Mowglis Memories
Education & Explainer
About
Mowglis memories is a podcast created from time to time to share stories and interviews with the alumni and interested members of the public
Episodes
- Randall Gibson - Mowglis Man and World Explorer
Randall Gibson discusses his life as a world explorer, including his work with a concrete construction ship and founding the environmental institute Ecotechnics. His ancestor, Confederate General Randall Gibson, was involved in expanding A…
- Erik Bernhardt: A Life of Confidence and a Sense of Gratitude
Erik Bernhardt reflects on attending Camp Mowgli for seven summers from 1985 onwards. He describes his childhood as mischievous and details how counselors and directors helped guide him, understanding his actions stemmed from youthful joy…
- Caleb White: A Boy of Substance - a Man of substance
Caleb White shares his experiences at Mowglis, highlighting his relationship with his brother George and earning the Wolf's Paw award. He now serves on the Holt-Elwell Foundation Board, continuing his connection to the Mowglis community.
- James "Jim" Beckford - A Witness to Mowglis' Historic Transition from Private to Non-Profit
The episode features James "Jim" Beckford, an alumnus of Mowglis from 1953-1956. His brother Joe was instrumental in Mowglis becoming a non-profit foundation. Beckford also pursued a career as an educator and administrator.
- Eric Adell - A Mowglis Man and a Contro-King
This episode of Mowglis Memories features Eric Adell, also referred to as a "Mowglis Man" and "Contro-King." The discussion touches upon Adell's plotting and dealings within the underground "Contro-Economy" of Mowglis alongside Dan Lincoln…
- Danforth "Dan" Lincoln: "You DO need a weatherman (or a Blue Ribbon) to know which way the wind blows!"
Dan Lincoln first came to Mowglis because his dad, Ed Lincoln had been the Watermaster at Mowglis and brought Dan on a trip to see Mowglis and to take a few slides down Soup Bowl Glide in Groton. His dad only had to ask once if he th…
- Franklin Williams Jr. : Keeping Mowglis in his Heart and his Axe nearby
"Frank" Williams and his wife Nandi are among the newest members of the Holt Elwell Memorial Foundation. Frank came to Mowglis in 1979 from his home in Philadelphia. He cried himself to sleep his very first night at Mowglis because h…
- Bartolo Governanti: The Evolution of a Teacher, Coach & Mentor - Mowglis Director of Alumni Relations
The Evolution of a Teacher, Coach & Mentor Mowglis Director of Alumni Relations As a Cub at Mowglis, he was known as Bart and many years later, when he returned to Mowglis on the staff he had grown into his full name Bartolo - more than a…
- Jay Gulitti Wears Many Hats
Since joining the full-time team at Mowglis Jay Gulitti has been challenged again and again and he always seems equal to the challenge. In this podcast we review some of the highlights.
- Ep 112 Double Emmys on his Trail from Mowglis mark Jordan Kranis' Path
Ep 112 Double Emmys on his Trail from Mowglis mark Jordan Kranis' Path Jordan came to Mowglis as a Cub in 1980, joining his brother Andrew who was in Toomai. He quickly established himself as a friendly and capable fellow and would c…
- Good Hunting and Clear Skies: Mark Popinchalk Touches Down at the Hayden Planetarium.
Some folks would say that Mowglis is in the DNA of the Popinchalk family. Mark Popinchalk came to Mowglis as a member of the staff in 2011 and while also working his way through a degree in astrophysics, he returned for two additiona…
- Nick Robbins: Celebrating a Decade at Mowglis Helm
Nick Robbins has been at the helm at Mowglis now for a decade and what a decade it has been. When Nick began his tenure Mowglis had fewer than half the campers considered to constitute a full camp, today Mowglis is looking full and robust…
- Jay Kranis - A Mowglis Brother by Choice
It is said that we humans have two families, those into which we are born and those whom we choose. Holiday tables are filled with the families we choose, and who choose us, and express the power of belonging and camaraderie borne of our f…
- James Hart - A Heartwarming Farewell
James Hart: A Heartwarming Farewell If there is one name that speaks Mowglis over the last 50 years it is the name Hart. So you can imagine the pressure that James Hart, 38, was feeling when he was chosen to be the very first Develop…
- Harry Kendall - Mowglis Memories and William Tell Moments
Harry Kendall came to Mowglis in 1965 and continued on every other year through Den and then a year on the staff. In 1969 Harry and Nat Hemenway set off on a day off intending to hitchhike to Woodstock but the best laid plans went awry and…
- Ep 106 Baird Standish - Head in the Clouds, Feet on the Ground
Baird Standish came to Mowglis in 1969 and graduated from the Den in 1971. Along with his cousin Steve Minich . . . ok, yeah and Jr. Bender and Doug Beal among others His Blue Racing Crew holds a 50-year-old course record.
