New lodge unveiled at scout camp Roosevelt

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One by one, the invited guests filed into the new dining and multi-purpose lodge at Camp Roosevelt in Eddington on Wednesday.

One by one, their gazes drifted upward, toward the massive trusses and the majestic pine ceiling, 34 feet above the floor at its peak.

And one by one, nearly without exception, they mouthed the same word: Wow.

On Wednesday, hundreds of donors and supporters of scouting in Maine showed up for the dedication of the Katahdin Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s new lodge.

The 11,284-square-foot building will allow the Katahdin Council to do things and host events that the 1929-era dining hall didn’t.

And it does so in stunning fashion: A mostly glass front allows a panoramic view of Black Cap Mountain and Little Fitts Pond.

Among the dignitaries, donors and guests were dozens who had invested their hard-earned money to the $2 million fund-raising effort, and more than a few who’d dedicated their lives to scouting.

There were scouts – never “former” scouts, no matter how old, scout executive Rich Avery Jr. cautioned – and those who taught them.

And as you might expect, there were fond memories, and stories to be shared.

“I miss the old [dining hall],” admitted Bernard ‘Doc’ Mann, now 97 years old. “The old one had soot [on the ceiling]. We had to light with kerosene lamps. I miss seeing the soot.”

Mann taught generations of Maine youngsters about nature – for 35 years or so at Camp Roosevelt, then another 21 years at the YMCA’s Camp Jordan – and said he was impressed and awed by the new structure.

“It’s so strong, it just scares me,” Mann said. “It’s terrific. It’s ponderously strong. This will never get blown over, I’m sure.”

Mann remembers his first year at Camp Roosevelt well. A teacher by trade, he was hired as the first aid expert.

“It didn’t take long to put a name on me – ‘Doc’ – because if you can put on a band aid at camp, you’re the doctor,” Mann said with a chuckle. “The name stuck.”

Mann taught thousands of kids over the years, and says he loved doing it. As it turns out, many of the kids remember him just as fondly.

Across the sprawling lodge was one of those “kids,” now a man who has made a name for himself as one of the nation’s premier wildlife artists.

Forest Hart, whose black bear sculpture, “Bear Tracks,” graces a place of honor in front of the lodge, doesn’t remember exactly when he first came to Camp Roosevelt.

It may have been 1954, he says.

And he can’t recall whether he came for two years or three.

But he remembers Doc.

“He was a pretty inspiring person for me,” Hart said. “The nature lodge that they had and that he ran looked a lot like my bedroom. It made me believe I was on the right track.”

Hart had begun work as a taxidermist at age 10, and was quite accomplished by the time he headed to scout camp for the first time.

In Doc Mann, he found a kindred spirit with a passion for nature.

“We had similar interests, and I just took an instant liking to him,” Hart said.

Hart’s best memories of camp revolve around the nature lodge which has since been named for Doc Mann.

The pet raven, and the baby muskrats. The rotting loon egg, which he remembers as “quite smelly.”

And Doc.

“He had a perfect personality for kids,” he said. “Everybody really enjoyed him and got a lot out of his teachings.”

On Wednesday, the two men shared a room, and at moments, center stage. There they were, the one-time teacher, and the student who went on to excel in a related field.

Mann admitted that he didn’t really remember what he might have said that inspired a young Forest Hart. In fact, he can’t even place Hart’s face from among the thousands he met and mentored.

“I don’t remember him as a kid, because that was 54 years ago, but something I said must have encouraged him because he said, ‘I’m eternally grateful for what you encouraged me in, to do what I was doing,'” Mann said.

And how does that make him feel, more than 50 years later?

“Warm,” Mann said, smiling.

Over the course of a couple hours, hundreds of people toured the new, improved grounds of Camp Roosevelt. Some were scouts. Others never were.

Some – like Hart – hadn’t been back in more than 50 years.

But Doc Mann, who still stops by Camp Roosevelt once a year for a special barbecue, said no matter how often you return, the place still feels the same.

Even if it’s been spruced up quite a bit lately.

“It feels like you’re home,” Mann said.

Final any-deer reminder

If you hope to have the option to shoot an antlerless deer this fall, this is your last reminder: If you don’t apply for an any-deer permit this week, you’re out of luck.

A total of 67,725 any-deer permits will be allotted by the state, but you’ve got to apply on-line before 11:59 p.m. on Friday to have a shot at one.

The application process is quick and easy, and can be done at www.mefishwildlife.com.

Good luck!

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.