of Cachalot’s Campmaster Corps, and remains involved as a Campmaster today. Her sons were also prominent in local Scouting, at her side at Cachalot from pre-Cubbing age right up to today.
The recipient of many Scouting honors, including the Silver Beaver, the District Award of Merit, Wood Badge, and various training awards, Brenda has been a fixture at Cachalot. Under her leadership, and through her constant promotion, Cub Day Camp participation grew and grew, with over 120 Cubs attending camp each week over a 4 week Day Camp season, with many Cubs attending multiple weeks to enjoy Cachalot and the weekly themed program Brenda planned and operated with her staff of loyal volunteers and Scouts.
In her role as Rifle Range Director, Brenda introduced many youth to the shooting sports and the paramount importance of firearm safety. In 1983, she introduced the National Rifle Association’s Youth Shooting Program to Cachalot, which allowed Scouts and Scouters to pursue and qualify for NRA medals, patches, and certificates. She also introduced many Scouts to silhouettes and Lucky Target shoots during evening activities. Safety was always Brenda’s biggest message: she wanted everyone to know that while shooting was a fun sport, firearms are a serious pastime and she stressed the importance of being safe above all else.
A licensed nurse, Brenda has served as the backup camp nurse for many camp programs and events.
Brenda has also made many contributions to the upkeep of Cachalot over the years, from being a frequent participant in Beaver Weekends to her work as a Campmaster. She always helped with whatever projects she could, from painting and staining, to planting trees, to running the Trading Post, even cleaning restrooms.
Outside of camp, Brenda was involved at the unit level with Pack 55 in Fairhaven, in various Commissioner roles at the district level, and on Council training staff and a 5-year stint as the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby chairman. She’s also been a long-time volunteer and staff member for the Relay for Life program.
With her long involvement at Cub Scout Day Camp and Boy Scout Summer Camp, there are many former youth staffers that think of her as “Camp Mom.” Especially during Day Camp, she made sure her youth staffers stayed fed, stayed safe, had fun, and knew their contributions were important. Many of these staffers now have families of their own, and can be spotted at Alumni Association family weekends introducing their own children to, and reminiscing with, Brenda.
Our “Camp Mom” has shown dedication and devotion to Cachalot and the youth it serves. For her many contributions to Cachalot’s program and her service to Cachalot, Brenda is well-deserving of a spot on the Wall of Fame.
Ray Rogers was a virtual, unofficial Assistant Ranger at Cachalot from the early 1950s through the late 1960s, always on hand to help with projects out at Cachalot. A Scouter with Pack 54 in Fairhaven, Ray spent more time at Cachalot tackling projects than nearly any other person for a 15+ year span of time, even stepping in as acting Ranger when needed.
We haven't been able to identify a photo of Ray Rogers in our archive. If anyone has a photo of him, we'd appreciate a copy. Please contact us at curator@cachalotalumni.org.
Paul A. Seguer’s name was synonymous with service for much of the 1970s and early 1980s at Cachalot.
Paul was a long-term member of the Camping Committee of the Cachalot and Moby Dick Councils. A contractor and carpenter, he applied his skills to many projects at camp, leading the construction of Cabins 1 and 2, along with many Beaver Day work weekends, where he was a constant presence, leading many work projects and assisting in many others. As Camp Noquochoke was still a going concern at this point in time, he also put in work there, leading the construction of a new Ranger’s residence. He was a man who was always willing to help, whether he was swinging a hammer or setting bricks, and was a continual help to the rangers at Cachalot for his entire Scouting career.
It is hard to overstate just how much work he put in at Cachalot: when the Neemat Lodge established their annual service award, to be presented to the Arrowman who had contributed the most to Camp Cachalot, they named the award in Paul’s honor, and the “Paul Seguer Service Award” was presented for many years.
He served the Scouts of Cachalot and Moby Dick Council in other ways as well, serving on many training committees (including Woodbadge), the Restoration Committee, the Cranberry Festival Committee, the Cachalot District Committee, as Cubmaster and Scoutmaster of Pack and Troop 74 in South Dartmouth, and as an adviser to Neemat Lodge. During his Scouting career he was awarded the Scouter’s Key, the District Award of Merit, the Silver Beaver, Woodbadge beads, and the Vigil Honor.
More Details
Homecoming 2015 is a free event for members and non-members alike. Lunch is optional, with a suggested donation of $5 to help us defray the cost.
The Wall of Fame dedication and induction ceremony will begin at 1:30pm, in the Bill Joyce Memorial Flag Field. While we'll have some seating set aside for our honorees, if you'd like to be able to sit down during the ceremony we strongly suggest bringing along a camp chair for yourself. We expect the ceremony to take about an hour. Camp will remain open after the induction ceremony until 5:00pm. If you'd like to have a look around but don't quite remember the way, members of the Alumni Association will be on-hand to help you find your old haunts.
As always, our History Committee will be on-hand to scan your photos and slides or photograph any memorabilia that you'd like to show off. Bring along your items to be scanned, or bring your digital pictures in almost any format. Contact curator@cachalotalumni.org if you have questions about this. If you have a large number of photos or slides, we may not be able to handle them at the event but would still like to make arrangements to capture them, so please contact us at that email in that case.
Registration Details
Even though this is a free event, we'd still appreciate it if you'd let us know you're coming, especially if you plan on joining us for lunch. If you're a Facebook® user, and would like the event to show up in your events list there, you can RSVP via the event’s page on Facebook®, otherwise you can:
Click here to register online right now!
There's no need to register via both methods. If you do register on Facebook, please be sure to let us know if you'll be dining with us (a comment on the Event's wall is fine.)Additional Information
If you have questions that aren't answered here, please drop us an email message at homecoming2015@cachalotalumni.org. The Narragansett Council office may also be able to answer some questions via telephone at (401) 351-8700.
We hope you’ll be able to join us and help us recognize this years Wall of Fame honorees and their efforts to make “the place we know so well” what it is today!
See you in July!
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