- Stephen Turnbull - Following the Environmental Trail
Steve Turnbull came to Mowglis in 1970 and graduated from Den in 1974. This coming summer will be his 50th anniversary and he's hoping to get as many of his dorm mates as possible to be there. He readily admits that living side by side wit…
- Jim Kingsley - Turning Points & Traditions
Jim Kingsley has a remarkable catalog of Mowglis traditions stored in his brain and having been through several major turning points for Mowglis those traditions matter to the sustainability and continuity of the Mowglis experience. Jim Ki…
- Ep 103 Greg Coplans: Way-Ho From South Africa to England to America
Greg Coplans came to Mowglis as sailing instructor in 1972 and returned at the invitation of Mr. William B. Hart in 1973. In those two years he captured the hearts of campers and staff alike, was chosen to be Blue Crew Leader and honored w…
- Fabian Carlos Guhl - From Germany to Mowglis and Back Again
Fabian Carlos Guhl came to Mowglis for the Summer of 2002 as a windsurfing instructor and waterfront staff. During the course of only one summer he found himself transformed into a member of the pack and he has stayed in touch ever since t…
- EP 101 Adrian West from Red Racing Crew to Henley and beyond!
Adrian West came to Mowglis in 1985 in Cubs and remained through the Den in 1980 and was staff one year in 1981. His grandfather Charles Bird had attended in the mid-1930s where he had been friends with Wah Pah Nah Yah - W Richard West Sr.…
- Andrew Berkey: What the Trip Program Tells us about Mowglis
Andrew Berkey came to Mowglis in 2000 in Baloo and was in the Den of 2003. He rose to be Tripmaster at Mowglis and much of our discussion focuses on the challenges of running the trip department at Mowglis and the goals of the program that…
- EP 99 Jeff Shaw: The Quiet Power of Example & Competence
EP 99 Jeff Shaw: The Quiet Power of Example & Competence Listen here: Watch on YouTube Show Notes: https://mowglismemories.blogspot.com/2023/08/ep-99-jeff-shaw-quiet-power-of-example.html Jeff came in 1977 as Crew coa…
- Gregory Goss: A Once Reluctant Mowglis Man
"I don't want to go . . ." Those were the words of Greg Goss at his grandmother's home in Alexandria, NH only minutes before they would leave to drop him at Mowglis. The next day he rescued half his team from jail in capture the flag and b…
- Scott Gibbs - A Star in a Family of Mowglis Icons
Please note, there were some sections where we had technical difficulties with the recording but they do not last long and it's well worth bearing with them. Scot Gibbs came to Mowglis in 1965 for his Panther and Den years with a bit of a…
- Bruce McKelvy: Master Civil Engineer of Toomai
Bruce McKelvy came to Mowglis in 1956 and had the good fortune of experiencing Moglis under Colonel Elwell and Darwin P. Kingsley III as well as John Adams. He has been a loyal Mowglis for all the years since . He says he learned about his…
- Frank Hubbard - Watermaster 1965 - 1966
Frank Hubbard came to Mowglis as the result of a conversation between his father and Bill Hart Sr. He joined Mowglis as a member of the Cub staff but in the next year Bill Hart Sr sent him to Water Safety Instructor (WSI) training and prom…
- Ep 94 Adam Billingslea - Two Love Stories Merge
Two Love Stories Merge Adam came to Mowglis in 2002 as a member of Panther. A Florida boy thrown into the NH Wilds he jumped into the experience with both feet and has never looked back. What he didn't know as he went through his two years…
- John Harmon - A Career Course Correction for the Better
John Harmon Father of Former HEMF Board member Eve Bould Grandfather of Thomas Bould Den 2020 John Harmon came to Mowglis in 1963 at the Urging of former Tripmaster Gaius Merwin Jr. 1963 was the very first year of Mowglis under the watchfu…
- Jim Westberg - The One & ONLY "Iggy"
Jim Westberg came to Mowglis in 1965 from East Longmeadow Massachusetts. His parents had been introduced to Mowglis by the Punderson family. At Mowglis Jim was soon known by the most unique nickname: "Iggy" a moniker by which he is still l…
- David Cummings - Blending Medicine, Science and Public Policy to Change the World
Dave came to Mowglis in 1967. He moved up to Toomai a year, probably because he had been in Cubs for two years and Mr Hart didn't want him to be bored with the routine of the youngest boys. He stayed in Toomai a second year to allow his pa…
- Sergio Covarrubias - Mexico's Gift to Mowglis
Sergio Covarrubias - Mexico's Gift to Mowglis Sergio came to Mowglis from Mexico (City) in 1980 and immediately captured the hearts of both boys and staff. Akela 1980, Den 1982 It appears that he was the first Mowglis boy to come all the w…
- Henry Coons: Leader, Teacher, Lifelong Mentor
Henry Coons is nothing if not consistent. Mowglis, Mullenberg College and the Avon Old Farm School where he built a legendary career at first as a coach and teacher and then as the Alumni Director. Henry came to Mowglis in 1965 in Akela an…
- Bruce Ferguson: Living His Best Life the Mowglis Way
Den 1982 Part entrepreneur, part philosopher Bruce Ferguson is living his best life in his hometown of Darien, CT where he grew up. Bruce recently joined a group of his fellow Dennites for a zoom reunion in addition to his reunion this pas…
- Mucking About with John Moukad
John Moukad came to Mowglis in 1969 and he was in the iconic Den of 1973 with the Goehring brothers, Charlie Feuer, John Fay, Bruce MacDonald, Gordon Marr, Jim Lynch. From Manhattan to Mowglis must have been quite a culture shock but he ad…
- EP 83: Jud Kendall Reveals the Truth about "The Full Walbridge".
