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Fred served in many capacities on the Camp Hinds Staff over the years
1963 - Nature Director
1964 - Provisional Scoutmaster - Byrd
1965, 1966, 1967 - unknown
1968 - Nature Director
1969 - Commissioner
1970, 1974 - unknown
1975 - Provisional Scoutmaster
1976 - Craftshop Director
1977 - unknown
2008, 2009 - CIT Advisor

 

Frank Maguire and Fred Gervat in Rec Hall


 

Comments and pictures from friends and relatives for this page will be welcomed.

 
Fred  Gervat

We  lost  one  of  our faithful long-term  Camp  Hinds  staff  men  and  supporters  when  Fred  Gervat  passed  away in April of 2018.   I first  met  Fred  in  1963, when  I  was  program  director and Fred  rode  a  bus  from  New  York  City  to  Raymond  to  begin  his  first  year  on  the  camp  staff.   I  picked  him  up  on  route  302  and  gave  him  a  ride  to  Camp  Hinds,  not  knowing  that  we  would  be  traveling  many  places  together  in  the  next  fifty  years.
As  the  next  few  years  passed  Fred  returned  from  the  Bronx  to  Hinds  to  serve  as  director  of  Scoutcraft,  Nature,  Craft  Shop,  provisional  scoutmaster,  commissioner,  and  CIT  director,  every  year  from  1963  to  1978.  The  Lodge  made  Fred  a  Vigil  Honor  member  in  1971.
For  one  year  Fred  moved  to  Maine,  rented  a  home  in  Windham,  and  taught  school  in  a  nearby  community.  He  also  served  that  year  as  District  Advisor  to  Casco  Bay's  Order  of  the  Arrow  chapter  and  involved  himself  in  their  activities.
Fred happily  joined us on  a  cross-country  drive  to  Philmont  Scout  ranch  in  1972, after Hinds closed for the season,  when  we  drove  two  crews  of  Scouts  from  Maine  to  New  Mexico  in  a  five-car  covoy,   with drivers  including Fred,  Tom  Curran  and  me.  (We  didn't  actually  drive  in  a  "convoy",  we  spread  out  on  the  highway  with  planned  meeting  spots  ahead  , it's safer that way.)   His  claim  to  fame  on  that  trip  was  when  he  found  the  money  pouch  I  dropped  in  a  restroom  in  Oklahoma,  and  presented  it  back  to  me  that  night  with  much  ceremony.)
After  he  married  in  the late seventies  Fred's  summers  were  spent  closer  to  home  but  he  still  made  visits  back  to  Maine,  including  regular  attendance  at  Madockawanda Lodge's  annual  banquets,  where  he  filled  me  in  every  December  on  his  activities  in New York. 
The  lure  of  camp  Hinds  attracted  Fred  back  to  Maine  in  2008  and  2009,  when  he  served  as  Hinds'  CIT  director.  I  think  Fred  thrived  in  that  position,  where  he  could  serve  as  a  guide  and  mentor  to  yet  another  group  of  up  and  coming  Scouts  -  within  a  day  of  meeting  his new crew,  Fred  would  introduce  all  of  his  Scouts  to  me by  name  and  background.  He  was  a  Scouter  and  Teacher  through  and  through!

~ Frank  Maguire


Fred Gervat was my first “roommate” at Camp Hinds. We lived in Peary Cabin behind the old Dining Hall. He was Nature Director, and I served as Dining Hall Steward. Our shared loved of word play – Fred never met a pun he didn’t like – grew into a bond that lasted 50-plus years. I can still remember that first day when we cleaned out the cabin and discovered a carpet rolled up in the corner. I took it outside and swept and swept and swept it to remove the accumulated winter debris. When I flipped it over to do the same thing to the underside, I noticed the label – Bigelow. Fred and I looked at each other and said in perfect unison – “A title on the door rates a Bigleow on the floor.” Even now, fifty years later, that brings a smile to my face.

~ Bill Wiles  Camp Hinds Staff, 1968-1977
 


Page design and layout by:
Dean B. Zaharis
Created: March 24, 2019
Last Update: July 27, 2024
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