"You're not at the top until there's nothing above you." That's what his mother told Jud when she took him to hike Prospect Mountain in Lancaster NH as a 3 year-old. He's loved hiking his whole life, so becoming a Mowglis man was just par…
- Clarke Wallace: Den 1982 Looking Back After 40 Years
Perpetual youth notwithstanding, Clarke Wallace - Clarkie as his fellow Mowglis called him - still fits his nickname. He came to Mowglis in 1979 and graduated with the Den of 1982. His family roots, however, go back to his uncle Byrd Daven…
- Gaius Merwin III: How the Biggest & Strongest Camper and Counselor of Mowglis became a Little Buttercup
Emblazoned into the memory of every Mowglis, who were contemporaries, are a few images: Jeff O'Rourke or Eric Love as Bubbles, wife of Zep the lead Zamboni Brother and Gaius Merwin as Little Buttercup in a Jerry Hakes production! The myste…
- E81 | Still Adventuring: Peter Stant
Peter Stant Joined the Mowglis Family in 1978, graduating from the Den in 1982. He came because his elementary school friend Bruce Fergusen suggested that he consider joining Bruce. Peter would go on to join the inner circle and stroke the…
- Jonathan Feuer - True North on the Mowglis Compass
Jonathan Feuer came to Mowglis in 1958 - the result of a bit of serendipity when his mother learned about Mowglis from her perch on a dentist's chair. Pregnant at the time with another Mowglis icon brother Charles, Jonathan's mom decided t…
- Mowglis Salutes Richard Morgan
Depending on how you calculate it Richard Morgan has been a familiar face among Mowglis for 3-6 generations. More than any other Member of the Mowglis family, Richard has been a constant presence sometimes on a daily basis, sometimes for t…
- "Gung Ho" James Orr: From the summit of Cardigan you can almost see him dancing.
Jamie Orr (Den 1975) came to Mowglis in 1972 - a camper in Baloo - and graduated from the Den in 1975. Given the nickname "Gung Ho" ( we think by Pete St. John his dorm mate) for his eager and undaunted embrace of the Mowglis spirit and et…
- EP 77 Pablo Nieto - From Guadalajara to Newfound - The 2nd Generation of "the Mexican Mafia" Leaves a Mark
Pablo Nieto came to Mowglis in 1998 a second-generation member of the extended family of brothers, and cousins lovingly referred to as "the Mexican Mafia" for the way in which the family dominated the scene at Mowglis.
- Celebrating A Spectacular Den 1982 Reunion, Summer of 2022- Art Sculco Reports from the Field
Art Sculco celebrates his years at Mowglis but is more than a little bit wistful about the good fortune of Mowglis under the leadership of Nick Robbins. His 1982 Den reunion according to Arthur was even better than he could have hoped. He…
- Pablo Lloyd - Three Summers in Baloo?
Pablo Lloyd came to Mowglis in 2013 along with his brother Alexander. In the summer of 2021 and 2022 he returned as a member of the Mowglis staff, following in the footsteps of his dad Tom who came to Mowglis as a young camper and then ret…
- All the Way to Mowglis from Area Code 69148 - Singleton Bender Jr.
All the Way to Mowglis from Area Code 69148 - Singleton Bender Jr. Jr. Bender came to Mowglis in 1968 from his home in Piney Woods Mississippi. Mr. Hart had made a conscious effort to begin diversifying Mowglis and reached out to lead…
- Tomo Nishino - A Quiet Competence
Dr. Tomoharu Nishino, “Tomo” to most of us, is the epitome of quiet competence. He’s always been that way even as a cub, even when he was playing “Hello Dolly” along with Ian Brown on the trumpet and Abe Unger on the guitar! (He’s also obv…
- Tom Lloyd - The Winding Road to Mowglis Spirit
Mowglis Memories Podcast The Winding Road to Mowglis Spirit A Conversation with Tom Lloyd 1982-84, Staff and crew coach 1993, Trustee - Holt Elwell Memorial Foundation Tom came to Mowglis in 1982 with his best friend from elementary school…
- Al Reiff - Joe Mowglis Meets Mr. Chips
Al Reiff is a name that spans a lot of time at Mowglis. The tongue in cheek title of this podcast really just ties together the Al Reiff we know and love and the long-time teacher of Mathmatics at the Taft School (38 years - though looking…
- James Bradbury - Mowglis Leads to Climate Change Policies that Look to the Future
James came to Mowglis in 1980. His dad is Arthur Bradbury who was a camper and staff member including a number of years as Mowglis Watermaster.. James rose through the ranks to become tripmaster for 2 years. From his position today at the…